As the Vikings prepare for Sunday's "Football Night in America" showdown with the Bears at Soldier Field, we asked Jeff Dickerson, sports talk radio host and the Bears beat reporter for ESPNChicago.com, to give us his up-close-and-personal scouting report on Chicago. Here are four things you need to know …

1) Adrian Peterson could be in for a huge night.Basic math tells us this. In seven career games against the Bears, Peterson has rushed for 784 yards and 11 touchdowns. On top of that, the Bears currently rank 28th in the NFL in rushing defense, allowing 135.6 yards per game. On Monday night, Lions running back Jahvid Best rushed for 163 yards on 12 carries against Chicago. "Jahvid Best? Are you kidding me?" Dickerson said. "If I'm Adrian Peterson, I absolutely cannot wait to play this game. The Bears' front is so bad." Defensively, the Bears' problems are many. They've allowed 16 plays of more than 25 yards this season. A lack of a consistent pass rush has been problematic and over the last four weeks Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton and Matthew Stafford have all made the Bears pay. But that weakness has been compounded by Chicago's revolving door at safety where injuries have had Chris Harris, Brandon Meriweather, Major Wright, Craig Steltz and Chris Conte all taking turns on the carousel. "The Bears have gone through their entire depth chart at safety with every one of those guys playing meaningful snaps," Dickerson said. "And that position, for whatever, reason has been the most difficult for Lovie Smith to solidify ever since Mike Brown left. Right now, it's worse than ever. So basically what we've seen is a domino effect of a limited secondary being left even more vulnerable by a limited pass rush." 2) With the pounding Jay Cutler continues to take, it will be a miracle if he lasts the entire season. Now the Bears quarterback heads into Sunday night with Jared Allen, the NFL's sack leader, likely to be breathing down the back of his neck.Said Dickerson: "The way things are going, I really believe that [back-up quarterback] Caleb Hanie is going to take quite a few snaps this year." Yep, Cutler is being battered that badly. To say Chicago's offensive line has been a project this season would be a glowing compliment. The Bears drafted right tackle Gabe Carimi with the 29th pick in April. But Carimi dislocated his knee in Week 2. And the Bears have been shuffling the pieces of their line around since training camp started with Roberto Garza moving from guard to center and Chris Williams moving from tackle to guard. Meanwhile, tackles J'Marcus Webb and Frank Omiyale have been struggling mightily. Said Dickerson: "It's a lack of talent. It's a lack of cohesion. It's a lack of experience. And overall, it's been a poor job of evaluating talent by the Bears. This does not look like a professional offensive line."Other than that … 3) As bothersome as the Bears' recent struggles have been – they've lost three of their last four – running back Matt Forte is having an All-Pro season.Forte currently leads the NFL with 785 yards from scrimmage, an average of 157 per game. He's averaging 5.4 yards per carry and also leads Chicago with 30 receptions for 345 yards. "He is the perfect guy for this offense," Dickerson said. "He can do everything. He's an outstanding pass-catcher out of the backfield. He has great hands, is a reliable target four Cutler, makes yards after the catch and is just a good, hard runner. He can make people miss. He's got a burst." Let's not also forget, Forte is playing with added hunger this season as the Bears have yet to give him a contract extension. He may be the biggest bargain in the league right now, making approximately $600,000 this season. "It's been the perfect storm," Dickerson said. "And if you take Forte off the field, the Bears offense has nobody." 4) The folks in Chicago, not surprisingly, are concerned about explosive performances from the Vikings' two biggest stars, Allen and Peterson.So what are the Bears' long-term prospects for 2011? "If the defense is good, they can keep games close and competitive," Dickerson said. "When you have a defense like the Bears have had in recent years, you're right there. Who knows? A funny bounce here, a funny bounce there, Devin Hester returns a punt for a touchdown, you get a lucky play or two on offense, you're set. But if the defense goes, the season is shot. If the defense keeps playing like this, they will be a six-win team no matter who's on the schedule" And the ultimate wild card for Sunday night? "Jay Cutler is always the ultimate wild card," Dickerson said. "He played well in Detroit. If he had played poorly, that could've been a 40-point loss. Sunday should be a close game. The Vikings, in my opinion, are better than their record shows. And the Bears are, as Denny Green says, who we think they are. Sunday will likely come down to how Cutler plays."