Brett Favre leads Vikings against Chicago Bears
The Vikings are 6-1 straight up (5-2 ATS) in their last seven home games against the Bears, and there's nothing to suggest those marks won't move to 7-1/6-2 this Sunday afternoon when Minnesota hosts Chicago at the Metrodome. Adrian Peterson and the Vikings ground game should have a field day against the Bears' 23rd-ranked rush defense and open up the Minnesota air attack piloted by Brett Favre.
Happiness really does come at 40.
The Brett Favre we see suiting up for the Minnesota Vikings in 2009 just isn’t the same quarterback we’ve seen in recent years. And that’s a good thing. Favre has thrown just three interceptions after 10 games and 310 pass attempts; his Vikings are 9-1 SU and 6-3-1 ATS to lead the NFC North, three games up on his former employers from Green Bay.
There was another team in the NFC North expecting better things with a quarterback upgrade. But Jay Cutler (15 TDs, 18 INTs) has been inconsistent since joining the Chicago Bears, who have fallen into third place in the division at 4-6 SU and ATS. The gap between Minnesota and Chicago is likely to widen after the two clubs meet on Sunday afternoon (4:15 p.m. ET, FOX) at the Metrodome.
The first round of betting odds released Monday had the Vikings as 10 ½-point faves with a total of 47. A handful of books had the spread up to 11 at press time.
That Favre is playing well as part of a superior Vikings team isn’t a surprise. But having the best season of his 16-year career? No wonder Minnesota is enjoying success at the pay window. It’s not just Favre, either.
Percy Harvin (36 catches, four TDs) has proved indispensable in his rookie campaign; his 29.8-yard average on kickoff returns (plus two TDs) makes everyone’s job that much easier. Sidney Rice (50 catches, four TDs) has become the league’s No. 3-ranked wideout in efficiency according to Football Outsiders after catching just 15 passes all of last year. A rising tide lifts all boats.
Cutler wishes he had that kind of talent surrounding him on the Bears. A good left tackle would do wonders – it’s obvious why St. Louis released seven-time Pro Bowler Orlando Pace at the end of last season, as injuries and age (Pace turned 34 this month) have taken their toll.
Cutler has been sacked 20 times, but the real problem with Pace has been his run blocking, with Matt Forte dropping from 3.9 to 3.3 yards per carry. This is where Chicago really misses right tackle John Tait, who retired last year after one too many ankle injuries.
The spotlight may be on Cutler, but the Bears simply aren’t getting the job done on defense. Everybody knows they’ve been without six-time Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Urlacher since Week 1 with a dislocated wrist. But Chicago is also a lesser team without safety Mike Brown, a respected leader who is now with Kansas City after failing to get a contract offer from the Bears after the 2008 season. Without Urlacher and Brown, Chicago has fallen from No. 7 to No. 21 in defensive efficiency.
Sunday will be the first time around for the refurbished Minnesota and Chicago teams – they’ll meet again at Soldier Field in Week 16 – but the matchup clearly poses some serious problems for the Bears. Their run defense doesn’t have the tools to stop Adrian Peterson (not to be confused with the Chicago tailback of the same name), who is having another fine season with 4.9 yards per carry and 11 touchdowns.
Peterson does have four fumbles, though, so nobody’s perfect. At the other end, Minnesota has the most efficient run defense in the NFL. The secondary has some holes in it, but Cutler has to be given sufficient time to exploit those holes.
The Bears can’t even rely on what used to be their saving grace: special teams. This is still one of the better units in the league, ranked No. 4 on the strength of wideouts Johnny Knox (28.0 yards per kick return) and Devin Hester (9.3 yards per punt return), plus the accurate toe of Robbie Gould (16-for-19 on field goals and perfect from inside 40 yards).
But Minnesota has gone from worst to first in special teams thanks to Harvin’s arrival and the promotion of Brian Murphy to special teams co-ordinator. The Vikings allowed seven TDs on punt and kick returns in 2008. So far in 2009, they’ve allowed one. Now those are some special teams.
