The Minnesota Vikings have wrapped up one of their divisional series already this season, earning solid wins over the Detroit Lions in Week 2 and again in their last outing, both times winning by more than a touchdown. Those are the only divisional games they have played this season, but they face another NFC North opponent in the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
Vikings vs. Bears 2015 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings will try for their third consecutive victory on Sunday against the Chicago Bears.
The Bears haven't fared much better than the Lions this season, and the Vikings are riding a two-game winning streak. Things are working for the Vikings, and with the Green Bay Packers remaining undefeated, they need to win this game. With the St. Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders on the horizon prior to the first showdown with Green Bay, wins are at a huge premium for the Vikings at this stage.
Meanwhile, John Fox and the Bears don’t seem to have a direction. The defense isn’t playing nearly up to expectations, despite going up against some pretty poor offenses this season. Chicago doesn’t allow a lot of passing yards, ranking sixth in the league in pass defense, but it has allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete a high percentage of passes.
Opposing quarterbacks have a 108.6 quarterback rating against the Bears secondary, which has only managed to secure three interceptions this season. The Bears are coming off a crushing defeat at the hands of the Lions, the team the Vikings have already beat twice this season. Jay Cutler managed to throw for 353 yards and a touchdown, but he didn't get a lot of help from his running game while Matthew Stafford threw for 405 yards and four touchdowns for the Lions.
Teddy Bridgewater can't put up the same numbers that Stafford can, especially without guys like Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate to throw to, but he has been good this year. Despite an early season loss to the San Francisco 49ers that had many doubting the Vikings' potential, they have managed to produce. Running back Adrian Peterson is rushing for 4.4 yards per carry with 530 yards and three touchdowns, while Bridgewater is completing 65.7 percent of his passes on the season.
Peterson suffers from a lack of high-level receivers, with Mike Wallace under-performing since joining the Vikings. But rookie Stefon Diggs, despite limited playing time, is coming on in a big way and looks like he could be a star in the NFL. Diggs has caught 19 of the 28 passes thrown his way for 324 yards and a touchdown, with eight receptions of 20-plus yards.
With how mistake-prone the Bears have been this year, they need to keep a close eye on Diggs. Then there's the small matter of Peterson, who will be going up against the league's No. 20 rush defense. The Bears allow 124.8 rushing yards per game, a total that Peterson has eclipsed twice already this season, against the Lions and against the San Diego Chargers. He's coming off a game in which he had 98 yards and a 5.2 yards per carry average.
How to watch
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where: Soldier Field, Chicago
TV: FOX
Announcers: Chris Myers, Ronde Barber, Holly Sonders
Online: NFL Game Pass
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