Nick Foles

The Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears are headed in opposite directions.

Minnesota won its third straight game and improved to 4-5 on the season with a 19-13 victory over the Bears in Monday's NFC North clash at Soldier Field. Kirk Cousins, Adam Thielen, Justin Jefferson and the defense led the way for the victors, who have gradually climbed back into the playoff picture even though they are well behind the 7-2 Green Bay Packers in the division.

As for the 5-5 Bears, another impressive defensive effort was not enough to prevent a fourth straight loss as their free fall continued behind a terrible offense.

Cousins dimes Thielen for his 2nd TD tonight 🎯

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/WO3Fow1bSF

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) November 17, 2020

         

Notable Player Stats

• Kirk Cousins, QB, MIN: 25-of-36 for 292 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
• Dalvin Cook, RB, MIN: 30 carries for 96 yards; 4 catches for 16 yards
• Justin Jefferson, WR, MIN: 8 catches for 135 yards
• Adam Thielen, WR, MIN: 4 catches for 43 yards, 2 TDs
• Nick Foles, QB, CHI: 15-of-26 for 106 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT

             

Different Play-Caller, Same Result for Bears

The biggest question for the Bears heading into this game was how the offense would look after head coach Matt Nagy gave up his play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor.

Frankly, it was a long time coming considering the offense entered play 30th in the league in yards (317.8) and points (19.8) per game and has struggled in nearly every facet. That type of production is surely not what the Bears had in mind when they hired Nagy as an offensive coach coming from Andy Reid's staff on the Kansas City Chiefs.

It was more of the same with Lazor calling plays.

Foles gets picked on Bears' first drive 👀

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/xbu0sMAjw3

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) November 17, 2020

The Bears posted -1 yard of offense in the third quarter. They have 115 yards through three quarters.

— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) November 17, 2020

Bears points scored in the third quarter this season:
0
0
0
0
0
7
0
0
0
7

— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) November 17, 2020

We're watching an 11-win defense and a 4-win offense right now for the Bears.

— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) November 17, 2020

Gee, what a shock, a third-down blitz from the Vikings. No screen from Lazor ready? Terrible.

— dan durkin (@djdurkin) November 17, 2020

Foles missed Graham earlier on what should've been an easy touchdown and missed Miller (on an admittedly tougher throw) for another touchdown. For a team with such small margins, that'll do it.

— Sean Wagner-McGough (@seanjwagner) November 17, 2020

Nick Foles, who exited on the team's final possession with an injury, threw an interception to Harrison Smith on Chicago's opening possession as the lowlight of a first half that saw Chicago struggle to protect its quarterback and stall on multiple drives. Things got even worse in the second half, as the home team failed to get a single first down in the third quarter.

The third quarter has haunted the team all season, underscoring the lack of adjustments from a coaching staff that was once again in over its head on a big stage.

The only spark was a 104-yard kick-return touchdown from Cordarrelle Patterson that was ultimately wasted as Foles consistently missed on passes that could have been big plays with a supporting rushing attack that was, as usual, stuck in neutral.

Cordarrelle Patterson 104-yard HOUSE CALL ✌️

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/UuxbUHHpaU

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 17, 2020

Eighth career KO return for TD by @ceeflashpee84. He leads all kickoff returners in touchdowns in the NFL since entering the league in 2013 (8); that return also ties the NFL modern day record for career KO returns for TDs.

— Bears Communications (@BearsPR) November 17, 2020

There was no bigger miss than Foles' throw to Anthony Miller in the final minutes of the fourth quarter with the Bears down six. The receiver broke free for what could have been the winning touchdown, but Foles airmailed him as the offense once again let the team down.

             

Late Score Enough for Vikings

There were two competing narratives for the Vikings heading into this divisional showdown.

On the one hand, Cousins entered play with an 0-9 record on Monday nights and has famously struggled under the prime-time spotlight. On the other hand, Dalvin Cook has proved himself capable of carrying the offense on his own with 130 or more rushing yards in four of his previous five games and a combined six touchdowns in his last two outings.

