Category: 2022 Week 5 vs Chicago

Week 5 Bears vs Vikings: 3 takeaways at halftime

The Minnesota Vikings are making things look easy against the Chicago Bears

The Minnesota Vikings have made things look easy thus far going into halftime with a 21-10 lead.

The Vikings’ offense came out extremely effective in scoring touchdowns on their first three drives. The unit also set multiple records on the day with two coming from both Justin Jefferson and Kirk Cousins.

Here are the three main takeaways from halftime of the Vikings week 5 matchup.

Kirk Cousins breaks Tommy Kramer’s record of consecutive completions

Cousins sets a team record as he continues going Zero Dark LeBron mode

After a phenomenal first quarter, Minnesota Vikings starting quarterback Kirk Cousins continued going Zero Dark LeBron mode in breaking a long-standing team record held by Vikings great quarterback Tommy Kramer.

Set back in 1979, Kramer completed 16 consecutive passes. Second place was held by Wade Wilson with 14 who did that in 1988. Cousins topped it with relative ease to start the day against a lowly Chicago Bears defense.

After three drives where the Vikings scored touchdowns on all three to take a 21-3 lead, Cousins is currently 17-17 for 176 yards and a touchdown which came on a push pass to wide receiver Jalen Reagor. He also currently sits at 19 combined if you go back to the New Orleans Saints game.

This is arguably the best game that Cousins has ever played in a Vikings uniform and perhaps in his NFL career. If he continues playing anywhere close to this level, the league needs to watch out.

Kirk Cousins went Zero Dark LeBron mode in tremendous first quarter

QB1 went Zero Dark LeBron mode in the first quarter

The Minnesota Vikings have been incredibly inconsistent this season on offense. In the first quarter, starting quarterback Kirk Cousins was carving up the Chicago Bears defense with precision and ease.

In the first quarter, Cousins was on fire. He completed all 13 passes for 125 yards with seven of those passes going to Justin Jefferson for 91 yards.

This is exactly what we have been wanting from this offense. It’s been calculated and consistent with quarterback Kirk Cousins looking the most confident he has all season behind center.

At the line of scrimmage, Cousins has been making a lot of checks and potentially calling his own plays, as Locked on Vikings host Luke Braun pointed out.

With the Vikings offense playing this well to start the day, the Bears could be in for a very long day.

Justin Jefferson sets team record on opening touchdown drive

The latest of many team records for the star receiver

On the Minnesota Vikings opening drive, wide receiver Justin Jefferson set a Vikings team record for the most receptions in the first three years of a career. On his third reception of the day, he surpassed Hall of Famer Randy Moss who held the record with 226 receptions.

The drive was really good for Jefferson. He was involved early and often with four receptions for 55 yards. He was hit twice on out breaking routes where he gained separation with relative ease by using shoulder fakes and explosive cuts.

He almost scored on his final catch of the drive, but was stopped just short. Dalvin Cook took it in from one yard out to take a 7-0 lead.

This isn’t the first, nor will it be the last team record that Jefferson breaks in a Vikings uniform.

Vikings’ Booth Jr. leads inactives for fourth-straight week

Booth Jr. is set to miss his fourth-consecutive game

The Minnesota Vikings have released their inactives heading into Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears where they will try to improve their record to 4-1.

On the Vikings’ side, there isn’t a surprise, although seeing Andrew Booth Jr. on the list was disappointing. He was improving, as Booth Jr. was limited in practice all week. The other questionable player, wide receiver Jalen Nailor, will also be out today with a hamstring injury.

Here is the full list of inactives for the Vikings.

  • CB Andrew Booth Jr.
  • OLB Luiji Vilain
  • OL Chris Reed
  • OL Veteran Lowe
  • WR Jalen Nailor
  • DL Esezi Otomewo
  • DL Khyiris Tonga

Here are the Bears’ inactives as well with the biggest name on the list being cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who will miss his third-consecutive game.

  • CB Jaylon Johnson
  • S Dane Cruikshank
  • DE Kingsley Jonathan
  • TE Jake Tonges

TE Ben Ellefson to IR among four roster moves for Vikings

The Vikings made four roster moves ahead of Sunday’s game

With the Minnesota Vikings taking on the Chicago Bears on Sunday, there were a few likely roster moves that were going to occur.

On Saturday afternoon, the Vikings made four roster moves, including putting tight end Ben Ellefson on injured reserve.

Ellefson hasn’t had the best week. He injured his groin on Thursday and was quickly ruled out of Sunday’s game. The active roster was in need of one more safety with Lewis Cine having officially put on injured earlier this week. Dorn getting the roster spot is consistent with how the Vikings have done their practice squad call-ups, as he got the call when Cine missed week one against the Green Bay Packers.

With Ellefson missing the game, they needed one more tight end, and with Jacob Hollister having only been in the building for less than a week, the Vikings 2022 seventh-round pick Muse will make his NFL debut.

Also being elevated is Chisena which is a signal that wide receiver Jalen Nailor, who is questionable with a hamstring injury, will not suit up on Sunday.

The Vikings kick off against the Bears on Sunday afternoon at 12 pm central time.

Vikings have a chance for an NFL first on Sunday

The Vikings have a chance for another NFL first against the Chicago Bears

Going into last Sunday’s game in London against the New Orleans Saints, the Minnesota Vikings had a chance to become the first team to get to 3-0 in games played in London. With games starting in London in 2007, it shouldn’t be a surprise that it took this long for that to happen.

As the Vikings come back from London, they chose not to have a bye right afterward. That thought process makes sense from the Vikings’ perspective as you don’t want your bye week after just four games.

Because they are playing the week after playing in London, the Vikings have an opportunity for another NFL first. With a win, they will be the first team to win the week after they won overseas.

Five teams have played the week after playing in London. In those games, they are 2-2-1 when coming back but those two wins came from the 2016 Indianapolis Colts and 2017 Miami Dolphins who both lost in London.

The feat would be another notch in the belt of first-year head coach Kevin O’Connell who is trying to build a foundation for a Super Bowl contender.

Bears vs Vikings: How and when to watch, listen and stream the game

Make sure you know how to catch the Vikings take on the Bears this Sunday

The 3-1 Minnesota Vikings are set to take on the 2-2 Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon.

The Vikings are hosting their third division rival at home on Sunday, meaning the rest of their divisional games will come on the road.

As the Vikings prepare to take on the Bears, there are a few different ways that you can catch the game. Here’s how you can do just that.

Vikings final injury report down to just three names

The Vikings’ final injury report is down to just three names

The Minnesota Vikings are going into Sunday’s game relatively healthy against the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon.

While things look better going into Sunday, they looked a little rough on Thursday’s report when they had five names on it with all five practicing in a limited capacity.

Two of those players came off of the injury report in Za’Darius Smith and Cameron Dantzler.

Here is what the final report looks like going into Sunday’s black-and-blue clash.

Bears vs Vikings: Who has the advantage in Week 5?

The Vikings and Bears are in for a tough battle on Sunday

On Sunday afternoon, the Minnesota Vikings take on the Chicago Bears at noon central on Fox.

When discussing the matchups between the two franchises, it’s hard to steer away from the narrative that the quarterback position provides.

When it comes down to it, there are a number of factors that will determine the victor. Solid quarterback play, winning at the line of scrimmage, winning the turnover battle, playing sound situational football and overcoming or taking advantage of an injury situation.

In this preview, Tyler Forness of Vikings Wire and Alyssa Barbieri of Bears Wire went deep into the matchup to preview Sunday’s game.