CHICAGO -- I know a few of you thought Chip and I were crazy for picking the Chicago Bears to beat the Vikings on Monday night. My reasoning for the pick was based on the fact that not only had the Vikings put on awful performances in their recent prime-time losses at Arizona and Carolina but this also seemed to me to be a team that had lost its confidence.
Even as the Vikings rallied from a 17-point deficit against the Bears on Monday to force overtime -- they eventually lost 36-30 -- I never had the definite feeling that the Vikings were going to pull this one out. That, of course, should have been the feeling. The Vikings appeared to be a superior team to the Bears on Nov. 29 when they crushed them 36-10 at the Metrodome and considering Chicago was 5-9 entering Monday it appeared the Bears had little reason for which to play.
The Vikings (11-4) had every reason to play hard and try to put away the Bears early based on the fact that Minnesota was still alive in the race for the top seed in the NFC -- the Saints have now clinched that spot -- and are fighting for at least the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the playoffs. But the Vikings came out flat and as a result right now the Eagles own the second seed because they have the tie-breaker over the Vikings.
"I really don't know, I can't tell you," linebacker Ben Leber said when asked why the Vikings looked so poor for the first 30 minutes. "I don't know what we need to do. I feel like we're doing all the right things. We're getting great work during the week, having productive meetings. I think everybody has to look at themselves, analyze how they get themselves mentally prepared and come out stronger."
The real issue as the Vikings prepare to play the Giants on Sunday is whether they can turn this thing around and get their confidence back. It's not a given that will happen and honestly with the way the defense is playing maybe this team is right to doubt itself.
The Vikings have not been great in recent seasons against pass catching tight ends. But with E.J. Henderson lost for the season because of a broken leg, it's now simply too easy for a guy like Jay Cutler to sit back and find Desmond Clark or Greg Olsen time-and-time again. Those two combined for eight catches and two touchdowns on Monday. The Vikings liked Jasper Brinkley when they took him in the fifth round of the draft last April, but even defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier admitted last week that the team is asking a lot from the rookie.
Maybe, they are simply asking too much.
It's certainly not fair to focus on just Brinkley either. Safeties Tyrell Johnson and Madieu Williams need to show more consistency, especially when it comes to tackling. Pro Bowl cornerback Antoine Winfield is clearly playing on an injured foot. No way, a healthy Winfield gives up the plays he has been the past two weeks, including the winning 39-yard touchdown pass to Devin Aromashodu in overtime.
