Predictions Summary Projections by Position Projection Team Boxes

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Prediction: CHI 17, MIN 27 (Line: MIN by 6.5)

UPDATE: Kyle Rudolph is questionable after only getting some limited work on Friday. If he plays he won’t be 100% and I am removing him from the projections.

This messy season-ender is a replay of week 11 when the Bears won 21-13 in Chicago.

Nothing like finally saying you have had enough and that it is time to make a huge change by benching a $100 million quarterback and going with a backup. And then, of course, having to return right back because the new guy has a concussion. Okay Jay, forget everything we said last week. This is your team! Again! For this week!

QUARTERBACK : If there is any consolation to returning to Jay Cutler it is that his week 11 showing against the Vikings was one of his best games of the year. He passed for 330 yards and three touchdowns but has been less effective – and more error prone – in games since that meeting. Cutler has been more productive in road games overall if only because he cannot rely as much on Matt Forte to control the game.

RUNNING BACK : Matt Forte ran for 117 yards on 26 runs in the last meeting and added six catches for 58 yards. The Bears may be out of the playoffs and the passing game may rise and fall but Forte has been very consistent with around 100+ total yards per week and catching six or more passes. He’s been the most reliable part of the offense all year.

WIDE RECEIVER : Brandon Marshall accounted for 90 yards and two scores on his seven receptions against the Vikings this year while Alshon Jeffery had a season high 11 catches for 135 yards and one touchdown. Jeffery scored in all five games since that meeting though his yardage has been oddly consistent around 70 yards each game. Marquess Wilson replaced Brandon Marshall and while he ended with a touchdown in week 15 and then seven receptions for 66 yards versus the Lions, he fell to only one catch for eight yards last week with Jimmy Clausen starting at quarterback.

TIGHT END : Martellus Bennett was held to only four catches for 29 yards in the last meeting for one of his worst games all year. He too did not connect with Clausen last week but had big stats against the Lions (8-109) and Cowboys (12-84, TD). But he’s been little used in the two weeks since Marshall left.

MATCH TO THE DEFENSE: The Vikings have been far better against the pass when at home where only two quarterbacks (Rodgers and Ryan) threw for more than one touchdown. This will be a harder place to play than it was in Chicago and there is the whole team imploding thing to consider. Jeffery is a must start here with Cutler at the helm and Forte is a starter regardless of matchup. But Bennett faces a team that has been very tough on the position at home.

The Vikings wind down their season with reminders of how they still have not figured out how to win games when they lead. The last three losses were by 2, 2 and 3 points. In each they could have won but getting the punt blocked out of the endzone for a safety last week was a new one. Despite the loss of Adrian Peterson, some progress has been made on this team and Teddy Bridgewater is the better part of that.

QUARTERBACK : Although Teddy Bridgewater only threw for 158 yards and one score in Chicago, he’s thrown for two scores in all home games since and even topped 300 yards twice. He is making better decisions and using more of his targets even when facing above average defenses. He’s a work in progress but at least the direction is definitely going the right way. At home he’s also throwing fewer interceptions.

RUNNING BACK : The Vikings already gave up on Ben Tate and have just relied heavily on Matt Asiata these last few weeks. Asiata responded with a score in Detroit and then two touchdowns last week in Miami when he ran for 58 yards on 16 carries. Asiata only had one run in the previous meeting with the Bears when Jerick McKinnon (8-38) was still playing. Whatever there is to get goes to Asiata this final week.

WIDE RECEIVER : Cordarrelle Patterson ends his second season with nearly zero catches here in the last month and he has never been a factor this year. Charles Johnson has been much more effective after joining the team and playing in week five. He caught six passes for 87 yards in Chicago while Greg Jennings was held to only one catch for four yards. Jennings has gone on to catch a score in four of the last five games though his yardage remains below 60 yards in each game. Jarius Wright scored last week but has only two touchdowns on the year and was held to no catches in Chicago.

TIGHT END : Kyle Rudolph was held out last week with knee and ankle issues and is no lock to play here. He also missed the earlier meeting with the Bears when Chase Ford (1-4) and Rhett Ellison (1-7, TD) were his replacements. Rudolph has been little used in most games this year and his better efforts came on the road anyway. I’ll assume Rudolph plays very limited and update if needed..

MATCH TO THE DEFENSE: The Vikings are going nowhere in the post season but should be reliable to give a nice effort at home against a wounded Bears team that is the visitor. The Bears have been very kind in road games with 13 touchdowns allowed over just the last three visitors. But Bridgewater is not yet in the same company as Brady, Rodgers and Stafford. Expect a nicer effort here from Bridgewater facing a weak secondary and he’s been improving almost every week. The tight ends are too unproductive to consider but Charles Johnson and Jennings should both see better stats this time. Asiata won’t run for a lot of yards but a score is definitely within reach.

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