Chicago Bears: How to beat the Minnesota Vikings
Dalvin Cook is Cooked
The Chicago Bears front seven has a big test on Sunday. They are facing off against the current NFL rushing leader Dalvin Cook. Cook already has 375 yards and four touchdowns on the ground this season. He is averaging 6.6 yards per attempt.
His average yards per carry is greater than the likes of Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey. He will need to be the primary focus for Chuck Pagano and the defense. That said, Pagano and the defense need to be careful. These results could very well be deceiving.
The Vikings have faced the Falcons, Packers and the Raiders. The Falcons are 17th in defensive DVOA against the run. The Packers, despite being 3rd overall in defensive DVOA, were ranked 22nd against the run prior to their Thursday night loss to the Eagles. A game where the Packers allowed 159 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Finally, Oakland is 16th against the run.
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What I am getting at is that the Vikings have not seen a defense like the Bears yet. The Bears are currently 5th overall on defense and rank 3rd against the run. Akiem Hicks is currently questionable with a knee injury. If he does not play, that could mean bad news, but the drop off should not be too drastic. I think they bottle up Cook nicely on Sunday.
This would put the game in Kirk Cousins hands. The Bears are 8th against the pass and should be fine stopping the Vikings for the most part. That said, I am a little concerned with Prince Amukamara matching up against Stefon Diggs. Diggs has not been as great this year, but either has been Amukamara.
If I am Pagano, I am having Amukamara play closer to the line of scrimmage to stop Diggs quick slant routes and bubble screens. Then I am helping Amukamara by playing Eddie Jackson and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix over the top. The other option is having Kyle Fuller shadow Diggs and use Amukamara, Buster Skrine and Duke Shelley to cover Adam Thielen. The one thing they Bears cannot do is play Amukamara in man against Diggs all game.
Stopping Cook and keeping a close eye on Diggs is not a guaranteed victory though. The Bears must also find a way to score points on a stingy defense. Here is how they can do it.