With the Chicago Bears heading to Minnesota in a primetime Monday Night Football matchup with the Vikings in Week 12, all eyes will be on Justin Fields. After rushing for a new season-high last week and leading the Bears to 26 points in a loss against the Detroit Lions, we'll see if Fields can keep it rolling and put up another big performance for the Bears. Ahead of the Bears-Vikings Monday Night Football game, we'll be making our predictions.
The Vikings won the first matchup between these two NFC North rivals, 19-13 in Week 6. Fields hurt his thumb in that game, leading to backup Tyson Bagent taking over at QB. With Fields back in action, the Bears should have a much better chance at pulling off the road upset against the Vikings, who are battling for their own playoff lives at 6-5 this season.
For the first time in a long time, the Bears won't be seeing Kirk Cousins when they line up across from the Vikings in this one. Joshua Dobbs has taken over at quarterback after Cousins suffered a season-ending injury, and he's done a more than admirable job of keeping the Vikings afloat.
Will the Bears improve to 4-8 or will the Vikings go to 7-5 in this crucial Week 12 matchup on Monday Night Football? Let's get to our Week 12 Bears predictions.
*Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
DJ Moore will eclipse 100 receiving yards
This may not necessarily feel like a shootout, but in the last three games where Fields has actually been able to play a full game, Moore has yardage totals of 96, 230, and 131. He's clearly the top target for Fields. Minnesota should have a hard time running the ball against a stout Bears run defense, making the Vikings turn to the air early and often with Josh Dobbs. Despite the low-scoring battle in their first matchup, we could see some fireworks for this one and Moore should be the primary beneficiary.
Chicago's time having to play Tyson Bagent has undersold just how good Moore has been this season. He has six touchdowns already through 11 games, and could easily eclipse the 1,000 receiving-yard total (889 this season) on Monday Night Football against the Vikings.
Justin Fields will lead the Bears in rushing again
The backfield situation for the Bears is up in the air, as D'Onta Foreman seems questionable to play in Week 12 while Khalil Herbert is still working back in. Roschon Johnson will remain involved as well, making this a potential committee that spreads the wealth around.
Fields is in a good position to once again lead the Bears in rushing, especially if all the designed runs from last week carry over into this week against the Vikings. The Bears took advantage of Fields' fresh legs last week, as he carried the ball 18 times for over 100 yards on the day. The Vikings are notorious for blitzing at a rate well above everyone else, which could lead Fields to have to scramble and improvise in addition to the designed runs.
It would be a surprise if Fields doesn't hit double-digit carries again vs the Vikings, which should be enough to have him lead the Bears in the rushing yards department.
The Bears win by a touchdown
If you can look past the disastrous start to the season, the Bears have been playing much better football over the last few weeks. Narrowly losing to the Saints and Lions isn't bad at all, especially since Fields has either been out or shaking off the rust. With the Fields-Moore connection back together again, the Bears should be able to move the field much better, especially if the creating QB run playcalling keeps up.
The Vikings have been a great story, but this feels like a road upset waiting to happen for the Bears.
Follow Us
Subscribe