Cutler is back (hands up who thought that would be the Bears' best news
of the season!) but there's little doubt that behind a horrible
offensive line, Jay cobbles together an attack that at least threatens
to score where others can't; Jason Campbell was unlucky to come up
against the 49ers, but he looked awful and part of the reason was the
constant pressure he was under.
It's not going to be a stroll for Cutler with Jared Allen and Brian
Robison coming after him, but he should be able to get the ball to
Brandon Marshall rather more often, and Marshall matches up nicely this
week with his size advantage. Of course, Matt Forte is critical to the
offense and he'll see the rock a lot, but Chicago need to get him
catching out of the backfield; the Vikes' linebackers are OK in run D
but are less good in coverage.
The Minnesota offense is Adrian Peterson. Christian Ponder hasn't
been good, and with Percy Harvin still out, the passing game is on the
downward curve. The visitors will need to vary the point of attack, and
Kyle Rudolph has begun to emerge as a threat, so look for him catching,
particularly as that means Minnesota don't need to try and beat the
tough Chicago corners. Julius Peppers and his buddies will be keen to
show they are as advertised after last week, but note that much of San
Francisco's success was a result of the Bears stacking the box against
the run and they'll have to do the same today with 'All Day' on duty, so
Ponder will have chances.
It's really about AP; if he gets going, the Vikings can prosper and
control the tempo of the game. I suspect they'll succeed, so I'll take
the points.
Pick: Minnesota Vikings +6 @ 1.95
Pick: 1st TD Adrian Peterson @ 6.5
Pick: Anytime TD Matt Forte @ 2; Kyle Rudolph @ 2.62
No comments:
Post a Comment