Bears vs. Vikings: Three things to watch on Sunday
Bears season comes to a close and they could be in a win-win situation depending on what happens Sunday at Soldier Field less than three hours away in Indianapolis. The Bears host the 12-4 Vikings for their regular season finale.
QB Shuffle
We have reserved the first thing to watch each and every week for Justin Fields...and for good reason. The number one question we wanted answered this year is have the Bears found a franchise quarterback? I think the answer is yes? But Fields isn't playing this week, ruled out with a hip strain. So now it's Nathan Peterman's time to shine, making his first start since 2018. He's 1-3 in his four NFL starts. In the one win, the threw a touchdown with no picks. In the three losses, no td's and 10 interceptions.
Efforting…
The second thing to watch is effort. The Bears had their worst effort in the blowout loss to the Lions so something, anything better than that. And that's largely on the players to play with pride, but also Matt Eberflus and his coaching staff has to find a way to get the most out of a team that is outmanned and knows this is it for them. That's a stark contrast to their opponent, the Vikings, who were embarrassed by the Packers and still needs to get it together for the playoffs.
Scoreboard Watching
The final thing to watch in game number 17? The scoreboard. The Bears aren't likely winning this game, and here's why that's okay. If they lose they'll finish 3-14. If former Bears Head Coach Lovie Smith can coach the Houston Texans to a road win against the Colts the Texans would finish 3-13-1, a half game ahead of the Bears. And that would mean the number one pick in the 2023 NFL Draft would belong to Chicago.
I told you it could very well be a win-win situation. That's three things to watch when the Bears take on the Vikings at high noon Sunday.