The matchup between Cook and a strong Chicago defense took center stage, and it was fitting that he and defensive end Akiem Hicks were chirping at each other on the opening possession.

The Bears defense backed up that chirping in the early going by forcing a Kyle Rudolph fumble on the opening possession and stopping a promising drive with a Khalil Mack interception. It allowed just one touchdown in the first half—off a head-turning catch by Thielen—and kept Cook in relative check.

The @ChicagoBears defense forces a turnover on the opening drive! #DaBears

📺: #MINvsCHI on ESPN
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/mAxh3SSnWm pic.twitter.com/AtC9RivgKG

— NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2020

Khalil Mack ripped this INT from Thielen 😳

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/vak8qdcLhR

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 17, 2020

ADAM THIELEN ONE-HAND TD.

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/BGlipJ9rGD

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 17, 2020

Another 100-yard game for the rookie @JJettas2.

His fourth of his young career. #SKOL

📺: #MINvsCHI on ESPN
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/mAxh3SSnWm pic.twitter.com/s5OQiLP8bs

— NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2020

Vikings offense just functions differently with Akiem Hicks on the sideline for Bears. Not coincidentally, the Bears defense just isn't the same without Hicks either.

— David Haugh (@DavidHaugh) November 17, 2020

Minnesota even settled for two field goals in the third quarter on golden opportunities following a Dwayne Harris muffed punt and 54-yard catch from Jefferson, but things finally opened up after Hicks—who is arguably the most important player for Chicago's defense—exited with a hamstring injury.

The result was another touchdown catch from Thielen to give the Vikings the lead, although a botched extra point kept the Bears within six.

Fortunately for the visitors, six points against the Bears offense might as well be 30, and the Minnesota defense shut the door on the final drive.

        

What's Next?

The Vikings host the Dallas Cowboys in Week 11, while the Bears head into their bye before a Week 12 showdown with the rival Packers.

The New England Patriots' Sunday night win over the Baltimore Ravens added another twist to the AFC playoff picture.

The Patriots moved to within two games of a playoff spot, but the real news was that the victory created a five-way tie at 6-3 for the wild-card positions.

The Indianapolis Colts are the safest 6-3 team in the AFC since they beat the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night to take a slight edge in the AFC South race.

Going into Week 11, the Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins and Ravens sit in the three wild-card positions, with the Cleveland Browns and Titans on the outside looking in.

The NFC is far less crowded because of the NFC East not producing any wild-card contenders. Monday night's NFC North battle between the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings could determine whether either team is good enough to chase down the three teams in wild-card positions.

                                  

Super Bowl Odds

Kansas City: +350 (bet $100 to win $350)

Pittsburgh: +550

New Orleans: +650

Green Bay: +900

Tampa Bay: +900

Baltimore: +1000

Seattle: +1600

Los Angeles Rams: +1800

Full list of odds can be found on DraftKings Sportsbook.

              

Playoff Picture

AFC

Division Leaders

1. Pittsburgh (9-0)

2. Kansas City (8-1)

3. Buffalo (7-3)

4. Indianapolis (6-3)

        

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs appear to be the only two teams with a shot to land the first-round bye.

The teams gained ground among the division leaders Sunday, as the Buffalo Bills lost on Kyler Murray's Hail Mary touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins. Pittsburgh should remain undefeated after Week 11 since it visits the Jacksonville Jaguars. Kansas City has a much tougher task on the road at Las Vegas.

Buffalo can't lose much ground on its bye, and the AFC South race may not experience movement since the Colts host the Green Bay Packers and the Titans visit the Ravens in a crucial clash in the wild-card race.

                

Wild-Card Race

5. Las Vegas (6-3)

6. Miami (6-3)

7. Baltimore (6-3)

8. Cleveland (6-3)

9. Tennessee (6-3)

10. New England (4-5)

     

New England needs a lot of help to just contend for a wild-card position. The Patriots are two games back of the five-way tie and need the teams in front of them to start losing now.

