Friday mailbag: Offensive philosophy, Bears quarterbacks and bust debates

Vikings fans really want to know if their team will go all-in on offense someday

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Happy Friday everyone. Vikings fans had tons of questions this week and I’m thrilled to have nearly broken the email limit answering as many as I could fit so off we go…

@HollandJohnD Friday mailbag inquiry: Matt, will the Vikings’ interior blockers magically improve this week against the Bears and Akiem Hicks?”

They certainly didn’t have an answer for him last time — or really any time they’ve played him in the last five years. Seriously. Hicks has graded above 85 by PFF (which means a dominating performance) in four of his last seven matchups with the Vikings. He’s quick, powerful, smart and absolutely massive. Think about the difference in strength and power between a guy who is 6-foot-5, 330-pounds and the Vikings’ interior. It’s an extreme mismatch.

With that said, Kirk Cousins was only sacked once the last time they played the Bears. The Vikings were able to hit on quick passes, especially to Justin Jefferson, and didn’t allow Hicks too many opportunities to tee off.

The question is whether Chicago barrows from the Vikings’ last two opponents by running stunts and twists on key third downs. The Jags and Bucs crushed them with that. If it doesn’t get fixed, they’re in trouble.

I’ll add that the Vikings are allowed to use Dalvin Cook in other ways that the straight inside zone/outside zone running game and on screen passes. They’ve basically avoided using him in any other way since he got here and it’s not really clear why that’s been the case. Versus a Chicago defense that’s stopped Cook every time they’ve faced him, now would be the time to pull out some different stuff.

@vikesfan1930 Matt, Kirk looked frustrated on Sunday with Zimmer's play calling. Would Kirk go to leadership to request a trade? I feel like Zimmer-Kirk heading towards divorce. .

Kubiak would be the one calling the plays. I think if Kirk was showing frustration, it would be on some plays where they looked out of sorts. There were times in that game where the line didn’t seem to be on the same page and rushers were coming quickly.

I wouldn’t bet on a Cousins-Zimmer divorce but they do have one of the more disconnected relationships of any coach-quarterback. They rarely talk about each other in press conferences or interact on the sideline. The team signed him to take their offense beyond where it could go with Case Keenum but they still play like Keenum is the quarterback unless they’re down 10 points.

That said, both reach the level of being good and predictable from year to year. A lot of teams would die for that at the coach/QB spots.

I’d be very surprised if Cousins was so unhappy that he would demand a way out. He’s well aware that there are FAR worse situations than having Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, Gary Kubiak and the Wilfs.

@P_Wunder Teams that might be interested in a trade for Kirk?

Since we’re really going there…

New England, Tampa Bay (if Brady retires), Denver, San Francisco, Indy (if Rivers retires).

All those teams have cap space in 2021 and aren’t in full rebuilding mode. The Broncos could give him great weapons with Sutton coming back next year. Bruce Arians would enjoy his deep accuracy. Indy has the O-line to get the most out of Cousins. It turns out Jimmy G has a no-trade clause but I imagine he would agree to a trade if they acquired Cousins.

Again, chances are pretty darn low that Cousins gets traded but if the Vikings did decide to move him, they would get phone calls.

@JeffStofko What should be the #1 offseason priority assuming you only win 1 of the next 3 games and miss out on the playoffs? The O-line frustrates me most as I watch games but in reality I feel like the lack of a pass rush is a bigger problem.

That’s an interesting question because it might depend on how you look at the world. If you think that the answer to winning in the NFL over the next decade is going to be entirely about quarterback performance, you draft or spend big on the offensive line and add more weapons. There’s no rule that says you have to avoid DeVonta Smith in the draft because you have Jefferson and Thielen. And I tend to believe that more wide open receivers helps the QB find his options faster.

Anyway, if you look at the roster from the pure standpoint of weaknesses, they are in desperate need of more players who can rush the passer even with Hunter coming back. They get zero rush from the defensive tackle position and guys like DJ Wonnum and Ifeadi Odenigbo make for good rotational players, not 700+ snap guys.

