3 ways the Vikings can beat the Bears and extinguish their playoff hopes

Heading into their Week 12 matchup with the Chicago Bears, the Minnesota Vikings are in great shape as it pertains to the NFL postseason picture.

Upping their winning streak to three last Sunday with a 10-point win over the Tennessee Titans, the Vikes are 8-2 on the season and currently hold the No. 5 seed in the NFC, sitting a full game ahead of the Green Bay Packers (No. 6, 7-3) and two games ahead of the Washington Commanders (No. 7, 7-4) in the loss column.

The Bears, on the other hand, have gone in the wrong direction in recent weeks. After winning four of their first six, the Monsters of the Midway have since lost four in a row, two of those defeats coming in dramatic fashion.

First, of course, there was the last-second loss to Washington on Jayden Daniels' incredible Hail Mary. And after ugly defeats to the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots, the Bears had their hearts broken again as the Packers blocked a Cairo Santos field goal as time expired to secure a one-point victory.

Had both games gone the other way, Chicago would actually be the No. 6 seed in the NFC right now. Instead, at 4-6, they're sitting in the No. 12 slot and only have about a 2% chance of returning to the postseason for the first time since 2020.

But that's life in the NFL.

If Minnesota can extend its winning streak on Sunday at Soldier Field, the Bears' playoff hopes would effectively be extinguished for good. And given the matchup, the Vikings are in position to do just that.

The Vikings can exploit the Bears' woeful run defense

While Vikings running back Aaron Jones is coming off his worst game of the season, some of last week's woes could be attributed to the rib injury he suffered the week prior against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But with another week to heal up, Jones should be much closer to 100% than he was against Tennessee. And all signs point to him having a big day against Chicago.

The Bears have allowed 130.3 rushing yards per game this season, the 10th-most in the league. And they've been even worse during this four-game losing streak, allowing 157.8. There have been times when the Chicago defense was seemingly close to stopping a drive and getting off the field, only to give up a big running play.

Expect Jones to get back on track here.

The Minnesota defense should blitz Caleb Williams early and often

There's no denying Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams is an amazing athlete.

The No. 1 overall pick has the ability to extend plays with his legs, which he did plenty against Green Bay this past week, rushing for a career-high 70 yards. He can also throw on the run, and his passing technique continues to improve.

But he's got big issues when facing the blitz, and that works in the Vikings' favor, as defensive coordinator Brian Flores has no problem sending pressure to opposing quarterbacks, blitzing on 39.1% of opponent dropbacks.

Williams has taken 41 sacks this season, the most of any quarterback in the league, 18 of which have come when blitzed. He also ranks 25th or worse among QBs in pass yards per attempt (6.1), completion rate (58.9%), and passer rating (81.7) when facing a blitz.

On a grander scale, Flores has thrived against first-year signal-callers, going 7-1 against rookie quarterbacks in his career as a defensive coordinator or head coach. If he sends Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel at Williams early and often, the Vikings can shake Williams' confidence and either take him down or force him into some bad throws.

Sam Darnold needs to take care of the football

After committing three total turnovers against the Indianapolis Colts, two interceptions and a lost fumble, and three more against the Jags, all on picks, Sam Darnold took much better care of the football against the Titans.

Yes, he was credited with a lost fumble, upping his league-leading turnover total to 14, but that should've fallen on Aaron Jones. Otherwise, Darnold played quite well, completing 20 of 32 passes for 246 yards with two touchdowns.

The Vikings will need a similar effort from him on Sunday. Because if they win the turnover battle, they're winning this game.

The Bears have been solid in this regard, generating 17 takeaways, tied for the seventh-most in the league, while only recording eight giveaways, the fourth-fewest.

Minnesota has been better in the takeaway department with 21, tied for the second-most in the league, most coming from their league-leading 16 interceptions. That said, for all the mistakes Caleb Williams makes, he's only thrown five picks.

Outside of Darnold, the Vikings only have three additional giveaways. So if he takes care of the football like he did against Tennessee, Minnesota should be fine. But if he doesn't, the Bears could steal a win here.