Bill Belichick's team should move back to .500 in Week 11 against the struggling Houston Texans. A win would allow it to gain ground on at least one of the 6-3 teams since Baltimore and Tennessee are set to meet.

The Cleveland Browns may have the easiest Week 11 matchup of the 6-3 teams since they play host to the Philadelphia Eagles, who lost on the road to the New York Giants on Sunday.

Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins have to visit the Denver Broncos, while the Raiders will try to hold on to their wild-card advantage by beating the Chiefs for the second time this season.

Las Vegas owns the best AFC record of the wild-card contenders, which is why it sits in the No. 5 seed. Baltimore, meanwhile, holds the last playoff spot through its head-to-head win over Cleveland and a better win percentage in common games than Tennessee.

If two or more of the 6-3 teams lose in Week 11, New England could make a serious push for the No. 7 seed. If the Patriots get on a winning streak, their December 20 game against Miami may determine the final playoff spot. New England won the first meeting in Week 1.

                     

NFC

Division Leaders

1. Green Bay (7-2)

2. New Orleans (7-2)

3. Arizona (6-3)

4. Philadelphia (3-5-1)

       

Green Bay's Week 3 win over New Orleans should come in handy down the stretch.

The Packers and Saints are the only NFC teams at 7-2 after the Seattle Seahawks failed to win against the Los Angeles Rams. If the two NFC powerhouses remain on the same records going into the postseason, the Packers would earn the No. 1 seed through the head-to-head tiebreaker.

New Orleans may have an opportunity to gain ground in Week 11 since it hosts the Atlanta Falcons, while Green Bay visits Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Arizona Cardinals surged into the No. 3 seed by way of their superior record compared to the NFC West rival Rams and Seahawks. The perfect divisional mark will be put on the line Thursday night in Seattle.

Philadelphia is still somehow ahead of the New York Giants in the NFC East, and if the two teams finish with the same amount of wins, the Eagles' Week 3 tie could benefit them—as it is right now.

                               

Wild-Card Race

5. Tampa Bay (7-3)

6. Los Angeles Rams (6-3)

7. Seattle (6-3)

8. Chicago (5-4)

9. Detroit (4-5)

10. San Francisco (4-6)

11. Minnesota (3-5)

      

There will be plenty of Vikings fans across the NFC on Monday night.

If Minnesota leaves Soldier Field with a victory, it would open up a gap between the Rams, Seahawks and Bears in the fight for the final two playoff positions.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers do not need to root for Minnesota, but it would not hurt for them to have a cushion between themselves and the other contenders. The Bucs are locked into the No. 5 seed after their awful loss to the Saints in Week 10 shut them out of first place in the NFC South for the time being.

Tom Brady and Co. face an interesting test at Raymond James Stadium in Week 11, as the Rams come to town for Monday Night Football.

By then, L.A. will have had four days to process the result of the Seahawks-Cardinals game and what that means to their pursuit of the NFC West crown and a wild-card position. Since the NFC West race is so close, the leader and two wild-card holders could flip on a weekly basis.

If Chicago wins Monday, it could sit back and enjoy the two vital Week 11 clashes in the NFC playoff hunt.

A win puts the Bears at 6-4 and guarantees team of being tied with at least one NFC West team entering Week 12.

                 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

        

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Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson came to Carson Wentz's defense after Wentz was the target of sharp comments from Brett Favre.

During an appearance Tuesday on ESPN's First Take, Favre said the Eagles should've picked Nick Foles over Wentz when the time came to give Foles a new contract after the 2018 season.

Brett Favre says he was surprised the Eagles didn't keep Nick Foles as their QB instead of Carson Wentz.