The Vikings have proven that they aren’t really capable of patchworking an O-line. Could they find a guy or two in free agency to play D-line and get them some pass rush? Probably. But I’d also expect Mike Zimmer to argue that the offense has gotten enough early-round attention in recent years and they need to rebuild the defense.

Side note: If they lose this game, draft season begins!

@Chubs1224 Are the Vikings wasting their offensive potential by trying to be run first. How often have we seen the passing game bail out the run game or at least make us competitive after we build a half time deficit.

Overall the Vikings have a good offense, so I’m not sure I’d go as far as to say they’re wasting away all their potential.

I might put it like this: If a baseball team still bunts every time the leadoff man gets on, that doesn’t mean they’ll automatically have bad offensive production. Same way that a basketball team can still succeed when shooting a high number of midrange two-pointers. Both those teams will be losing efficiency around the margins and that adds up eventually if you’re in the middle of the pack in terms of total roster talent.

To stick with the baseball analogy: The Vikings have some sluggers but they don’t have a complete one-through-nine lineup so they need every percentage point. They’re probably not getting every percentage point out of this offense if Tampa Bay is able to take Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen out of an important game.

@TheBigHerman I've accepted we are stuck with a conservative coach and a highly efficient QB Robot 9000 that is good at doing what hes told. How many more Marvin Lewis-type 8-10 win years will Zimm lead us to before we are finally free?

The interesting thing about the Marvin Lewis Bengals is that they had one shot at it in 2015. They were seventh in points scored and second on defense. The roster was stacked through the roof and Andy Dalton had a 106.2 quarterback rating that year. But Dalton got hurt and they lost a super bizarre playoff game with AJ McCarron starting.

That year the Bengals’ roster peaked. They had weapons, monsters on defense who were in their prime and a QB having his best year. That was their shot. The Vikings pretty much have to operate with the one-shot mindset.

In 2017, the Vikings roster reached the height of its powers, some things went that way and it was the once-a-decade shot. We’ve seen lots of other teams have one big year like San Francisco last year or Philly in 2017.

If things don’t click and they fall short of getting that one shot over the next few years, that’s when things will get overhauled. Expectations will certainly be high for 2021 but having an overhaul of the roster gave everyone more leeway to actually reach another NFC title game or Super Bowl.

Long story short: It would probably take several more years in the middle in order for a change to happen unless there’s some major problems.

@G3R4LD26 With his refusal to get involved with the offense other than demand an outdated "pound the rock" philosophy and his seemingly never ending war against ST, should the Wilfs let Zimmer go if a coach with a more modernized offensive approach comes available (ie: Eric Bieniemy)

“Never Ending War Against Special Teams” will be my Mike Zimmer biography.

Should they let him go? That’s a tough one. Everyone thinks Eric Bieniemy will be a good coach but we really have no idea if he will. We know that Mike Zimmer is a good coach. We know he’s capable of getting a team to the doorstep, we don’t know that about whichever offensive guru they’d bring in.

All the numbers point to changing the approach in certain situations and certain roster decisions. But it isn’t that running, playing great defense and passing efficiently is a losing strategy. The 49ers went to the Super Bowl with that last year.

It’s just that threading that needle is hard. You have to have an amazing defense and mostly play from ahead.

@andrew_schuba Do you think Michael Pierce comes back in game shape? A year off for a position largely centered on being massive is a tough ask.

He did have some issues in Baltimore but if things go the right way with vaccines and such, he could be back around the team by OTAs/minicamps next year and start the process of getting fully back into game shape. I always assume that NFL players are going to do everything they can to take care of their bodies. We see guys miss full seasons and then come back strong from devastating injuries. Would figure that returning from sitting out would mean that he’s ready to go and fully healthy.

@SamRoot43 Who wins the game? Also who wins the game if a 30 year old Jim McMahon time traveled to 2020, clone himself, and played QB for both teams.

Vikings win the game.

If McMahon played all-time quarterback for both of these teams with 2020 rosters, the Vikings definitely win. Can you think of a better quarterback for Mike Zimmer than McMahon? He’d protect the ball, run the ball and then make a handful of baller throws in big situations to win the game. The Vikings would be better at that game because of their weapons and running game. Jim wouldn’t be that concerned about Chicago’s tough defense because he’d take all the hits and make big plays anyway.

