MINNEAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Chicago Bears didn’t get much of a bounce from interim coach Thomas Brown.
Brown replaced the fired Matt Eberflus the day after Thanksgiving but instead of a spark, the Bears went to San Francisco and got pummeled by the 49ers.
Minnesota (11-2) welcomes Chicago as the Bears’ losing streak stands at seven games entering Monday night’s divisional matchup against the red-hot Vikings.
A six-game winning streak has the Vikings on the heels of the Eagles and Lions in the race for NFC homefield. Minnesota is in the playoffs, clinching a spot with the Seahawks’ loss on Sunday night. Most recently, the Vikings racked up 42 points at home against Atlanta in Week 14.
There aren’t too many venues that can get louder than the U.S. Bank Stadium when the Vikings are playing well.
Look for Minnesota to jump out to a fast start against a Bears team with a first-year quarterback and a coaching staff that’s clearly in a state of flux at this point of the year.
–It’s the coaching, stupid
The Bears’ decision to fire a head coach in midseason for the first time in franchise history indicates just how dire matters had become at Halas Hall.
Eberflus left them with no choice after his in-game blunder against the Lions on Thanksgiving Day, which was laid bare for the whole world to see.
With 36 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and Chicago trailing 23-20 on Detroit’s 41-yard line, Eberflus opted not to call a timeout on third down following a sack to his quarterback Caleb Williams.
Instead, the Bears wasted 30 seconds trying to get organized at the line of scrimmage, throwing an incomplete pass as time expired. Thus, they were unable to attempt a game-tying 58-yard field goal.
After the game, Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen seemed to not so subtly blame the coaching staff directly, telling reporters, “We did enough as players to win this game.”
In other words, the players were the ones who held up their end of the bargain.
Unfortunately, the debacle against the Lions was just another example of Eberflus being completely beyond his depth as a head coach this season.
Two weeks before the loss to the Lions, the Bears had a chance for a game-winning field goal against the Packers, but instead of running another play to make the kick shorter, Eberflus ran 27 seconds off the clock only for Green Bay to block a 46-yarder.
–Prop pick: Vikings pass-catchers
Jordan Addison lit up the Chicago secondary in the first meeting Nov. 24 with eight catches for 162 yards and a touchdown and then went for 8-133-3 against the Falcons last week.
The Bears might shake things up with Eberflus no longer calling defensive shots, but Chicago sits in the same pick-your-poison predicament with Justin Jefferson opposite Addison. Tight end T.J. Hockenson also had seven receptions against the Bears last month and had 11 catches for 100 yards and a touchdown in two games in this matchup last season.
Quarterback Sam Darnold spreads the wealth in this one with Jefferson and Addison recording six receptions apiece and Addison over 60 yards.
Prop: Two bets parlayed: Addison six-plus receptions, Addison 60-plus receiving yards (+248 FanDuel)
–Bears’ coaches are ill-prepared
Before the Bears canned Eberflus, he fired his offensive coordinator, Shane Waldron. Last season, he fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.
Thomas Brown, who took over for Waldron as coordinator, is now the interim head coach.
While the Bears’ performance on the field certainly warranted some change, this revolving door of coordinators and head coaches isn’t particularly beneficial for their rookie quarterback.
There are legitimate concerns about their coaching staff’s ability to prepare midweek and devise a plan in the early stages of a game.
Of all 32 teams, the Bears average the third-fewest points in the first half, 7.4, and when they’re on the road, that average drops to 4.7.
Given their coaching carousel and staff members being elevated into new positions to fill a void, one can only wonder if there’s a lack of quality due to inexperience.
And with the Bears yet to cover the first-half spread in all six road games this season, it’s difficult to see them turning the tide on Monday night against a quality Vikings team.
Best bet: Vikings 1H -3.5 (-115 DraftKings)
– Field Level Media