In what has amounted to a disastrous season for the Chicago Bears, seeing 2009 dwindle down might provide a bit of relief on the blood pressures of us faithful followers. Unfortunately, we still have to play the NFC North Champion Vikings one more time. But, there may be a couple of factors that could play in Chicago's favor.
One, the game is going to be played in Chicago. QB Jay Cutler has only thrown 5 INTs at Soldier Field this year, so perhaps playing in front of the home crowd will give him an edge to perform well. Also, we all know that the Vikes are used to playing in a dome... the weather forecast for this coming Monday in Chicago is cold weather, possibly in the teens by kickoff.
Also, Minny has lost 2 of their last 3 games, with both losses coming on the road. We know that QB Brett Favre has in recent years struggled in December, and last week's debacle versus the Panthers only validated that idea even more.
We've read that HC Brad Childress wanted to bench Favre, only to have the QB refuse to come out of the game. If nothing else, this could prove to be an interesting byline on MNF. Then again, with the QB Stimulus Package that the Bears have been offering opponents, Favre very well may have no troubles in getting the job done. If he does get pulled, it may because the Vikes are wanting to protect him for the playoffs, not because he'll struggle against us.
Regardless, we can only hope that the Bears can find an edge and try to play spoilers to the Vikings- whether it's Lovie Smith firing the team up to play for pride, or Jay Cutler having home field success, or the weather keeping the Vikes on the ropes. Or, maybe I'm just being delusional.
Do you think the Bears have any chance of beating the Vikes on MNF?