The Chicago Bears capturing their fifth win this season has proved very elusive. Four weeks ago, it was only preventing a Hail Mary from midfield in Washington to accomplish the objective … but Jayden Daniels did complete the pass from mid-field that dropped the Bears season record to four wins and three losses.
The next week, in Arizona, Chicago got clobbered by the Cardinals, 29-9, evening their season mark at four wins and four losses. The following Sunday, at home as a touchdown favorite, the Bears were shut down by the New England Patriots, 19-3.
Panic set in on the group that play their home games at Soldier Field.
They fired their offensive coordinator; the kind of decision that usually indicates the head coach is trying to keep his job while passing blame for losses to subordinates.
Still, the Bears put up a valiant fight against the talented Green Bay Packers in front of their home fans last Sunday and reduced the game to a 46-yard field goal to win their fifth contest of the season.
Didn’t happen.
The Packers blocked Cairo Santos' kick and got out of town with a one-point win, 20-19.
This week, the Bears will make their fifth try at winning a fifth game, and as the old saying goes, the fifth shot is the best shot.
Okay, that is really not an old saying, but it applies this week to the Bears who will host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday and have finally paid enough dues to cash a win.
The Vikings are still drawn up in the standings, like a race car getting a draft from the car in front of them, Minnesota has not had a chance to celebrate their excellent season record because they share a division with the anointed best team in football, the Detroit Lions.
While many contended the Lions were the best team in football for weeks, results seem to make their point with lopsided win after lopsided win, the fact that the two-time defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs hadn’t lost a game threw some shade on that proclamation. Detroit had suffered one setback before Kansas City lost their first last Sunday in Buffalo. Now that the Chiefs have a loss, there is little argument that the Lions are the best team in the league.
When the best team in the league is leading your division, like the Lions are with the Vikings, the second place team is drawn to have a better record because they are not protecting a top spot but, on the prowl, to catch the leader. This has served the Vikings well, who have only two losses this year despite being considered no better than the sixth best team in the NFL.
Minnesota started the season with impressive wins against solid competition. Among their season opening four wins were victories over the San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers. They won all five of their games before their bye week and then fought the Lions to the gun in a narrow two-point loss for their first setback of the season. The following week, in Los Angeles, they suffered a ten-point defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams.
If the Vikings weren’t as good as their record, this is where they would have folded. But, to their benefit they had two advantages over the past three weeks, they were chasing the Lions in the NFC North Division race and they played three inferior opponents. That combination resulted in wins over the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans.
Now they play the Bears.
And while some might think Chicago is no better than their three previous opponents, they would be wrong. The Bears are going through growing pains, most teams with rookie quarterbacks do. But they have a solid defensive unit, and Caleb Willimas is capable of putting together a good game.
And, like his team, the quarterback is due.
Qoxhi Picks: Chicago Bears (+3½) over Minnesota Vikings