(Lake Forest) With their 14-game losing streak now in the past, the Chicago Bears will want to start a more positive streak on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.
The team won’t have to worry about one of the most electrifying players in the NFL, as Vikings (1-4) wide receiver Justin Jefferson won’t play due to injury. on the thigh.
“It would be frustrating to finally end this bad streak, but then not be able to string together wins,” Bears (1-4) cornerback Jaylon Johnson said. We want to build on the last match. If we don’t win on Sunday, it would be more of a disappointment than anything else. »
The Bears won 40-20 against the Commanders in Washington to end a losing streak dating back to Week 7 last year against the New England Patriots.
The Bears haven’t won two games in a row since Weeks 16 and 17 of the 2021 season. At 3-14, they finished with the worst record in the league last year.
Jefferson, currently on injured reserve, was named the NFL’s 2022 offensive player of the year. He slipped on the turf at U.S. Bank Stadium last week while attempting to change his trajectory during a deep pass on third down.
Jefferson hadn’t missed a game since being selected 22nd overall in the 2020 draft by the Vikings. The wide receiver has 36 catches, for 571 yards and three touchdowns this season. His absence from the lineup for at least the next four games could have consequences.
“It could give other players opportunities,” said head coach Kevin O’Connell.
The Vikings suffered their four losses by seven points or less, totaling an NFL-high 12 turnovers in the process.
Bears quarterback Justin Fields is coming off his two best passing games.
The Bears scored 451 yards against the Commanders, who had posted a season high the week before with 471 yards against the Denver Broncos. Thanks to these two performances, the Bears offense went from 29th to 14th best in the league.
In those two games, Fields threw for a total of 617 yards and eight touchdowns, with one interception. The previous three games, he had thrown three touchdown passes and had four interceptions.
Vikings first-round pick Jordan Addison has scored three touchdowns in five games. The latter may have to play a bigger role in Jefferson’s absence.
Fields has distributed the balls well in the last two games, but wide receiver DJ Moore has caught them well as well.
Moore’s 230 receiving yards, against the Commanders, was the second-highest total for a Bears player in a game. Alshon Jeffery had 249 in an overtime loss to the Vikings on December 1, 2013.