3 keys to victory for the Bears to beat the Vikings

Not much has gone right for the Chicago Bears in the last two months. OK, who are we kidding, nothing has gone right for the Chicago Bears in the last two months.

The Bears haven't won since Week 6, but if we're being specific, there have been two kinds of outcomes to every game since. Either the Bears have lost in unbelievably heartbreaking fashion, or they've gotten killed, with no in-between.

Bears fans don't even know which is worse at this point, but suffice it to say that we're all ready for this nightmare of a season to be over so that the team can get on to more pressing matters like hiring a new coach, preparing for the draft and jettisoning most of the offensive line into Lake Michigan.

Tonight's opponent is the Minnesota Vikings, a team that the Bears lost to three weeks ago in the aforementioned unbelievably heartbreaking fashion. In that game, the Bears trailed by 11 points before scoring a touchdown with 22 seconds left, converting the 2-pointer, recovering the ensuing onside kick, getting into field goal range, making the kick ... and then blowing it in overtime.

It's a testament to how this Bears season has gone that even after evening the score in such improbable fashion, in our heart of hearts, Bears fans didn't believe we were really going to win that game. We've been conditioned to expect the worst this year, and that game was Matt Eberflus' penultimate disasterpiece before being fired.

It's been easy to scapegoat Eberflus for all of the team's failings, but last week's demolition at the hands of the shorthanded 49ers proved that the problems run deeper than just one man. The Bears are a team in need of soul-searching, and I'm not sure the best place to do that is in a raucous U.S. Bank Stadium on Monday Night Football against an 11-2 Vikings team that has won six straight.

The Vikings have been the complete antithesis of the Bears at the end of games, and that's been true throughout head coach Kevin O'Connell's three-year tenure. Minnesota always seems to find a way to win when the game is close, while the Bears just can't get out of their own way.

We know that it will take an incredible effort for the Bears to win this game. It's on the road, it's against a very good team, and that's just not a situation that the Bears have thrived in for quite some time. If the Bears do hope to pull the upset though, what do they have to do? Here are three keys to the first road victory of the season.

Bears key to victory No. 1: Contain Aaron Jones

It doesn't seem to matter which NFC North rival's jersey Aaron Jones is wearing, he always seems to save his best for the Bears. Not only that, he's gotten better as he's gotten older, with over 100 yards on the ground in each of his last two games (one in his farewell as a member of the Packers, one as his reintroduction as a member of the Vikings).

The Bears' run defense, which was ranked number one in the NFL last year, has seriously regressed. It seems anybody can run on this team now, from the Sonic & Knuckles 1-2 punch of the Lions' Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery to fourth-round rookie Isaac Guerendo of the 49ers. Worse still, second-year breakout defensive tackle Gervon Dexter has already been ruled out with a knee injury.

The Vikings can beat you in many ways. Sam Darnold has blossomed in Minnesota after bouncing around the league, in part because he has such outstanding weapons to throw to in Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and TJ Hockenson. Jones has given the Vikes their first consistent rushing threat since prime Dalvin Cook, and with only 107 yards to go to complete his fourth 1,000-yard rushing season, he'd probably love nothing more than to get there with a big game on Monday Night Football against a team that he has spent years tormenting.

For the Bears to have a chance, they need to contain Jones, especially on early downs. This Vikings team is impossible to stop when they're ahead of the sticks, and if Jones is running wild, the Bears will be as helpless as they were last week when the 49ers hung 38 on them.

Bears key to victory No. 2: Let go and let Caleb

The Bears are between a rock and a hard place on offense. The running game is in shambles, with Roschon Johnson out and D'Andre Swift questionable but expected to play through a groin injury.

There are weapons in the passing game, but the offensive line has rarely given Caleb Williams time to find them. He's been sacked a league-high 56 times, 11 more than the next closest quarterback, and he'll be without both Braxton Jones and Ryan Bates tonight, each of whom is dealing with a concussion.

Despite that, Caleb has done all he can this year to keep the Bears moving. He's been great when getting the ball out quickly, he's been able to make plays with his legs and he's set an NFL rookie record by throwing 255 passes and counting without an interception.

That streak will be tested tonight, as the Vikings are one of the most blitz-happy, creative defenses in the league. Minnesota leads the league in interceptions, though they've also allowed the fifth-most yards through the air.

Brian Flores' defense is extremely stingy on the ground. Only the Ravens have allowed fewer opponent rushing yards, so the question is not if the Bears will throw, but how much they'll commit to airing it out?

Having a balanced offense is important, and the Bears have a vested interest in keeping Caleb upright. That being said, their only chance in this game is to trust their rookie gunslinger to put the team on his back. Chicago's backfield is nowhere near 100%, the line is all busted up, and quarterbacks that don't give the ball away have had success throwing against the Vikings this year. Thomas Brown needs to dial up an extremely pass-heavy script.

Bears key to victory No. 3: Pressure Sam Darnold without blitzing

We mentioned earlier how Sam Darnold, who's now on his fourth team, has resurrected his career in Minnesota. Yes, he has an arsenal of weapons at his disposal, but there's no denying that he deserves a ton of credit for his play, too.

Darnold has 28 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions on the year, and he's already thrown for 3,299 yards with four games remaining, the highest total of his career. It's been a total team effort that has led to the Vikings defying expectations this season, but even more than the way the defense has surprised by being one of the best units in the league, it's been Darnold's ability to not only replace Kirk Cousins but be even better than his predecessor that's really driven the team's success.

A big part of why Darnold has been so effective this year is that he's been dynamite against the blitz. The following tweet was from a month ago, and since then Darnold has thrown nine touchdowns and zero interceptions, so it's safe to say that he's gotten even better.

Darnold's ability to find the open man has kept everyone happy in this offense. If Jefferson or Addison get one-on-one coverage, Darnold has shown that he can find them and deliver the ball, even if he's under pressure.

If the Bears are forced to send extra men to get to Darnold, they're cooked. The only chance this defense has is to keep Minnesota in third and long and get pressure with their front four on passing downs. Montez Sweat has had a quiet season, but he needs to have a big game tonight, especially with Dexter out.