The Vikings hope to leave the recent Favre-Childress soap opera in Minnesota as they head to Chicago to try to avoid a 3rd loss in 4 games. While the 5-9 Bears have nothing to play for except momentum going into the offseason, they will want nothing more than to beat their NFC North rivals and add to the Vikings’ disarray.

Vikings on Offense
Let’s get one thing straight- Childress didn’t try taking Favre out of last week’s Carolina massacre solely to protect his 40-year old quarterbacks. The core of the rift lies in the fact that Childress- who is known to be overbearing on his quarterbacks- doesn’t approve of Favre calling audibles out of set running plays. The truth is that everything seemed fine when Minnesota was destroying teams in the first 12 weeks, but since they’ve scored just 18 points per game in December, Favre’s influence on the offense has come into question. The bottom line: while Childress may not be comfortable with Favre’s gunslinger habits, he needs to put on a happy face (as Teddy Bruschi put it) and let Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell work the game plan with buddy Brett. That being said, Favre openly admitted that Adrian Peterson needs more touches. AD hasn’t had a 100-yard rushing game since Week 10, and he’s put up just 3.1 yards per carry in that stretch. It would be a big mistake if Peterson didn’t get 20+ touches against a weak Chicago run defense in Minnesota’s first cold game this season. Numbers-wise, the Bears’ pass defense is 7th in the NFL, but many defenders will be fatigued due to a lopsided time of possession. Plus, they’ll be missing sack leader Adewale Ogunleye for the season. So with Percy Harvin coming back to full form, I see no reason why the Vikings shouldn’t have their way.

Bears on Offense
Playing against their NFC North rivals, the Bears will want to have a good outing. The last time they met was Week 12 in Minnesota, where the Bears had just 10 points and couldn’t get anything going. Now with their most dynamic receiver Devin Hester inactive and Jay Cutler on his way to being crowned the Interception King of 09-10, the Bears will need more than the Chicago wind and some locker room drama to throw the Vikings off course. To be fair though, the blame doesn’t rest only on Cutler and his 25 picks. Matt Forte has definitely underachieved in his 2nd season, getting just one 100-yard game (vs. the lowly Lions no less). Forte’s lack of production coupled with the lack of legitimate receiving threats has caused Cutler great duress in the pocket. The Bears cannot afford to be one-dimensional; Forte needs to test the Vikings’ toughness in the cold and try to wear them down if Chicago is going to have a chance. This will help Cutler set up the pass, where he can look for guys like Johnny Knox and TE Greg Olsen, who match up decently against a struggling Viking secondary. Chicago’s point of emphasis will be getting 1st downs, not just to keep their drives alive, but for the sake of keeping their defense off the field and giving them a chance against Favre, Peterson and co.

The Childress-Favre saga may not be over yet, but with the help of some veteran leadership, they’ll kiss, make up, and do what playoff-bound teams do- win in December. Expect the Vikings to come out focused (especially defensively) and Peterson to play huge.

Prediction
Minnesota 30
Chicago 10

By Asaf Winer