Bears vs. Vikings: What You Need To Know About TCF Stadium, Brett Favre And More
Published by Chris Trapasso on December 20, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Bears vs. Vikings will go old-school tonight when they battle on Monday Night Football outside at the University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank stadium in Minneapolis.
This game should conjure up great memories of frigid outdoor contests at Metropolitan Stadium, the Vikings former home.
Let’s breakdown tonight’s unique matchup from every angle…
Weather
The weather will be the biggest storyline of the evening and although it should be a typical December Minneapolis day, conditions could be worse.
The National Weather Service stated there’s a 100 percent chance of snow, with total accumulation to possibly reach five inches. (one or two inches predicted during the game)
AccuWeather.com said the temperature could feel as cold as -1 degrees at points during the game.
Now that’s some classic Bears/Vikings football.
Favre’s Status
Leslie Frazier ruled out Brett Favre on Saturday, so the living-legend will sit out his second straight game. Sure would have been fun to see the gray beard brave the tundra atmosphere one last time.
Joe Webb?
Rookie third-stringer Joe Webb will make his first career start, and not only will he have to face arctic temperatures, but he’ll be staring straight into the eyes of Brian Urlacher every snap.
Not to mention the Bears defense is livid following their poor performance against the Patriots last week and could clinch the NFC North title with a win.
Look out.
Key Matchups
– Vikings Offensive Tackles vs. Julius Peppers
Bryant McKinnie and Phil Loadholt will have their hands full with Julius Peppers who has the freedom to roam to either edge of the Bears defensive line and should be moving a lot throughout the game.
– Adrian Peterson vs. Bears run defense
The Bears have the second best run defense in the NFL, a unit that allows a pedestrian 87.9 yards per game.
Adrian Peterson struggled last week against a stout Giants defense but will certainly be relied on with the bitter temperatures and Webb under center.
– Jay Cutler vs. Vikings secondary
Minnesota’s secondary hasn’t had the type of year many Vikings fans thought they would, but they are 10th in the NFL surrendering 208 yards through the air each game. However, they’ve only intercepted 12 passes on the season.
Side notes
– Vikings punter Chris Kluwe said on his Twitter account that the field was “hard as concrete” and sent out the following tweet…
“I find it interesting that the NFL can claim an emphasis on player safety, and then tell us the field is fine. It’s beyond hypocritical.”
Leslie Frazier has told the press that the playing conditions will be safe.
– Playing outdoors at the Gophers’ stadium could be a positive for the Bears. They have lost seven of their last eight inside the Metrodome and have won 10 straight outdoor games in December and January against dome-teams.
– Jay Cutler has been sacked a league-high 43 times this year and Jared Allen has 9.5 sacks on the season, 8.5 of which have come in his last six games.
Read more Chicago Bears news on BleacherReport.com