@benjackson0812 With the Vikings front office using analytics and Cousins relying on analytics to try to improve is play why can’t Zimmer use it more as a head coach??

Last year coming out of the Combine, I wrote an article going in depth on this matter. People that I talked with in Indy said it was a legitimate issue.

It’s a little surprising because when it comes to X’s and O’s, Zimmer’s always been at the head of the line when it comes to adapting his defenses to shut down ever-improving offenses.

He mentioned a few times over the past few years going with the numbers when it came to going for two or going for it on fourth down but there doesn’t appear to be a full buy-in.

That doesn’t mean that the entire philosophy has to be flipped on its head or that they should pass every play and go for every fourth down. It might mean only a handful of different choices a year but those can make a difference.

@RickJamesB4 You are picking in the 1st round at 17 and Zach Wilson is available, at the same time, Buffalo calls and offers a 3rd and 5th for Theilen. Which do you pull the trigger on? Do you pull it twice? Are you gunshy?

It would be crazy if Wilson got to No. 17. I’m not sure he gets to No. 3 overall. But I love trade scenarios and what-ifs so….the choice is easily Wilson. He has truly special arm talent and a baller mentality. That gives him a shot at being great in the NFL, not just good. Not just the product of a system. But someone who can win games even if circumstances aren’t perfect. Having him on a rookie contract with tons of talent around him and cap space to instantly improve the defense would be like a cheat code (assuming that he works out, of course).

I can’t see any reason to trade Thielen. He’s up there a little in age but still playing at an elite level. He isn’t oft-injured or crazy expensive. Add weapons, not subtract.

@Aoki5Chuck Is there some mechanical (opposed to strategic) reason why the Vikings don't run PA more? Like, is it harder to run when your interior OL play is poor or it develops too long, or something?

The fact that they’ve dropped from sixth last year to 16th in play-action percentage is probably dictated mostly by situation. They’ve spent a lot more time trailing this year than they did in 2019. If you think game-by-game, they would have been largely in passing situations in the second halves against Green Bay (Week 1), Indy, Atlanta, Dallas, Carolina, Jacksonville and Tampa Bay.

It’s not impossible to use play-action when you’re down two scores but opposing linebackers have no reason to care about stopping the run, so they can just drop back into coverage. And most play-actions are designed with the assumption that the linebackers won’t be in their proper coverage spots so those plays become ineffective.

Play-action usually helps an offensive line. It does take longer to develop but running it with outside zone moves the defensive line left or right and rolls the quarterback away from pressure (unless the defensive end comes straight up field, which the Packers do).

Most of the poor O-line play we see is when the Vikings are in third-and-7 or longer when opposing teams know 100% the Vikings are passing and they can bring out all the tools in the toolbox against the OL.

@mattymatty2000 Washington will need a QB next season. Thoughts?

This question is from my friend Matt Kory, a sad Washington fan who liked Kirk Cousins and has been even more sad since he left. As good friends do, I will now take the time to mock him by naming random bad Washington quarterbacks.

Patrick Ramsey? Jason Campbell? Heath Shuler? Todd Collins? Tony Banks?

In all seriousness, Washington’s situation is really interesting. They should absolutely draft a QB but they might think that Alex Smith’s return is just starting and that he could someday be his old self again. It’s crazy how fast Dwayne Haskins went from being an interesting prospect to Busty McBusterson.

@smccullough5 What teams would Kirk want to be traded to that might accept the trade and what is GM Coller looking at for fair compensation on the trade?

Any of the teams that I named earlier would probably make him happy. For a QB like Cousins, you’re aiming for similar compensation to what KC got for Alex Smith, which was a third-round pick and a good player (Kendall Fuller). The fact that any team who acquires Cousins understands that they likely have to deal with that $45 million cap hit in 2022 by giving him a contract extension hurts his trade value.

