Bears @ Vikings

StickierBuns wrote:
I feel an underwhelming blasé over this game because I really don't know what to expect. Would love to see JJ pop some and make some incremental improvements. But who knows? Another gross home loss and fans will be ready to lose their shizzle. Sitting at home and watching a young QB's growing pains is one thing; spending money and time to attend a game and seeing a shit show....well I wouldn't blame anyone for getting salty at the stadium. Hopefully everyone at The Bank will be a little happier this Sunday. Please?

Well, you know the drill. One week we lose and everything sucks. We yell at clouds and kids on the lawn. The beer is stale, and we want to fire the coach, fire the GM and tank for a higher draft pick. The next week we win, the sun comes out, and we start counting the victories needed to win the division. Fear not, this is our up week.

I havent been able to go to home games this year for the first time in decades...

Hopefully just a one year hiatus! I was doubly bummed-out knowing I couldn't go when I saw the home schedule come-out.

Outside of the Bengals game, I havent missed much at USB this year-to-date.

I'm hoping they begin to turn things around some this Sunday. It'll most likely go down to the wire.

It wont get an easier the next 2 games after this one.

This game will define how both teams have gelled/grown since Week 1. Da Bums obviously have hit some strides, but are winless in the division and had had a near-bye-week against the hapless Giants. JJM has finally gotten a couple of full games under his belt, with one amazing victory and one fairly brutal loss, and has a slew of lessons to learn from after the Baltimore game.

Both teams are beat up, with people hurt, resting, and/or returning to duty. Both QBs are in their second seasons, albeit with very different dynamics involved.

I absolutely think we can win this game, with our defense being its chaotic self and JJM learning from mistakes...but, it'll likely be 60 minutes of tooth enamel destruction for all fans involved.

Hey, guess who's the only undefeated team in inter-divisional NFC North games?

One interesting thing about this game is that it marks the first time JJ McCarthy will play against a defense for the second time. There's an old Latin saying, "Repetitio est mater studiorum," or repetition is the mother of learning. 

I may be a reckless optimist, but I'm expecting a little more of the JJ we saw in the 4th quarter of that first one.

MaroonBells wrote:
One interesting thing about this game is that it marks the first time JJ McCarthy will play against a defense for the second time. There's an old Latin saying, "Repetitio est mater studiorum," or repetition is the mother of learning. 

I may be a reckless optimist, but I'm expecting a little more of the JJ we saw in the 4th quarter of that first one.

Will be interesting.  Being a "rookie" JJ is seeing defenses play him much differently than normal.  I think DC Allen went away from his normal defense in that game.  Wonder what scheme they will come up with to "confuse" this time.

But yeah, I think JJ will be fine.  Our line has been running the ball better, hopefully we lean on that.

greediron wrote:

Will be interesting.  Being a "rookie" JJ is seeing defenses play him much differently than normal.  I think DC Allen went away from his normal defense in that game.  Wonder what scheme they will come up with to "confuse" this time.

But yeah, I think JJ will be fine.  Our line has been running the ball better, hopefully we lean on that.

I'm expecting a better game out of JJM this week too...Not saying there wont be up/downs the rest of the way, but maybe this is an up-week as MB points out.

Now, if we throw the rock 42 times again? Well, I am going to pull this bad-boy out:

Jj with some sick anticipation on this throw pic.twitter.com/wPN1JIEEzw

— ode (@SimplyOde) November 12, 2025

purplefaithful wrote:
Hey, guess who's the only undefeated team in inter-divisional NFC North games?

both games were  on the road

Man, what a weird year. 

KOC has done some deep soul searching this week and is gonna go run heavy and becomed a bit conservative. 

He'll see in the tape of Ravens game that McCarthy was way  beyond his abilities 4 games in  JJ can't yet execute the plays KOC is calling..

Great defense, solid special teams and an offense that controls the ball is his best recipe moving forward. 

I still think playoffs as wildcard are doable.

Great news, Other than Greenard and Kelly, all injured players were FP at practice (excluding resting vets)

Edited

MaroonBells wrote:
There's a bizarro fact in the NFL that I always found incredibly hard to believe. Kirk Cousins worst statistical season as an NFL starting QB was better than the best ever season by any Bears QB in their 106 year history. 

That may change this year, as Caleb Williams is on track to be the first Bears QB to throw for over 4,000 yards. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/nfl/chicago-bears-caleb-williams-nfl-winning-rcna243310

And another bizarro fact: Kirk Cousins is not even in the top 10 Vikings QBs.

FLVike wrote:

And another bizarro fact: Kirk Cousins is not even in the top 10 Vikings QBs.

...um, he's ranked third or so in most categories, so I'm curious what you're on about.

He has the highest career QB rating of all our QBs, 2nd in TDs, 3rd in passing yards...

...so, yeah, curious about that point of view...?!

MaroonBells wrote:
There's a bizarro fact in the NFL that I always found incredibly hard to believe. Kirk Cousins worst statistical season as an NFL starting QB was better than the best ever season by any Bears QB in their 106 year history. 

That may change this year, as Caleb Williams is on track to be the first Bears QB to throw for over 4,000 yards. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/nfl/chicago-bears-caleb-williams-nfl-winning-rcna243310

kind of misleading point to make by author of the article since he is only on pace to eclipse the 4000  yard mark by 35 yards,  and we are in the 17 game era.  Average yards per game would be a much better metric to compare QBs historically IMO,  if they want to use total yards,  other wise move the benchmark so it actually means something.

Another inter-divisional NFC North game. Physicality, penalties and turn-overs will decide this game.

Or dropped passes...

I hate listening to Brady. He may be the goat quarterback, but he sucks as an announcer

It is what it is. The roller coaster of a qb playing his 5th game is the reality we are faced with. Some hesitation, some throws sailing, it is how it is. At least there was some more run game. But the defense could get gassed now

Just ran it right down our throats on that drive. Completely out physicaled

The first half was which QB sucked the least. They both sucked, but Caleb sucked less than JJ. I did not anticipate JJ's inaccuracy.