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The Call: Vikings at Bears

By Matt Vensel

November 15, 2014 at 11:02PM

The Green Bay Packers made life miserable for quarterback Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears last week. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

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27

Vikings

24

BEARS

One man's prediction: The Vikings are rested and relatively healthy coming off their bye week. The Bears, meanwhile, got embarrassed last Sunday. But this game won't be a cakewalk, especially with it being played in Chicago. I could see it going two ways: The Vikings eke out a close one or the talented Bears awake from their hibernation and beat them soundly. My gut says the Vikings stay on their roll.

Three keys

Bad News Bears

The Bears are reeling after back-to-back losses in which they allowed 50-plus points. That hasn't happened in pro football since 1923, when teams were formed and folded in a random manner. The Bears were outscored 106-37 by the Patriots and Packers, leading one reporter to ask Vikings coach Mike Zimmer if he was worried about his 4-5 team being overconfident. Zimmer tried not to laugh. After all, those two teams beat up on his Vikings, too.

ending the skid

The Vikings last won at Soldier Field seven years ago, when 31-year-old defensive end Brian Robison was a rookie and first-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was still a freshman in high school. So yeah, it's been a while. Four players from that 2007 Vikings' 34-31 victory — Adrian Peterson ran for 224 yards — remain on the roster, but the majority of the team feels no extra burden to end this skid beyond needing to beat a rival on the road.

Rudolph returns

We last saw Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph on an NFL field in Week 3, after which his groin injury became too much to bear. He had sports hernia surgery the following week, robbing Bridgewater and the Vikings of a reliable pass-catching presence in the middle of the field and red zone. Barring a setback, Rudolph will return to the field Sunday, but Rhett Ellison and Chase Ford will still have roles as he is eased back in.

Player to watch

Jared Allen, Bears

After the Vikings allowed Allen to leave in free agency, the 32-year-old defensive end chose Chicago because he thought the Bears had a chance to win a Super Bowl in the near future. So far, though, Allen is one of the many Bears who have struggled. He has just 1.5 sacks in eight games, but a battle with his former team and a matchup against his old practice sparring partner, Matt Kalil, might get Allen going.

Chicago Bears defensive end Jared Allen (69) is shown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, NC, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2014. (AP Photo/Mike McCarn) (The Minnesota Star Tribune)