Since the Vikings will look to take the next step with the roster next season, it’s really hard to hit the reset button at QB even though this mailbag tries to ask it into existence each week after a loss haha.

@bennyalbs18 If they lose this weekend against the bears, Zimmer and Spielman back on the hot seat with best case scenario 8-8?

Before I say this I want to acknowledge that anything is possible with the Vikings but I don’t think anything that happens over the final three weeks changes anyone’s status. If they lose out and end up 6-10, they go into next year of expectations of competing for an NFC North title. If they win out and make the playoffs, they go into next year with expectations of competing for an NFC North title.

An 8-8 record would be viewed as about right for this team. They have a lot of talent and a lot of flaws and are in the first year of a retooling of the roster. It will certainly not match expectations heading into the season — they believed they’d be in the playoffs. But it won’t be an abomination of a season that would put Zimmer/Spielman on the hot seat.

If there is a slow start next year, then we’ll be on hot seat watch.

@smccullough5 Over/under 9 interior pressures AND 3 sacks by the Chicago Dline this week? In order to take the under, what has to change on the Vikings oline?

I’ll take the under because I don’t think Chicago’s offense can put the Vikings far enough behind where they have to abandon the run game. What has to happen? Pass on first down. Stay ahead of the sticks. Avoid running on second-and-10. Get a little more creative with some quick passes. Use other methods of moving the pocket than just traditional play-actions.

Aside from putting in Brett Jones, there isn’t much they can do to change things on the O-line and it’s not like Jones is Steve Hutchinson. It’s really about circumstances and scheme.

@sgarvey03 I get it that we aren’t a high flying passing attack but isn’t the point of a Kubiak offense to throw it less, but far more effectively? We finished middle of pack in passing ypg last year while holding big leads in a lot of games. Is there more to the story with diggs?

Yes, Diggs got a lot of yardage on deep passes last year but he was 34th in targets, tied with someone named Chris Conley for the Jaguars in 2019. Yes, Zimmer’s philosophy (executed by Stefanski/Kubiak) is to run and then hit explosive pass plays but Diggs believed that his skills would be truly maximized by getting a more consistent stream of targets and plays schemed to get him the ball. Turns out he was right.

The other part is — I covered Diggs from 2016-2019 and there’s one thing I’m sure about the guy: He’s smart and he hates to lose. He knows that teams who dominate in the passing game have the best chance to win and he wanted that for the Vikings.

I think Vikings fans want there to be more to the story because it’s easier to deal with his exit and subsequent success that way.

@smccullough5 Who has the better game, Captain Clutch Kirk Cousins or Resurgent Wonder Kid Mitchell Trubisky? What defines the better game, since neither are throwing for 350 yards and 4 TDs, is it lack of turnovers, scrambling ability, avoiding sacks, etc?

There’s a ton of different ways to decide whether a quarterback played well or not in a given game but in this one, it’s whoever walks out of US Bank Stadium still in the playoff race. If Mitch Trubisky beats the Vikings, that means one of two things: The Vikings’ defense played really poorly or Kirk Cousins played poorly. It’s hard to see a scenario where Cousins plays well and they lose, even if Trubisky has been better lately.

And if Cousins ends up with 15 passes for 122 yards and wins the game, then he did the job well enough to win.

I know statistically-inclined folks wouldn’t be a fan of this take but Patrick Mahomes had one of his poorest graded games by PFF in the Super Bowl. Does he have to give the trophy back?

@HoF_Hitman Of course it’s unlikely with Zimmer in charge, but with all the passing game talent we have could you see us trying to rebuild the O-line to mold our offense around more of an air attack ?

Yes. At some point, they may have to acknowledge that it took many acts of God to build a No. 1 defense. It’s really, really, really super hard. It’s not as hard to build on what you already have in two elite receivers, a budding tight end, a really good right tackle and a top five running back. This year should make Zimmer feel like he can scheme his way to a good enough defense to win a ton of games if they have a top five offense.

Is it more likely that they pick an edge rusher or three-tech or corner? Could be. But this is a pretty good draft for tackles and receivers. The Vikings have enough openings to take the best player available.