"I actually thought they should have kept Nick Foles." pic.twitter.com/JuOIvDtmX3

— First Take (@FirstTake) November 10, 2020

Pederson, who was teammates with Favre for seven seasons, backed Wentz when speaking with reporters Wednesday, per ESPN's Tim McManus:

"Carson's our guy. Carson was our draft pick. Carson's the guy that is going to carry us and lead this football team. Listen, everybody is entitled to their own opinion. Those aren't my words, those aren't Howie [Roseman]'s words, Jeffery [Lurie]'s words, those are his words. I respect that opinion. Whatever he wants to say, that's fine and we're going to remain friends. It doesn't bother me one way or another."

Wentz has thrown for 1,883 yards, 12 touchdowns and an NFL-high 12 interceptions. The 27-year-old is struggling to match the heights of his second year, when he reached the Pro Bowl.

Because of his performance and lack of overall development, Philadelphia might have long-term reservations about Wentz going forward. Arguing the team was better off with Foles is a big stretch, though.

Foles was limited to four starts with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019, and he's doing the impossible in 2020 as some Chicago Bears fans are longing for Mitchell Trubisky to start again.

In retrospect, neither of the choices may have been all that good for the Eagles when they had to back one of Wentz or Foles.

This past Sunday, the Chicago Bears fell to 5-3. They have lost two games in a row, and quarterback Nick Foles hasn't played particularly well since being inserted as the starter. In fact, Chicago is just 2-3 in games that Foles has started this season.

There also seems to be a lack of chemistry—or perhaps trust—between Foles and head coach Matt Nagy. The two haven't always appeared to be on the same page, something at which the third-year coach has hinted.

"The communication thing—great teams communicate well, and that is something we're working toward," Nagy said, per Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Unsurprisingly, this has led some to suggest that Chicago should go back to Mitchell Trubisky at quarterback.

"Nick Foles is not a starting quarterback in the league," former NFL coach Rex Ryan said on ESPN's Get Up.

Here's the problem with potentially turning back to Trubisky. Whiles Foles might not be a high-level NFL stater, neither is Trubisky. If he was, the Bears wouldn't have pulled the plug on the 2017 first-round pick in order to test-drive Foles.

Trubisky was fantastic in the 2020 season-opener. He passed for 242 yards and three touchdowns while leading a comeback against the Detroit Lions. In his next two games, though, he was borderline awful. He completed 31-of-50 pass attempts for 318 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions in Weeks 2 and 3 before he was pulled for Foles—who led his own comeback over the Atlanta Falcons.

Trubisky didn't have a passer rating over 78 in either game.

While Foles has not been fantastic, he has at least completed more than 60 percent of his passes—64.8 percent, to be exact. Trubisky has completed just over 59 percent of his throws this season and has a completion rate under 64 percent for his career. Consistency is not his strong suit.

And that lack of consistency is a major issue for a Bears team that can win games with its eighth-ranked scoring defense. A game-manager should be enough to make Chicago competitive, but Trubisky has repeatedly struggled to manage games.

Chicago has seen three-plus years of Trubisky, so the decision to go with Foles wasn't a rash one. The former North Carolina product's biggest asset is his athleticism, something Troy Aikman referenced during the Week 8 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

"The things that they miss with him not being the quarterback is his ability to create plays on the ground," Aikman said during the Fox broadcast (h/t Adam Jahns).

Running ability shouldn't be a primary selling point for a fourth-year quarterback who doesn't operate as a dual-threat. Suggesting that it is, essentially admits that passing is Trubisky's weakness.

Trubisky isn't Michael Vick or Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen. And Chicago should not be basing its offense around his legs. Nagy's offense is based on more traditional dropback passing, and Foles remains the better option to run it.

Foles has completed fewer than 60 percent of his passes only twice this season, against Atlanta and the Carolina Panthers. Both games were Chicago victories. While his presnap management and communication with Nagy may be problematic, Foles has delivered more consistent results during plays.

And Foles' playoff experience must be considered as well. At 5-3, Chicago should hope to make the postseason this year. Trubisky has played in one playoff game, while Foles has proved himself on the NFL's biggest stage.

While the NFL is certainly a what-have-you-done-lately league, it would be irresponsible to discount Foles' Super Bowl MVP performance. If and when the Bears reach the postseason, which quarterback are the players more likely to rally behind?

