Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings

The 4-6 Chicago Bears will play the 8-2 Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field in a Week 12 matchup. Here’s what you need to know before kickoff (noon, Fox-32).

5 things to watch — plus our predictions

Bears defensive end Montez Sweat takes the field before a game against the Rams on Sept. 29, 2024, at Soldier Field. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Defensive end Montez Sweat was forthright when asked how he is feeling as the Bears prep for the Vikings.

“We’re on a three- or four-game losing streak? I’m pretty (expletive) frustrated,” he said.

It’s not just the losing streak that has dampened Sweat’s spirits recently. He has been on the injury report more than he has been used to, first with a shin bruise and then with an ankle injury, though he is now off it and good to play Sunday. And he hasn’t recorded a sack since Oct. 27, sitting at 3½ for the season.

The Bears pass rush in general has been lacking of late, with just one sack in each of the last two games, and that’s obviously something they’d like to change as they attack Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold. Read more here.

Caleb Williams’ big test

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams keeps the ball on a first-quarter run against the Packers on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, at Soldier Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams will venture deeper into NFC North competition in Sunday’s game.

With the Bears staggering through a four-game losing streak, Williams will have to do his part this week to put the team back on track. And the pressure will remain intense Sunday — from both a blitz-happy Vikings defense and the urgency the Bears face to keep their season alive. Read more here.

Jaylon Johnson vs. Justin Jefferson

Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson kneels near the bench after loss to the Packers at Soldier Field on Nov. 17, 2024. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson has new, even bigger challenges when he faces the Vikings and wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

After an injury-marred 2023 season, Jefferson has 59 catches for 912 yards and five touchdowns in 10 games. He has totaled fewer than 81 receiving yards in a game just twice this season and was deemed “a very special player” by Bears cornerbacks coach Jon Hoke.

Jefferson and Johnson were both drafted in 2020 and have played for the division rivals since. So it’s an oddity that in eight opportunities they’ve met only two other times — on Jan. 9, 2022, and Nov. 16, 2020. Jefferson totaled a combined 13 catches for 242 yards and a touchdown in those games. Read more here.

Yes Chef!

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Chef Marcos Asencio checks on his squid, shrimp, and chorizo paella while tailgating with fellow chefs Alex Martinez (left) and Oliver Poilevey (right) in the 31st Street parking lot before a game between the Chicago Bears and the New England Patriots at Soldier Field on Nov. 10, 2024. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

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“Are you guys chefs or something?”

It’s a question Oliver Poilevey, Marcos Ascencio and Alex Martinez get asked a lot when they tailgate at Bears’ home games.

They hear it while setting up their butane burners and putting the blue-and-white tablecloths on their folding tables. They hear it when doing prep work. And they definitely hear it once the various dishes — seafood paella, truffle-topped soft scrambled eggs and brioche French toast with foie gras, for example — are ready and shared with those fortunate to be nearby.

No surprise then that the answer is a resounding yes. Read more here.

About last week

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Bears place kicker Cairo Santos (8) kicks a 46-yard field goal attempt, which is blocked by Packers defensive end Karl Brooks (94), for a 20-19 loss at Soldier Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

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Packers coach Matt LaFleur crystallized how the NFL is designed when asked about his team’s 11-game winning streak against the Bears, the longest in the storied history of the rivalry.

“Most teams in this league, it’s a .500 league,” LaFleur said. “You have to find a way to win some of these tight games like we did.”

LaFleur is right. The NFL is designed to create parity. The good teams that are well-coached and manage to remain healthy find ways to pull ahead of the pack. The bad rosters, teams that are poorly coached and ones that get beat up with injuries are stragglers. Read more here.

Looking ahead

The NFL has scheduled games on Thanksgiving since the league’s inception. Playing on Thanksgiving is nothing new for the Bears, who have done it 37 times — the third most in the NFL — with another game at Detroit’s Ford Field on Nov. 28.

Known as the Decatur and then Chicago Staleys for its first two Thanksgiving games, the Bears competed on the November holiday annually for 19 consecutive years from 1920-38. The venue that has hosted the Bears most on Thanksgiving — 11 times — is Wrigley Field.