I hope everyone survived Black Friday or their Thanksgiving hangover (not mentioning any fellow OBOD writers’ names). Since it’s a holiday weekend, we figured we would provide a little treat for you in terms of some extended NFC North black and blue coverage. Call it Behind Enemy Lines if you will. The Packers vs. Lions isn’t the only clash of North Division titans this weekend, as Jay Cutler takes his slumping shoulder, interception laden circus to the Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome for the first time. As you might remember the Vikings refused to pay the king’s ransom for Cutler, so the Bears stepped in. Three draft picks and Kyle Orton’s 7-4 Broncos later we all know how that turned out.
So let’s breakdown Sunday’s game, which due to very weird scheduling is the first of the year between the Vikings and Bears (the Lions, Packers and Vikings have played already each other twice ). Gene is still on roaming around in an exotic locale, I have prior educational commitments, and Chris, well between personal endeavors and cheering on his Tennessee Titans, he’s tied up for the weekend. So we are turning to our good friend Eric Walsh to help us preview this divisional matchup. Eric’s not a Packers fan, despite his fantasy football love for Greg Jennings, so it’ll be refreshing to hear an outside perspective. If you don’t chastise him too much, we may have to bring him back as the season rolls along.
-Adam Somers
At this point, Jay Cutler might not even know what Jay Cutler is thinking.
The NFL Network five-pick Week 10 for Cutler against the 49ers can be easily summarized as a debacle. Last Sunday against the Eagles, there was more indecisiveness and, quite frankly, what seemed like carelessness apparent from a quarterback that ascended to Pro Bowl status just one season ago with the Broncos. Cutler is certainly a major part of the problem in Chicago that began Week 1 at Lambeau with four interceptions and a season-ending injury to All-Pro Brian Urlacher to boot.
The Bears face the NFC North-leading Vikings this Sunday at Brett Favre … oops meant to write … Mall of America … Field inside the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Minnesota enters the game fresh off a 35-9 victory over the below-average Seahawks while the Bears come in a mess, losers of three straight and five of six.
It should be more of the same this weekend for the 9-1 Vikings, because they’ll use the run to set up the pass and then use the pass to set up the run. That right there enough to confuse the Bears defensive unit. Adrian Peterson got shut out of the endzone last week. Chicago won’t be that fortunate this week, so expect Vikings Radio Network’s Paul Allen to announce multiple times that “Adrian Peterson is loose!” Remember Bernard Berrian? Last season, the BB Gun was the Vikings’ deep threat. Now, the former Bear wideout is just another number in the Vikings offense as Sidney Rice continues to catch more bullets with rookie Percy Harvin.
Pro Bowl corner Antoine Winfield, who targeted the Seattle game for his return from a foot injury, could be back this week. Bad news for Cutler. The Vikings have only bagged one interception since Week 5. It doesn’t matter, Tarvaris Jackson is in line for more garbage time glory.
As the venerable coach Denny Green once said…..
Prediction: Vikings 33, Bears 19.
-Eric Walsh
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