The Minnesota Vikings defense has not been shy about blitzing opponents all season. That strategy was no different on Monday night against the Chicago Bears. Brian Flores and the Vikings’ defense blitzed Fields early and often, and it wreaked havoc on the Bears’ offense.
Per @ESPNStatsInfo, Justin Fields was blitzed on 52% of his dropbacks. The Bears tried to combat that with a horizontal passing game (13 screen passes) that led to Fields lowest air yards per attempt (2.4) and air yards per completion (1.9) of his career.
Fields threw 21 passes…
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) November 28, 2023
In order to deal with the Vikings’ consistent pressure, Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy called a conservative game, keeping Fields throwing the ball at or near the line of scrimmage for the majority of his throws.
For the most part, that strategy worked, as Fields was able to complete roughly 73% of his passes for 217 yards and finished the game with an 87.3 passer rating. However, the blitz was effective in keeping the Bears offense out of the endzone, as Chicago was held to just four field goals on the night.
Flores and the Vikings’ defense stayed true to who they’ve been all year and brought the heat on Fields all night. Between the constant pressure and forcing two turnovers, they did just about all they could to keep Minnesota in the game.
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