Category: 2022 Week 18 @ Chicago

Vikings Duke Shelley is ready for Week 18 revenge game vs. Bears

After being cut by the Bears, Vikings cornerback Duke Shelley is ready face his former team in the regular season finale

Prior to the season, the Minnesota Vikings made what seemed like a minor move when they signed cornerback Duke Shelley to the practice squad after he was waived by the Chicago Bears. The signing didn’t get much attention from fans, mainly because the Vikings had a full cornerback room filled led by Patrick Peterson and two draft picks. Along with that, Shelley was on the practice squad, and practice squad players don’t get much attention.

Shelley missed out on playing his former team in week five because he was still on the practice squad due to cornerback depth at the start of the season. As injuries piled up, the Vikings needed more on the active roster. In Week 10, the Vikings elevated him to the 53-man roster.

Fast forward to now, Shelley is not only still on the active roster, but he’s starting. That means this weekend, Shelley will get to face his former team when the Vikings travel to Soldier Field for the final regular-season game. When asked about the upcoming game, Shelley stated that he’d been thinking about it since he arrived in Minnesota.

“I’ve been thinking about (this game) since I got here. I’m sure it’ll be a little emotional. I take it kind of personal (being released).”

Shelley didn’t stop there with his comments about the Bears. Shelley went on to talk about how, in Chicago, he felt like he was playing out of position and that he was much more comfortable playing outside cornerback instead of inside.

“My whole career I’d been playing outside corner. When I got drafted I thought I’d get a chance to play outside, but they slotted me in as a nickel. But I’m more comfortable on the outside I’m just glad it ended up working out.”

Shelley has had a remarkable journey this season with the Vikings, and he continues to impress week in and week out. He’s currently Pro Football Focus’ 12th-ranked coverage cornerback on the season, and he is second in the NFL over the last six weeks with seven pass breakups. This Sunday, Shelley will finally get his revenge and show the Bears what they let go.

Vikings vs. Bears: 53-man roster update heading into Week 18

Get caught up on all the Vikings roster moves

The Minnesota Vikings are heading into Soldier Field with a 12-4 record as they hope to earn the number two seed by beating the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon. They will also need a loss by they San Francisco 49ers and former Vikings David Blough to make that happen.

Heading into Sunday’s affair, the Vikings have made a litany of roster moves. Get caught up on the Vikings 53-man roster heading into the regular season finale.

Vikings vs. Bears Week 18: How to watch, listen and stream

The Vikings take on the Bears in the final regular season game of the season

The last game of the regular season is here and it’s incredible how fast this season is going. The Minnesota Vikings travel to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears on Sunday before they prepare for the playoffs next weekend.

Our staff believes that the Vikings will win this game with ease and could end up making this their second win of double-digits this season.

Going into the final week of the season, make sure you know how to catch the game.

Behind Enemy Lines: Previewing Vikings Week 18 matchup w/Bears Wire

We spoke with Bears Wire to get the lowdown on the Vikings’ NFC North Rivals

The last game of the regular season is here and it’s incredible how fast this season is going. The Minnesota Vikings travel to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears on Sunday before they prepare for the playoffs next weekend.

Our staff believes that the Vikings will win this game with ease and could end up making this their second win of double-digits this season.

Going into the final week of the season, we spoke with the managing editor of Bears Wire Alyssa Barbieri to get the scoop on the Vikings’ NFC North rivals.

Multiple Vikings have chances for incentives in Week 18 vs. Chicago

There are multiple Vikings who have chances at incentives this Sunday

After Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears, contract incentives will be locked in. If you performed well enough in certain areas, there is financial compensation in it for the players.

Depending on what the milestone is, it would be determined as either likely to be earned or unlikely to be earned. Ones that are deemed likely to be earned are counted towards that season’s salary cap and if they are earned when they are unlikely, they count towards the next season’s salary cap.

