Can the Vikings continue steamrolling through the NFC North?
The Minnesota Vikings start their final lap around the NFC North on Sunday with a home tilt against the Chicago Bears.
The last time the Vikings saw the Bears, they were 4-6 and in desperate need of a win — which they almost nabbed before Minnesota stole one in overtime.
Since then, the Vikings haven’t lost and the Bears haven’t won — they’ve lost seven straight — while firing their head coach in the meantime.
But it’s still a divisional game in the Black-and-Blue division, and there are no gimmes.
Either way, it should be a heck of a ride on Sunday and we’ve enlisted Daily Norseman staffers Christopher Gates, Natalie Miller and Sam Buegler as experts this week to answer all your burning questions:
Q1: What is your honest assessment of Caleb Williams almost one full season in? Would the Bears have been better suited keeping Justin Fields and using that pick in another way (trade/other player selected/etc.)?
Christopher Gates: “I think that Williams obviously has a great deal of physical talent, but it’s far too early to pass judgment on him at this point because the Bears’ coaching staff has been so bad for most of the year. The team is now being coached by Thomas Brown, who started the season as the passing game coordinator and spent a couple of games as the offensive coordinator before being promoted to the head coach spot. Brown was the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers in 2023, and only one team in the league scored fewer points that year. He also had everyone thinking that Bryce Young was a bust, but now it looks like he’s finally starting to come around a bit.
“I don’t know if them keeping Fields would have made any difference for this season because I don’t think he would have been able to overcome this coaching staff, either, but I think that Williams does offer more upside than Fields so they’re ahead of the game there.”
Natalie Miller: “He is going to be an elite player. There have been just so many flashes that he has shown, especially under Thomas Brown, that really showcase a lot of the things we saw at USC. While the Bears remain unable to win games, it is certainly not because of Williams. I don’t really believe Justin Fields is in the same realm as Williams and using the No. 1 pick on him was absolutely correct.
“Would Chicago won more games with Fields to this point of the season? It’s hard to say, rookie bumps are inevitable so it’s hard to really compare the two. The expectations Williams had going into the season were probably just too high given the perceived talent on the roster that has really not lived up to the hype.”
Sam Buegler: “Caleb Williams has shown flashes of the player he was drafted to be. There have been some fantastic plays and brilliant moments, but there have also been some rookie moments where he holds onto the ball too long or takes a shot that he shouldn’t have.
“I think the bigger issue is in the coaching. Caleb needs stability to develop and the Bears firing their head coach midway through the season – when it should have been long before – and making him start over, and potentially start over again in the offseason with a new HC seems more detrimental to his development.”
Q2: Are you *at all* concerned the Bears might try to hire Brian Flores away this offseason to be their head coach?
CG: “Honestly, as much as Brian Flores deserves to be a head coach in the National Football League again, I don’t think that the Bears (or anyone else) will hire him in that capacity as long as he has a lawsuit active against the NFL. When the shield decides that something isn’t going to happen, it’s not going to happen, and I can’t imagine that they’d want someone that’s actively suing the league to be serving as a head coach.
“Specifically in the case of the Bears, though, I think that if they’re going to try to maximize Williams’ potential they really need to find themselves an offensive-minded head coach, and that’s not Flores’ forte. They need to find someone with a reputation for developing quarterbacks to see if Williams is the answer or if they’re going to have to move on again in a year or two.”
NM: “That would baffle me a little bit. There is already a strange history between Flores and young quarterbacks that you really don’t even want to risk with someone like Caleb Williams. Plus Chicago really should try and get one of the bright offensive minds available in this “coaching class”. I’d be much more frightened if they landed the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Flores leaving doesn’t seem inevitable, but of course I hope he finds opportunity elsewhere, he was a solid head coach.”
SB: “The Bears, not really. To me, it seems like they are going to want an offensive-minded head coach to take over after this season. Ben Johnson, Joe Brady, or someone along those lines makes more sense to pair with Williams and Odunze as opposed to Flores. I am terrified that someone else will try to take him away, The Jets, Saints, or even Raiders are all places I could see being more interested in Flores.
Q3: Fill in the blank and explain: If the Bears win on Sunday, they’ll have gotten a huge game from ________? (twist: you can not say Caleb Williams)
CG: “D’Andre Swift. The Bears did next to nothing on the ground the last time these two teams played, and that limited what the Chicago offense could do a bit. In order to have any chance to win this one, the Bears are going to have to run the football and try to keep it away from the Minnesota offense.
“Whether it’s Swift or one of the other running backs, someone is going to have to try to step up and take the heat off of Williams. If they can’t do that, Brian Flores’ defense is going to have Williams in a blender for most of the night and, hopefully, this time there won’t be any weirdness at the end of the game to give the Bears an opportunity for a win.
NM: “Matt Forte! Kidding. The key to this game is going to be rattling Sam Darnold, who is on an absolute tear. Montez Sweat is Chicago’s best pass rusher and has the ability to completely take over a game. Of course, the offense for Chicago will need to be explosive itself, but if the defense shows up like it has the potential to, it’s not outlandish to think this could be a 17-14 game because of the pressure applied from both defenses.”
SB: “Eric Washington. Their defensive coordinator is going to have his work cut out for him on Sunday, and if the Bears want a chance to win they are going to need to be able to stop the Vikings offense after a red-hot performance last week. Montez Sweat will have a big part in making that happen and disrupting plays, so expect a big game out if him if the Bears hope to stop Sam Darnold.
Q4: What’s your final score prediction for Sunday, and why?
CG: “As loathe as I am to predict large victories for this team, all of the signs seem to be pointing in that direction in this one. The crowd should be in a frenzy for the “Winter Whiteout” contest, and I honestly think that this is a Bears team that has checked out for the year. They got throttled in San Francisco last week and it honestly looked like most of those players just didn’t want to be out there anymore.
“Divisional games are weird sometimes, but I do think that all of the elements are there for the Vikings to give us a victory that’s actually a little easier than what we’re accustomed to. I’ll say 31-13, Vikings.
NM: “17-14 with the Bears stealing one away from the Vikings. Minnesota is on a hot streak and is one of the best teams in the entire league, but Chicago has played them and the Detroit Lines fairly close in their last two contests. The ball may swing the other way here as Chicago comes in and squeaks one out as a team that may be overlooked after their recent struggles.”
SB: “27-14 Vikings. I think the Vikings will get out early and this game will never be too close. The Vikings want to keep their momentum going early, so I’d expect a few deep shots from Darnold early to see what the defense will give him, and taking those shots will pay off eventually.”
