No rest for the weary: Bears must contain Vikings' Cook

Another week, another red-hot running back the Bears need to stop.

That's been the story lately for Matt Nagy's team as they attempted to slow down New Orleans' Alvin Kamara and Tennessee's Derrick Henry in back-to-back games.

After struggling with Kamara - especially in the passing game - the Bears bottled up Henry last week by holding the big, bruising back to just 68 yards on 21 carries.

Next up is Minnesota's Dalvin Cook, who has a whopping 745 yards rushing and 167 receiving over his last five games. He's averaging 6.3 yards per carry and 12.85 yards per reception over that time.

Bears nose tackle Bilal Nichols is looking forward to the challenge of facing yet another explosive tailback.

"When you see them getting off against other teams and other players, you want to show that that's not gonna happen against you," Nichols said.

"We have a great unit up front (and) we look forward to the task. We can't wait."

The Bears have done an impressive job of slowing down Cook in three career meetings, limiting him to just 86 yards on 34 carries (2.53 average) and 13 catches for 54 yards.

"When we see (him) with the ball in his hands, everyone's swarming around him trying to get him on the ground," safety Eddie Jackson said when asked why the Bears have fared so well against Cook. "(Don't) try to make a big, explosive hit. Just tackle him and get him on the ground, because sometimes you come up trying to make a big hit, he can bounce off those tackles and take it the distance."

Cook, who is in his fourth year after playing collegiately at Florida State, only faced the Bears once last season and gained 35 yards on 14 carries in a 16-6 loss on Sept. 29.

While the Bears' past success is impressive, Cook is now the hottest RB in the NFL, torching Detroit last week for 206 yards on 22 carries and running roughshod over Green Bay the week before (163 rushing yards, 63 receiving).

Minnesota (3-5) won both games and - with a victory Monday over the 5-4 Bears - would be right back in the playoff race.

The Bears' biggest challenge might be slowing Cook down in the passing game. Although he only has 16 receptions, he had 53 last season and can be a headache for linebackers in the flat, on screen passes or in the middle of the field.

He's a very similar player to Kamara, who caught 9 passes for 96 yards against the Bears in a 26-23 OT win in Week 7.

"Once he plants that foot, his ability to cut back and get vertical is tremendous," Nichols said. "That's what makes him such a great player, (as well as) his ability to be able to break tackles and put pressure on guys in open space."

Of course, another great way to slow down tough tailbacks is to keep them off the field. It would behoove the Bears' offense to put together at least two clock-chewing drives so Nichols, Jackson, Danny Trevathan, Roquan Smith, Khalil Mack and Co. can stay fresh.

But if that doesn't happen, don't expect the defense to use fatigue as an excuse if Cook has a big night.

Those guys expect to shut down everyone on the opposing team.

Every week, every quarter, every drive - and every play.

"We're a confident group," Nichols said. "One thing about us is we're always gonna have guys that step up. That's a compliment to the way we practice.

"It don't matter if you're a starter or a rotational guy - everybody holds each other to that standard."

By the numbers

Dalvin Cook game-by-game results

Wk, Opp. Att.-Yds. Avg. TD

1., GB 12-50 4.2 2

2. Indy 14-63 4.5 1

3. Tenn. 22-181 8.2 1

4. Houston 27-130 4.8 2

5. Seattle 17-65 3.8 1

8. GB 30-163 5.4 3

9. Detroit 22-206 9.4 2

Totals 144-858 6.0 12

Notes:

• Cook also has 16 catches for 173 yards, with 1 TD.

• Cook missed Week 6 with a groin injury