At minimum, the Bears need to continue riding with Foles for the immediate future. They have seen him for all of five starts. They've seen Trubisky for more than three years, and that's what led them to start Foles in the first place

Chicago Bears quarterback Nick Foles wants to clear the air with his head coach. 

"If you're married, you know it turns into something it shouldn't be," he said of Brian Griese's comments during the ESPN broadcast of Chicago's loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday, per Chris Emma of 670 The Score. "That wisdom made me realize, hey, I'm going to go talk to Coach Nagy. I have a great relationship with him."

Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times noted Griese said Foles revealed he sometimes knows plays head coach Matt Nagy calls are not going to work before the Chicago offense even runs them because he won't have enough time for them to develop.

It should be noted that after the game Foles said, "That was definitely a miscommunication with Brian [Griese] and I," per Adam Hoge of NBC Sports Chicago.

Nagy addressed the situation Wednesday as well and said he talked to Foles, per Emma. "We are in such a good spot with our relationship. It's very, very healthy. ... But I always want to know what Nick's thinking."

Despite the "healthy" conversations between coach and quarterback, the offense is a significant problem for the 5-2 Bears.

They did not score an offensive touchdown during the 24-10 loss to the Rams, don't have enough explosive playmakers outside of Allen Robinson, struggle in the rushing attack and are consistently out-schemed.

In fact, Chicago's offense has failed to reach 21 points in 24 of the 40 games that Nagy has been the head coach, which is an alarming number considering he was brought in as an offensive guru.

The team is wasting a formidable defense that is in win-now mode with players such as Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks and Eddie Jackson, and its offense makes it much more of a pretender than a legitimate contender even with five wins through the first seven contests.

With games remaining against the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans and two potentially pivotal divisional matchups with the Green Bay Packers, Chicago could find itself outside the playoff picture in the near future if the offense doesn't figure things out quickly.

Despite the Chicago Bears having one of the NFL's worst offenses, coach Matt Nagy trusts himself and Nick Foles to turn things around.

Nagy said Tuesday he has no plans to hand over play-calling duties or to bench Foles, who has started the team's last four games. 

"I look at all [the possibility of someone else calling plays]," Nagy told reporters. "The very first thing I look at is that. I talk to our coaches and we talk through that whole process. I'm really honestly not opposed to, there's no opposition from me if we feel like that that's what the issue is. And so we look at that. Right now, where we're at, that's not where we think it's at."

Foles took over the starting job from Mitchell Trubisky in Week 3 this season, ostensibly ending the former first-round pick's chance to establish himself the franchise quarterback. The Bears offense, which ranks third-to-last in yards per play, has looked no better with Foles under center than Trubisky, and one may argue that Trubisky is the better option because he provides mobility on the outside.

Nagy does not see it that way.

"Yeah, no," Nagy said. "I think you can look at that a bunch of different ways. When you say that in regards to a mobile quarterback, I'm not so sure that that's the answer with that, with what we're talking about, with the dropback of a quarterback and the offensive tackle situation. We have a lot of confidence, and I have a lot of confidence, in Nick right now.

"Again, this is a process for us to work though, and it's not just one person. It's really not. And I know from yesterday, decision-making-wise and where he's at, I thought he did a good job. I thought he made some good throws. He missed a couple as well, but again, it's a team sport, so there's some other reasons for that as well. Just keep rolling through that and working through it."

By most objective measures, both Foles and Trubisky are among the worst quarterbacks in the NFL. Foles has thrown for 1,139 yards and six touchdowns against as many picks, while Trubisky had 560 passing yards and six scores against three picks before being benched. 

Pro Football Focus' grading gives the nod to Trubisky, while Foles grades out as better under Football Outsiders' measurements. 

It's really a pick-your-poison of bad options, and it's hard to blame Nagy as a play-caller when the quarterback situation is so bleak. That said, the Bears probably should have been more aggressive when several veteran options were available this offseason rather than trading a fourth-round pick for Foles.