The Vikings are 6-1 straight up (5-2 ATS) in their last seven home games against the Bears, and there's nothing to suggest those marks won't move to 7-1/6-2 this Sunday afternoon when Minnesota hosts Chicago at the Metrodome. Adrian Peterson and the Vikings ground game should have a field day against the Bears' 23rd-ranked rush defense and open up the Minnesota air attack piloted by Brett Favre.
Happiness really does come at 40.
The Brett Favre we see suiting up for the Minnesota Vikings in 2009 just isn’t the same quarterback we’ve seen in recent years. And that’s a good thing. Favre has thrown just three interceptions after 10 games and 310 pass attempts; his Vikings are 9-1 SU and 6-3-1 ATS to lead the NFC North, three games up on his former employers from Green Bay.
There was another team in the NFC North expecting better things with a quarterback upgrade. But Jay Cutler (15 TDs, 18 INTs) has been inconsistent since joining the Chicago Bears, who have fallen into third place in the division at 4-6 SU and ATS. The gap between Minnesota and Chicago is likely to widen after the two clubs meet on Sunday afternoon (4:15 p.m. ET, FOX) at the Metrodome.
The first round of betting odds released Monday had the Vikings as 10 ½-point faves with a total of 47. A handful of books had the spread up to 11 at press time.
That Favre is playing well as part of a superior Vikings team isn’t a surprise. But having the best season of his 16-year career? No wonder Minnesota is enjoying success at the pay window. It’s not just Favre, either.
Percy Harvin (36 catches, four TDs) has proved indispensable in his rookie campaign; his 29.8-yard average on kickoff returns (plus two TDs) makes everyone’s job that much easier. Sidney Rice (50 catches, four TDs) has become the league’s No. 3-ranked wideout in efficiency according to Football Outsiders after catching just 15 passes all of last year. A rising tide lifts all boats.
Cutler wishes he had that kind of talent surrounding him on the Bears. A good left tackle would do wonders – it’s obvious why St. Louis released seven-time Pro Bowler Orlando Pace at the end of last season, as injuries and age (Pace turned 34 this month) have taken their toll.
Cutler has been sacked 20 times, but the real problem with Pace has been his run blocking, with Matt Forte dropping from 3.9 to 3.3 yards per carry. This is where Chicago really misses right tackle John Tait, who retired last year after one too many ankle injuries.
The spotlight may be on Cutler, but the Bears simply aren’t getting the job done on defense. Everybody knows they’ve been without six-time Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Urlacher since Week 1 with a dislocated wrist. But Chicago is also a lesser team without safety Mike Brown, a respected leader who is now with Kansas City after failing to get a contract offer from the Bears after the 2008 season. Without Urlacher and Brown, Chicago has fallen from No. 7 to No. 21 in defensive efficiency.
Sunday will be the first time around for the refurbished Minnesota and Chicago teams – they’ll meet again at Soldier Field in Week 16 – but the matchup clearly poses some serious problems for the Bears. Their run defense doesn’t have the tools to stop Adrian Peterson (not to be confused with the Chicago tailback of the same name), who is having another fine season with 4.9 yards per carry and 11 touchdowns.
Peterson does have four fumbles, though, so nobody’s perfect. At the other end, Minnesota has the most efficient run defense in the NFL. The secondary has some holes in it, but Cutler has to be given sufficient time to exploit those holes.
The Bears can’t even rely on what used to be their saving grace: special teams. This is still one of the better units in the league, ranked No. 4 on the strength of wideouts Johnny Knox (28.0 yards per kick return) and Devin Hester (9.3 yards per punt return), plus the accurate toe of Robbie Gould (16-for-19 on field goals and perfect from inside 40 yards).
But Minnesota has gone from worst to first in special teams thanks to Harvin’s arrival and the promotion of Brian Murphy to special teams co-ordinator. The Vikings allowed seven TDs on punt and kick returns in 2008. So far in 2009, they’ve allowed one. Now those are some special teams.