This Minnesota Vikings team has multiple players that can earn more money by hitting different incentives.

Vikings vs. Bears: Week 18 staff preview and predictions

Our staff gives their predictions for the final regular season game of the season

Ladies and gentlemen, we did it. We made it through another Minnesota Vikings regular season.

This one was unlike any other, as the Vikings currently sit at 12-4 but haven’t wowed anyone. In fact, they have quite a few analysts calling them frauds. I don’t think that’s a fair characterization of this team.

The 2022 Vikings have been quite a ride this year and it’s about to get real, but first they travel to Chicago to take on the Bears. Here is how our staff and Bears Wire managing editor Alyssa Barbieri predict the game on Sunday.

Vikings Chris Reed to start, plan to rotate out starters vs. Bears

After a rough outing on Sunday, Reed gets another chance

When the Minnesota Vikings take the field on Sunday versus the Chicago Bears, they’ll be starting their third center this season under Kirk Cousins. Head Coach Kevin O’Connell announced on Friday that third-string center Chris Reed will get the start this Sunday versus the Bears while the Vikings wait for Garrett Bradbury to return from a back injury.

Reed struggled this past week filling in for backup center Austin Schlottmann against Green Bay. Sunday will be a good opportunity for Reed to get additional live reps and it will help the Vikings coaching staff identify if they can trust Reed heading into the playoffs or if they need to pivot to newly signed center Greg Mancz until Bradbury is ready to go.

In addition to the announcement of Reed starting on Sunday, it sounds as if O’Connell is prepared to have all of the normal starters start but then rotate out.

We saw O’Connell play it safe with his starters throughout the preseason. So it comes as no surprise that he plans on making the smart decision Sunday to pull the starters at some point in the game. There is no need to risk any injury to your starters with the playoffs already secured.

Vikings vs. Bears: 5 players to watch in Week 18

Here are five players to watch for in this week 18 matchup

The Minnesota Vikings are headed to Soldier Field this Sunday to take on the Chicago Bears in the regular season finale. The Vikings have already secured a playoff berth by clinching the NFC North, but with a win over the Bears on Sunday combined with a loss by the San Francisco 49ers, the Vikings could move into the second seed in the NFC.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell has yet to say whether or not he’ll treat this game any differently with the playoffs already secured, but the expectation is that starters will play in some capacity. Let’s take a look at some players to watch in this weekend’s matchup.

Bears QB Nathan Peterman to start, Justin Fields out Sunday vs. Vikings

The path to the number two seed got a little bit easier

The Minnesota Vikings pathway to getting the number two overall seed just got a little bit easier. When they face the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon, they won’t have to worry about dynamic quarterback Justin Fields as the Bears will be starting Nathan Peterman instead.

Fields reportedly has a hip injury and was ruled out on Wednesday morning by head coach Matt Eberflus. This lines up with the line shifting 2.5-points as the Vikings went from 1.5-point favorites to four-point favorites within 24 hours.

Of course, the Vikings still need to have the San Francisco 49ers to lose to the Arizona Cardinals to even have a chance to get the number two seed, but it’s not out of the question.

FOX announces broadcast crew for Week 18 Vikings vs Bears

The longtime play by play broadcaster will be calling another Vikings game on Sunday

The Minnesota Vikings have faced the Chicago Bears in the final week of the regular season three times in the last four seasons, and they’ll add to that total this weekend as they travel to Soldier Field. It was announced on Tuesday that Fox will have the broadcast crew of Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma, and Shannon Spake call Sunday’s matchup. This crew also called the Vikings and Detroit Lions in Week 14 where the Vikings lost 34–23.

The Vikings are still potentially playing for the number two seed in Sunday’s game versus the Bears, so this game definitely holds value. In the end, a loss wouldn’t matter that much, as the Vikings are set to host a playoff game regardless of the outcome. The hope for the Vikings is that they can come out healthy and focused on whoever their opponent is in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs.