The Chicago Bears defense has firmly established itself as one of the best in the NFL. They rank 4th in points allowed and second in quarterback sacks through nine games. They’ve dominated recently. They held the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills to a combined 19 points. Then they smothered the Lions, sacking Matthew Stafford six times and forcing three turnovers.
This is a group with tons of confidence building, but their biggest tests are still to come. People may not remember, but there are some demons this Sunday night they need to exorcize. Most fans probably don’t remember given how painful the entire experience of 2013 to 2016 was for the defense, but the Bears have some unfinished business with Kirk Cousins.
That may sound unusual considering this is his first year with the Minnesota Vikings, but it’s true. Since 2015, the Bears have played the veteran quarterback twice. Both times came at Soldier Field. Both times he performed well and beat them. He threw for a combined 570 yards, two touchdowns, an interception and had a 104 passer rating. He also ran for 43 yards and three more touchdowns.
It was a humbling experience both times, to say the least.
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Chicago Bears defense isn’t getting near the love as the Vikings either
Adding extra incentive to this Cousins jinx is the fact that the Bears defense isn’t the talking of the upcoming matchup. It’s been all about the Vikings and their mighty Mike Zimmer unit. One can understand. They were #1 in the NFL last season and have played well the past couple of weeks.
Even so, it’s a considerable show of disrespect since the Bears rank higher than them in every conceivable category from run defense, to sacks and takeaways. It feels like this upcoming game is the perfect setup to remind a national audience that there’s a reason this team leads the NFC North. It’s at home, it’ll be cold, and the Bears crowd will likely be raucous.
The difference this time for Cousins? He won’t be facing a team with a losing record and all but eliminated from the playoffs this time. Chicago was 5-7 and 3-12 the previous two times he got them. They’re 6-3 with a far more talented roster and all the incentive in the world to make his life miserable under the Sunday Night lights.
It will be about execution and doing what they’ve done all season long. This is their time to shine and few motivators are better than good, old-fashioned revenge.
