BEARS AT VIKINGS
The Chicago Bears have a first-round bye in their sights as they head into Monday’s game at
This game was off the board all week until Saturday because of the uncertainty of both the Minnesota starting quarterback and where this game would be played. Oddsmakers finally posted a line on Saturday afternoon once Joe Webb was named the starter and the location was set at the University of Minnesota.
The line opened with the Bears as 7-point road favorites and Chicago was almost immediately bet up to -7.5. The favorite is now being dealt between 8 and 8.5 in most locations as 56 percent of the public is favoring Chicago according to the Covers.com consensus.
The total opened at 34 total points on Saturday and was quickly bet down to 33 points in most locations despite the fact 62 percent of the public is supporting the over. This game is being played outdoors and the weather forecast is calling for an 80 percent chance of snow showers on Monday night. The kickoff temperature will be 26 degrees with a wind chill of 14 degrees.
Injury Report
The Vikings will be forced to start rookie quarterback Joe Webb tonight as Brett Favre (shoulder) and Tarvaris Jackson (toe) are both out with injuries. Webb attempted 30 passes in four preseason games with a solid 95.3 QB rating and 126 rushing yards on 11 attempts (11.5 ypr) but he struggled in his one regular season appearance last week against the Giants (47.9 QB rating).
The backup quarterback will be Patrick Ramsey who was just signed last week and played this preseason with the New Orleans Saints.
Webb should have his top two offensive weapons available this week as running back Adrian Peterson (knee) and wide receiver Percy Harvin (migraine) are listed as probable and both are expected to play.
Harvin has missed the past two games, but still leads the team in receiving with 51 receptions and 627 yards (12.3 ypc), while Peterson is the team’s leading rusher with 1,149 rushing yards (4.7 ypr) and 12 total touchdowns this season.
The Bears are healthy and have only a few players on the injury report. Tight end Desmond Clark (neck) is questionable, while linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa (knee) is doubtful. Defensive end Marcus Harrison is probable after missing last week’s game due to an illness.
Caught in a Webb
The Vikings have gone from an iron man quarterback to a rookie in just a couple of weeks. Minnesota starts Joe Webb against the Bears after Brett Favre’s NFL record of 297 consecutive starts ended last week.
Interim head coach Leslie Frazier likes what he has seen from the rookie.
“Joe Webb had a good day today,” Frazier said. “He really seems as if this whole thing is not too big for him, and I’m really looking forward to watching him on Monday night.”
Webb played at UAB and he put up some good numbers in college last year. He threw for 2,300 yards with 21 touchdown passes to just eight interceptions. Webb is also a mobile quarterback and his ability to create plays with his legs was also a key part of his collegiate success.
He was actually drafted as a wide receiver, but the Vikings had no choice but to play him at quarterback after Favre’s backup, Tarvaris Jackson, was injured last week versus the Giants.
”It’s not all about Joe Webb,” Frazier said. “Our offense has to play well around him. Our defense has to play well; our special teams have to play well. If that’s the case, then Joe doesn’t have to feel as if I’ve got to do what Brett Favre does for our football team or what Tarvaris Jackson does for our football team.”
Take it to the Bank
Minnesota is playing its second straight “home” game on someone else's field because the Metrodome roof collapsed. The Vikings hosted the Giants in Detroit last week, and they’ll be hosting the Bears at TCF Bank Stadium tonight which is the home field of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers.
The difference here is that this game will be played outdoors. The last time the Vikings played an outdoor game in Minnesota was 29 years ago to the day which is very ironic.
It took an army of workers to clear the stadium of snow, and NFL officials are satisfied with the location. The players aren’t though, and they’ve been quite vocal about the situation.
“Man, it’s a dictatorship,” said Bears safety Chris Harris. “What they say is the law. It doesn’t matter what I think.
“Guys are really concerned about the field, more so than where we play. We don’t want to go out there and play on a concrete-type surface.”
The Vikings announced a first-come, first-serve ticket policy for tonight’s game. There is no assigned seating, so it will be interesting to see how many fans turn out for this game. The stadium only holds 50,000 people, 14,000 fewer seats than the Metrodome.
