Bears-Vikings Preview

Despite the fact that the Bears have been dominant in wins over the Packers and Lions, many people in the national media still don't give the team much respect. The lack of respect for what the Bears have done is pretty amusing. It's true that they have played two teams that aren't very good, but you can only play whoever is on the schedule. They've done what they were supposed to do. Most people thought the season opener in Green Bay would be tough. The Bears wound up shutting out their hated rival, 26-0. Then the "experts" said that the game against the Lions would be tough because of how the Lions' defense harrassed Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck in a 9-6 Seahawks victory. Detroit WR Roy Williams even guaranteed a victory. He was still defiant after a 34-7 whooping at the hands of the Bears. Bears QB Rex Grossman threw four TD passes and wasn't sacked in the game. Not even once. So much for that Detroit defense.

It seems as though most of the "experts" are still picking the Vikings to beat the Bears today. They laud the Vikings for playing solid defense and having a QB (Brad Johnson) who doesn't turn the ball over. Sounds eerily similar to last year's Bears team, doesn't it? The one that lost to Carolina in the playoffs. ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth has picked against the Bears in every game, including today's. It is true that the Vikings do a variety of things pretty well, and they do have a pretty dominant left side of the offensive line with left tackle Bryant McKinnie and left guard Steve Hutchinson. However, the Bears are simply better on defense, better on special teams, and just as good (if not better) on offense, thanks to the emergence of Grossman. If the Bears don't commit multiple turnovers, they should win this game. The big key is going to be stopping Vikings RB Chester Taylor from running the ball over that dominant left side of the line. Running the ball, playing solid defense, and having a QB who doesn't turn the ball over can only get you so far, just look at last year's Bears. Last week, Chicago exposed a Detroit defense that wasn't as good as it looked against Seattle. Today, I think the Bears expose a Vikings team that is pretty good at everything, but not great at anything.