Chicago Bears will be tested by explosive Vikings offense
Thanks mostly to wide receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, the Vikings are No. 6 in total yards and in average gain per offensive play.
Thielen has 24 catches for 358 yards, a 14.9-yard average. Diggs has caught 22 passes for 391 yards, a 17.8-yard average and 4 touchdowns.
Rookie running back Dalvin Cook suffered a season-ending ACL injury last week after an excellent start, during which he averaged 4.8 yards a carry. Now the Vikings will rely on Latavius Murrfay and Jerrick McKinnon, who have combined to average just 2.7 yards per attempt.
"They have 38 explosive plays (passes of 20 yards or more and runs of 10 yards or more) in four games," Bears coach John Fox said. "They lost a little bit there with the loss of their back, but their two receivers, Thielen and Diggs, have been big-play guys in these first four weeks (playing) with two different quarterbacks."
Sam Bradford was excellent in the opener, when he suffered a bruised knee, and Case Keenum played well the past three games filling in.
"I'm not really sure which quarterback we'll see," Fox said, "but they've been explosive in all instances."
Of the Vikings' 22 receptions of 20 yards or longer, Thielen and Diggs have 17.
Accidents happen:
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is ambivalent regarding the one-game suspension the league meted out to linebacker Danny Trevathan for his helmet-to-helmet hit that left Packers wide receiver Davante Adams hospitalized with a concussion.
"I'm in between," Fangio said. "I just think any time you start fining players for certain things, you just (have to) be careful of the precedent you're setting with the suspension."
Fangio said it's sometimes difficult to avoid helmet-to-helmet hits.
"We never want anybody to lead with the helmet," he said. "We've stressed that from Day One for a long time, and we never want to hit anybody else in their helmet. (But) sometimes the runner's position changes and makes it hard to avoid, so it's still going to happen some."
By the numbers:
The Bears' defense is tied for first in the NFL with zero rushes of 20 yards or longer allowed. The longest run they've permitted is 14 yards in Week Two to Tampa's Peyton Barber. … Rookie Tarik Cohen leads all running backs with 24 receptions and is fourth among all NFC players. … Jordan Howard's two most productive games in his Pro Bowl rookie season of 2016 were both against the Vikings. He rushed for 153 yards in Week Eight and 135 yards in the season finale.
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