Durkin: Impressions From Bears-Vikings
By Dan Durkin-
(CBS) It's impossible to put a bigger spin on the Bears' 21-13 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Quite simply, they beat an inferior opponent at home, which is what teams are supposed to do.
In actuality, more can be gleaned about the Vikings, who stubbornly stuck with a game plan that wasn't working on either side of the ball. They looked like a team directed by a rookie head coach and led by a rookie quarterback.
Clearly, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer's defensive game plan was to pressure Bears quarterback Jay Cutler early and often to speed up his decision-making and attempt to force some errant throws. Cutler did in fact throw a few errant passes, but luckily for the Bears, none were fatal. Sunday marked the first time this season they won a game in which Cutler threw an interception.
The Vikings loaded the box with an eighth defender to both try and slow down running back Matt Forte and provide an extra rusher on overload blitzes.
However, there's a trade-off to deploying such a game plan.
When you blitz, you expose and isolate your secondary in man coverage situations. Considering the available talent on both sides of this equation, it was a decided advantage to the Bears, which they routinely capitalized on.
An aspect of Cutler's game that doesn't get enough credit is his mobility, which the Bears incorporated into their offensive game plan. Cutler was under a lot of duress but was never sacked. Unlike his counterpart, Vikings rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, Cutler displayed pocket presence, climbing when he had to, as well as sliding off his spot laterally to avoid backside pressure, all the while keeping his eyes down field to target the best coverage matchup.
Another aspect of the Bears' game plan was to target Vikings nickel cornerback Josh Robinson, who at 5-foot-10 gave up nearly a half-foot to Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. Robinson isn't a starter; rather, he enters the game as the left cornerback against 11 personnel (the Bears' preferred grouping), and the Vikings kick their starting left cornerback, Captain Munnerlyn, into the slot.
"We saw a lot of single high," Cutler said. "We wanted to go at 21 (Josh Robinson). We knew he was a little bit smaller. Twenty-nine (Xavier Rhodes) has some length and speed. We wanted to put some balls up to our right side. We got a few opportunities to do it."
Initially, the Bears targeted right cornerback Xavier Rhodes, but that was an attempt to keep the defense honest at the beginning. In the end, the Bears targeted Robinson 15 times, completing 11, with three of them going for touchdowns.
Zimmer acknowledged after the game that his play-calling didn't put his defense in the best position to defend the Bears' passing attack.
"I would have changed up some coverages," Zimmer said. "We did some and then they went to other places. I can't make these guys taller. You've got to change up the coverage. That's what you have to do."
Yet, Zimmer didn't do that, and it was the difference in the game. Jeffery and Marshall combined for 18 receptions, 225 yards and three touchdowns.
Undoubtedly, the Bears offense still left a lot of points on the board.
From Robbie Gould's missed field goal to Marc Trestman's indecisive end to the first half to his choice to run an empty set quarterback sweep on a fourth down from the Vikings' 1-yard line, these decisions kept Minnesota in the game and within striking distance all the way until the last minute -- or at least we think the last minute, given the malfunctioning clocks -- of the game.
Defensively, the Bears beat a quarterback who looked every bit like a player making his seventh career start. More accurate measures of where this Chicago defense is -- or more accurately isn't -- were shown in its past two games against Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.
The Vikings' stubborn game plan wasn't limited to the defensive side of the ball. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner didn't stick with the running game long enough and refused to give left tackle Matt Kalil extra help against Jared Allen, who dominated his former practice mate.
The Bears' pass rush got to Bridgewater early, which clearly rattled him. Bridgewater's eye level in the pocket was dropping; instead of feeling the rush he was seeing it. When quarterbacks play that way, they lose sight of their receivers and are forced to re-scan the defense before releasing the ball. Given that, Bridgewater missed several receivers up the field and settled for checkdowns.
In the secondary, the Bears kept a top on the defense and everything underneath them. The Bears defense tackled well and rallied to the ball to limit the explosive plays that had plagued it during a three-game losing streak.
Defensive coordinator Mel Tucker was more aggressive with his play calls, bringing second-level pressure through the A and C gaps. The Bears ran a great exchange blitz with Lance Briggs and Chris Conte, who switched responsibilities before the snap, creating a free, back-side rushing lane for Briggs.
The Bears' special teams continue to disappoint. From Gould's missed field goal, to the Vikings' fake punt -- which they were able to run because of a soft press by gunner Senorise Perry -- to penalties to poor punting by Pat O'Donnell, the Bears didn't gain any advantages in field position.
With another inferior opponent in Lovie Smith's Tampa Bay Bucs coming to town this Sunday, the Bears must again take care of business and win the game, but they need to do so in more convincing fashion. A real team awaits them on Thanksgiving and will serve as the true measuring stick of where the Bears are.
Dan Durkin covers the Bears for CBSChicago.com and is a frequent contributor to 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter at @djdurkin.