Early Look: Vikings at Bears

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — The Vikings have split their first four games of the 2017 season, but look to get back on the winning track against a division rival on Monday Night Football. Minnesota will face the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in the first of two regular-season meetings between NFC North foes. The Vikings are 2-2 following a tough loss to Detroit this past Sunday. The Bears are 1-3 but have had extra time to prepare since Chicago last played on Sept. 28 against Green Bay. The teams split their pair of meetings in 2016 as each team held serve at home. Here’s an early look at Monday’s game:Passing: Vikings quarterback Case Keenum completed 16 of 30 passes for 219 yards against the Lions. He did not throw a touchdown or interception and had a passer rating of 76.9. Keenum is 1-2 as a starter this season. Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer said Monday quarterback Kyle Rudolph is still “day-to-day” with a knee injury. The Bears announced Monday that they will start Mitch Trubisky over Mike Glennon at quarterback. Trubisky was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft out of North Carolina. Glennon has thrown for 833 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions in 2017.Rushing: Dalvin Cook rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries against Detroit but was lost for the season with a torn ACL. Latavius Murray rushed seven times for 21 yards, and Jerick McKinnon had two attempts for no yards. Chicago ran for 103 yards on 30 carries against the Packers. Jordan Howard had 53 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Howard leads Chicago with 252 rushing yards and four scores on 63 attempts. Rookie Tarik Cohen has 181 yards on 30 rushes for the Bears.Receiving: Vikings wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen are among the league leaders entering Week 5. Diggs had five catches for 98 yards against the Lions, and leads the NFL with 391 receiving yards. He is tied for second with four touchdown catches. Thielen had five grabs for 59 yards Sunday. He ranks third in the league with 358 receiving yards. Tight end Kyle Rudolph had a pair of catches for 34 yards against Detroit. He ranks third on the team with 109 receiving yards. Chicago relies on a collection of running backs, wide receivers and tight ends in the passing game, as five different players had at least two catches and between 24 and 51 yards in Thursday’s loss to Green Bay. Cohen leads Chicago with 24 catches and has 150 receiving yards. He is one of four Bears with one receiving touchdown. Wide receiver Kendall Wright has 14 receptions for a team-high 154 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Deonte Thompson and rookie tight end Adam Shaheen also have touchdown catches.Defense: The Vikings defense allowed just 251 net yards and recorded 6.0 sacks on Sunday against the Lions. Danielle Hunter had 2.0 sacks, and Everson Griffen, Eric Kendricks and Linval Joseph each notched a sack. The sixth was awarded to the team after Matthew Stafford fumbled the ball without contact while under pressure from Kendricks and Harrison Smith. Griffen has 5.0 sacks in four games and ranks fourth in the NFL. Minnesota limited the Lions to just three third-down conversions on 13 tries. The Vikings defense ranks first in the NFL in that stat and has allowed just 11 of 43 attempts (25.6 percent). The Vikings are tied for eighth in scoring defense, allowing 19.0 points per game. Chicago gave up 260 total yards to Green Bay and recorded 2.0 sacks on Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The Bears have yet to record an interception and have three players with 2.0 sacks. Chicago ranks 27th in scoring defense, giving by 26.0 points per game.Special Teams: Vikings kicker Kai Forbath missed his lone field goal try on Sunday, ending his streak of 21 consecutive made field goals. It was the third-longest streak in team history. Punter Ryan Quigley averaged 40.2 yards on five punts. His net average is 42.6 yards per punt this season. McKinnon ranks fourth in the NFL with a kickoff return average of 26.1 yards per return. Marcus Sherels has averaged 5.6 yards per punt return this season. Bears kicker Connor Barth has made two of his four field goal tries. Punter Pat O’Donnell is averaging 48.6 yards per punt, which is tied for fifth in the NFL. Thompson is eighth in kickoff return average at 23.3 yards per return. Cohen has averaged 7.8 yards per punt return.Over The Years The Vikings are 58-52-2 all-time against Chicago, a series that includes one playoff matchup. Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer is 4-2 against the Bears since taking over in 2014. That stretch includes a series sweep in 2015 when the Vikings won the NFC North. Minnesota has swept the season series 16 times. Minnesota’s longest win streak in the rivalry in eight games, a streak that spanned from 1972 to 1976. Chicago’s longest win streak is six games, a stretch the Bears have achieved twice.Last meeting: Vikings 38, Bears 10, Jan. 1, 2017, in Minneapolis The Vikings closed out an up-and-down campaign with a resounding win over Chicago in the season finale at U.S. Bank Stadium. Minnesota raced out to a 17-0 lead with Bradford throwing touchdown passes to McKinnon and Rudolph in the first half. The Vikings eventually led 24-7 at the half after Jarius Wright caught a touchdown pass late in the second quarter. McKinnon scored from 10 yards out on the ground before Minnesota’s defense capped the scoring. Griffen picked up a fumble and rumbled 20 yards into the end zone. The Vikings tallied 374 yards of total offense. Bradford threw for 250 yards, and McKinnon ran for 89 yards. Minnesota’s defense forced five turnovers, including interceptions by Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes, and recorded 2.0 sacks. Joseph had a sack, and Hunter and Brian Robison split a sack. The Vikings finished 8-8 while the Bears ended the 2017 season at 3-13.

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