It’s a good thing no beer will served during this game or things could get ugly, especially if the Vikings play like they did last week in their 21-3 loss versus the Giants.
Jaws on Cutler
Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler plays either really good or really bad. There’s hardly anything in between for him. Cutler threw an NFL-high 26 interceptions last season and he has thrown 12 interceptions through 13 weeks this year.
Former Philadelphia quarterback and current Monday Night Football commentator Ron Jaworski is known for his detailed film study of NFL quarterbacks. In preparation for this game, Jaworski broke down Cutler’s 12 interceptions on film.
Jaws still doesn’t like what he sees from Cutler, but he has noticed some improvement under the tutelage of offensive coordinator Mike Martz.
”I was quite surprised,” commented Jaworski, “because 11 of the 12 were bad decisions.” Jaworski only counted one interception that was a receiver’s fault.
“Eleven of the 12,” he said, “I would put on Jay.”
Still, Jaworski said he has been impressed by Cutler’s potential in Martz’s offensive system.
“I will also say some of the throws he’s made, my head exploded,” Jaworski commented. “I’m telling you, some of the best throws of the year. He’s making all kinds of plays down the field.”
Minnesota as 8-point favorites with the total at 33 points.
Offense:
The Bears own the No. 30 total offense in the league, producing 19.5 points per game. Both their passing and rushing offense ranks 26th and the club has looked to the running game more in recent weeks. Matt Forte leads the team with 773 yards on the ground and eight touchdowns, while Chester Taylor takes care of most of the short-yardage and third down carries.
Minnesota only scores 17.7 points per game and will start rookie quarterback Joe Webb. Adrian Peterson is having another solid season with 1149 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns but was held to 26 yards last week against the Giants. On the year he checks in at 4.6 yards per attempt. Percy Harvin tops the club with 627 receiving yards. He has missed the last two games with migraines.
Edge: Bears
Defense
Chicago’s defense allows only 17.5 points per game – third-best in the NFL – but were burned for 38 points last week against the Patriots, the third game in a row they gave up at least 20 points. The Bears’ main problem is with the passing defense, which allows about 225 yards per game. Brian Urlacher leads the defense with 80 tackles and has chipped in 3.5 sacks this season, while D.J. Moore has been a pleasant surprise in the secondary with four picks.
Minnesota owns the No. 7 total defense in the league, allowing 309 yards per contest, though the Vikes give up more than 21 points per game. Jared Allen has 9.5 sacks on the season, while E.J. Henderson leads the club with three interceptions. Four of Minnesota’s last five games have played under the posted total.
Edge: Bears
Special teams
Robbie Gould is having a bit of an off year for Chicago, hitting only 82 percent of his field goal attempts. Brad Maynard averages just over 39 yards per punt and has hit about 30 percent of his kicks inside the 20-yard line. Devin Hester and Daniel Manning head a dangerous return game. Hester averages 15 yards per punt return and 30 yards per kickoff while Manning averages more than 26 yards on kicks.
Ryan Longwell hits 93 percent of his field goals, good for second in the league, and Chris Kluwe averages 44 yards per punt and pins teams deep by knocking almost 44 percent of those kicks inside the 20. Percy Harvin is Minnesota’s top returning threat averaging 23 yards per kickoff return, while Greg Camarillo takes punts back at an average of 10 yards per attempt.
Edge: Vikings
Word on the street
"All year long I’ve been around Brett and Tarvaris. Those are great guys who study the game and they showed me a lot of things. Now that the time has come I can put everything that I’ve learned to work." – Vikings quarterback Joe Webb on making his first NFL start.
"You won't have any traction. You'll slip. You'll see pulled groins, torn ACLs. There's all kinds of things that could come about from that. The field will be like asphalt, so mixing that with the combined force that we play with, the force of hitting somebody and getting driven into an asphalt-like turf, you're asking for injuries." – Bears cornerback Charles Tillman on playing outdoors in Minnesota.
Final score prediction
Chicago 17, Minnesota 10
