subject: Chicago goes to Minnesota after their playoff ticket [print this page] Chicago goes to Minnesota after their playoff ticket
The Vikings won't be able to make the best of their home field advantage after a severe snowstorm on Sunday collapsed the inflatable roof of the Metrodome.
Chicago Bears tight end Greg Olsen knows that goals are achieved one step at the time, so before even dreaming about the Super Bowl they need to make it into the playoffs, where he thinks that once you are in is a "clean slate". Just like Olsen, all his teammates have only one objective in mind: clinching the division to avoid dependence on wild cards or tiebreakers. This objective could be achieved on Monday Night Football when the Bears visit the Minnesota Vikings at a stadium to be announced soon- Ford Field has more chances-, after the Metrodome's inflatable roof collapse on Sunday.
The Bears (9-4) need a combination of results to clinch the NFC North division: a victory versus the Vikings and a win from the New England Patriots against the Green Bay Packers, team that is in second place of the division one game behind.
It's kind of ironic how things change so fast from one week to another: on Sunday the Bears received the Patriots and they were after their sixth win in a row, but all they got was a resounding 39-7 loss. Now the Bears' last week rival will be their best ally this week, when Chicago will be cheering for New England to defeat Green Bay (8-5) to give them a hand to clinch division. The good news for the Bears is that the Patriots are going through a great moment -no coincidence that they are the first and only team that has qualified for the playoffs so far- product of their 5 consecutive wins, and one more victory would set a new record in the season for most wins in a row.
But the Bears not only have good news from their division rival's next opponent, they also have an excellent streak this season against division rivals, where they are undefeated after four games, which includes one victory versus the Vikings. Chicago played Minnesota at home on Week 10, and guided by their quarterback Jay Cutler' 237 yards and three touchdown, the Bears won the game at home 27-13.
As for the Vikings their outcome is not very promising: they have already lost all of their playoff chances (5-8), and on Week 15 they lost their starter quarterback Brett Favre due to a sprained sternocavicular joint in his right shoulder. And as if they didn't have enough problems to deal with, on Sunday they lost their home field advantage due to the excessive amount of snow that pilled up on the Metrodome and cause part of the roof to collapse.
With Favre inactive, Tarvaris Jackson was named the new starter quarterback for the Vikings against the New York Giants, where they suffered a 21-3 loss at home. He threw 15 of 30 for 0 touchdowns and one interception that night. Versus Chicago Jackson will be making his fourth appearance of the season and second as a starter, so far his number are 341 yards for 3 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.
After their game on Monday Night Football only two more games will be left for each team respectively before the end of the regular season. The Bears will receive the New York Jets on Week 16 and visit Green Bay on January 2. The Vikings will finish the season on the road with visits to the Philadelphia Eagles on December 26 and to the Detroit Lions on Week 17.
