{"id":4157,"date":"2025-11-13T01:14:28","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T01:14:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/bears-embrace-the-tough-road-test-in-minnesota-and-the-key-to-victory-could-play-perfectly-into-ben-johnsons-offensive-plan\/"},"modified":"2025-11-13T01:14:28","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T01:14:28","slug":"bears-embrace-the-tough-road-test-in-minnesota-and-the-key-to-victory-could-play-perfectly-into-ben-johnsons-offensive-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/?p=4157","title":{"rendered":"Bears embrace the tough road test in Minnesota and the key to victory could play perfectly into Ben Johnson\u2019s offensive plan"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Bears<\/p>\n

For the first time since Week 2, the\u00a0Chicago Bears\u00a0will face off in a divisional matchup and it’ll be a rematch opportunity against the Minnesota Vikings\u00a0after dropping the season opener\u00a0at home.<\/p>\n

A lot has changed for both sides since the first game of the season going into this Week 1 matchup and for Chicago, this game\u00a0will be a major measuring stick\u00a0for the team after a 6-3 start to the season but one that comes with an 0-2 record in the NFC North.<\/p>\n

“We desperately need to win our first division game,” Bears head coach\u00a0Ben Johnson\u00a0said in his weekly interview with Jeff Joniak on ESPN Chicago. “There’s no doubt about it. This will be a tough challenge. Their stadium is one of the hardest, I think, in the National Football League. It’s loud, you hear that Viking horn go off, you hear the SKOL chant going on. We gotta embrace this environment that we’re going into.”<\/p>\n

Recently, the Bears have struggled facing the Vikings on the road, losing three of the last four matchups in Minnesota including the 30-12 blowout loss suffered last season. This season, however, the Vikings have struggled to defend the home turf with a 1-3 record.<\/p>\n

To learn more about the team’s home struggles, as well as the difficulties the environment can bring for an opposing team, I spoke with Tyler Forness of A to Z Sports Minnesota.<\/p>\n

“U.S. Bank Stadium is a great home field advantage for the Vikings. The fanbase gets riled up before the game with the SKOL chant, and they do it sporadically throughout the game. Where things get interesting is how rowdy they get in critical in-game situations.<\/p>\n

If you want to prevent the fans from getting into the game, the key is to keep them quiet early and often. Running the ball successfully and keeping the chains moving is the simple recipe for keeping the fanbase out of it, because once they get into it, you won\u2019t get them out. They are very loud and impact the snap counts, forcing a large amount of pre-snap penalties for their opponents. That is another thing to watch.” –\u00a0Tyler Forness,\u00a0A to Z Sports Minnesota<\/p>\n

Looking at the Vikings’ home losses this season, Forness has a point. Look specifically at the games against the Atlanta Falcons and the Baltimore Ravens for example. Both teams dominated in the run game, won the time of possession battle, and kept the penalties down to secure a road win against the Vikings.<\/p>\n

While it’s easier said than done to achieve that, that’s the kind of football Ben Johnson’s offense has been playing since figuring things out during the bye week. Since the bye week, the Bears are the NFL’s leading offense in rushing yards per game, are sustaining longer drives as a unit, and have cleaned up the pre-snap penalty issues on offense.<\/p>\n

But, of course, it’s not just the outside element the Bears are going to have to deal with on Sunday. The unit will also be going up against one of the league’s top defensive minds in Brian Flores and his ever-changing scheme, just to add another difficult wrinkle to this matchup.<\/p>\n

This story was originally reported by\u00a0A to Z Sports\u00a0on Nov 12, 2025, where it first appeared in the\u00a0NFL\u00a0section. Add A to Z Sports as a\u00a0Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/em><\/p>\n

Travis Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs\u2019 star tight end, has made a bold statement as he prepares for the second half of the 2025 NFL season: the bye week wasn\u2019t just about rest, it was about mental preparation and recharging to come back stronger than ever. Kelce, one of the NFL\u2019s most dominant and reliable players, made it clear that his focus is sharper than ever and that he\u2019s fully ready to lead the Chiefs to even greater heights in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

In his most recent remarks, Kelce said, \u201cThe bye week wasn\u2019t just about rest. It was about resetting my mind. I came back ready to crush the second half of the season. The real work starts now, and I\u2019m more focused than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

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