Hello everyone, and welcome to the Week 2 Minnesota Vikings roundtable here at Daily Norseman. The Vikes are coming off an incredible fourth-quarter performance that helped them beat the Green Bay Packers at home in the opener.
Can the Vikings beat the Bears and take an early stake in NFC North supremacy?
Let’s talk to it:
Question 1: Buy or sell: the Bears offense is as good as it showed in Week 1?
Brandon Warne: No chance. I don’t think we’ll look back at Carolina as a particularly good defense when the dust settles, and while I like the cadre of offensive talent the Bears
have under Ben Johnson, even this was a shocking output. This should be a fun chess battle between Johnson and Brian Flores, to be sure.
Dave Stefano: Sell. Hard sell. They dropped 59 on Carolina in a game that looked like two high school teams forgot to play defense. That’s not a Week 1 statement — that’s a schedule gift wrapped in orange and blue. Ben Johnson’s scheme is legit and Caleb finally looked comfortable, I’ll give them that. But 59 points against a Panthers defense that couldn’t tackle a parking cone is not the same as lining up against Brian Flores sending the house 78 percent of the time. Ask me again after they see a real front and I’ll decide whether to buy. Right now? That’s a rental.
Warren Ludford: The Bears have a good and balanced offense with solid position groups across the board. Having said that, the Panthers defense is poor and allowed the Bears to run up the score with largely routine passing and strong run game aided by more yards from Caleb Williams than normal.
Sam Buegler: Sell. I think it will be a great offense, but I don’t think any team could maintain that level for 17 weeks of the season. While they could get close, I don’t think they will beat the average points per game record and will come back to Earth a bit after facing the Panthers.
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Question 2: Where do you stand on Caleb Williams as an NFL quarterback right now?
BW: When he’s accurate and decisive, he’s as good as anyone. When he’s flustered, he looks like a rookie. I guess that doesn’t really make him any different than pretty much any quarterback in the league outside of maybe a few. But I do wonder if he’s the right player to execute Johnson’s offense long-term. Certainly, last week showed he can do it, and he’s possibly the most talented young quarterback in the game. If Johnson keeps tailoring his offense to his quarterback’s strengths and away from his shortcomings, he’s a Pro Bowl-level quarterback. Games against a Flores defense will be the litmus test for whether he’s good or just “good enough.”
DS: He’s a very talented young quarterback who just had his best “look at me” game of his career against a defense that invited it. Dual-threat, off-script magic, two rushing scores — all the stuff that made him the first pick. I don’t hate the kid. I just refuse to crown him after one shootout in Charlotte. Year 3 is supposed to be the leap year. Fine. Prove it against Flores, Van Ginkel, and a secondary that just spent four quarters taking the ball away from Jordan Love. Until then, he’s a promising QB who still has to show he can win ugly in a division game, not just pretty against a sieve.
WL: Caleb Williams still struggles with accuracy but is getting more comfortable in the Bears scheme. He hasn’t shown much ability to throw with anticipation, as he normally needs to see his receivers open before he throws. But he also has the talent to make sensational off-schedule plays. The downside is these are low-percentage plays. The passes that don’t connect don’t make the highlight reel. But he has a great situation around him offensively and he can improve if he learns to throw with anticipation and becomes a bit less conservative and more accurate with on schedule throws.
SB: I think he’s grown into a good QB and is scary, especially once he starts to improvise. This being the second year of the Ben Johnson Experience in Chicago means he is more used to the system, what Johnson is looking for out of him, and has a deeper understanding of the schemes, so I would expect him to have a breakout year.
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Question 3: Fill in the blank — The Vikings will win if __________ happens?
BW: Flores wins the chess match and Wentz does enough good to outweigh the bad. Flores-Johnson should be getting more attention for the heavyweight battle it is, and I still have reservations about Wentz’s accuracy and the decision-making that trickles out from it. Still, there are times when you see flashes of the quarterback who played at an MVP level early in his career in Philadelphia. And part of the inaccuracy could be chalked up to rust; he’s played (and played healthy) so sporadically over the last few seasons that I don’t think it’s shocking that he still might be getting used to the flow of an NFL game again.
DS: …Flores keeps sending the blitz and Wentz doesn’t turn it over. That’s it. We don’t need 39 again. We need the defense to keep doing what it did after halftime last week — wreck the pocket, force the throw they want, and let Jefferson and the rest of the skill guys finish drives. If the offense just doesn’t gift Chicago short fields, Soldier Field gets quiet by the fourth quarter. Again.
WL: If the Vikings can move the ball effectively on offense and not turn the ball over, the defense and special teams will do their part to secure victory.
SB: Wentz can game manage effectively. He needs to not get flustered and pump fake 10 times in a row and instead stay calm, collected, and be able to take what the D gives him. Chicago let Carolina put up 37 points, and Jalen Coker had 138 yards. If Wentz can effectively exploit them similarly, who knows how much Jets and JA could go for.
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Question 4: Same question, but for the Bears…
BW: I think they need to take an early lead. Use the home-field atmosphere to their advantage. Prove that the offense can score against a non-JV-level unit with some regularity. None of this is out of the realm of possible with a Johnson-led offense.
DS: …they win if their offensive line actually picks up Flores’ pressure and Caleb doesn’t start hero-balling the second things get tight. Carolina let him scramble for days. Minnesota will not. If Chicago’s line holds up and they can run Swift enough to keep Flores honest, they’ve got a shot. If they try to win a track meet against this defense, they’re going to learn why 59 points in Week 1 doesn’t travel.
WL: If the Bears can frustrate the Vikings offense enough and win the turnover battle, their offense should be able to do enough to come out on top.
SB: Protect Caleb Williams. The Vikings won 90.6% of their pass-rush attempts last week. If they can keep that up and not give Williams time to cook, the Vikes have a good chance; but if the Chicago line holds up and gives Caleb time to work his magic, we might be in trouble.
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Question 5: What’s your final score prediction and why?
BW: I’m taking the boys in purple, 35-21. I just have a really good feeling about this one. The Vikings are for real.
DS: Vikings 27, Bears 23.
Ugly, sloppy, divisional football at Soldier Field. Chicago’s going to score — they just put up 59, they’re not going to forget how. But Flores is going to make Caleb uncomfortable, Wentz (or a cleared Murray) is going to manage it just well enough, and somebody in purple is going to make a play late. That’s the script. SKOL.
WL: I’m going with the Vikings in an upset, 27-20.
SB: 24-20 Vikings. Maybe I am being optimistic and riding off a high of being at the Bank for the opener, but I think that the Vikings strike first, take an early lead, and don’t look back. They bring the Bears back down to Earth and go 2-0 to start the year.