@youvikethat1 If they go 0-3 or 1-2 down the stretch, is Zimmer in the hot seat? Are there solid coaching prospects outside of Bieniemy?

A 1-2 or 0-3 ending probably leaves more of a bad taste than anything — though if they lost 40-0 to the Lions or something crazy, that might do it. At this point, it really would take something wacky to change anybody’s opinion about this team. They’d have to kill the Saints or get crushed by the Bears and Lions to swing any emotions.

So at this point, Zimmer replacements aren’t really worth discussing. But the Lions are getting a new coach and the Bears might too so… I’d guess that Brian Daboll, the Bills’ OC gets a lot of consideration. Robert Salah is still deserving even if the 49ers fall off. Tennessee OC Arthur Smith.

Until somebody’s been a head coach, I can’t tell you whether they’ll be good at it. There’s nothing in sports that prepares you for being responsible for every aspect of a billion-dollar franchise.

@Killboard1 How much would Barr have make the defense better and similarly how much worse the defense would be without Anthony Harris?

That’s a really good question. Since Eric Wilson has been solid in coverage (79.2 QB rating on throws into his coverage), I think the difference with Barr is negligible. Barr is better, especially on blitzes and against the run but the D-line has struggled so much that I’m not sure Barr would have ended up with numbers that are massively different. Having Wilson be the No. 3 rather than the No. 2 would have been an add to the value of Barr. Neither Troy Dye or Todd Davis has been anywhere close to as good as Wilson would have been in that role.

Without Harris, I’m not sure. Safety is a valuable position and I think Harris has been fine this year. He doesn’t have the INTs but those always fluctuate with every safety and he’s been a good run defender. We also can’t measure how much the merry-go-round of corners impacts a safety.

If they replaced him with a $2 million free agent are the overall results of the Vikings’ 24th ranked defense in points much different? Probably not. Does that mean they should have traded him when they had the chance? Yes it does.

@vikingmaniac Hughes is a big disappointment. Would you classify him as a bust?

I really don’t like to label guys like that because it’s always nuanced. Hughes showed signs of being a good player but it’s been one injury after the next.

That said, when the Vikings drafted him, they expected far more value that they’ve gotten. Chances are almost zero that they pick up his fifth-year option. When a first-rounder doesn’t get to a second contract, it usually means the pick wasn’t a hit. He’ll have next year to change that.

@Scott_Roberts25 With Riddick getting GM interviews and Mayock with the Raiders it’s clear that there are plenty of qualified candidates coming over from their media/analyst roles. Anyone you’d give the Purple Insider stamp of approval to as a potential GM from the media/analyst/analytics world?

It’s a good question. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network is really good at his job but I’m not sure if anybody outside of someone like Riddick who has been in NFL front offices before would really know how to do the job. It isn’t exactly like the Madden offseason. You’re managing so many people and departments all at once — that’s a lot of people’s jobs at stake with every decision. It’s always easier for us playing backseat driver.

I do think friend of the podcast Brad Spielberger from Pro Football Focus understands the interworking of the NFL better than anyone I’ve met that’s in media to any extent. It wouldn’t be a surprise if someday he’s working for a team.

@Jordan_Fisk Should the Vikings purposely allow Trubisky to light them up to trick the Bears into keeping him for another year?

Playing the long game!

I mean, I’m all for using whatever methods possible to win in the long run but that’s excessive and hilarious. Maybe if they had only let Matt Patricia win…

@Scott_Roberts25 How psyched are you for Alex Boone going to the Seahawks?

I’ve probably said this before: If you think you knew Alex Boone from his one year with the Vikings, I can guarantee you did not know Alex Boone. I worked with him for a year on radio and he treated me like we were teammates playing for a Super Bowl with every show. He was prepared, enthusiastic, energetic and he cared a lot about it. I’m extremely happy for him.

Frank Freaking Gore called into the show during a game week because I told him Boone wanted to congratulate him on moving up the rushing list. That said a lot about what kind of teammate the guy was.

@benjackson0812 Can you name a GM who has handled the QB position worst than Ryan Pace this year??

Dave Caldwell first passing on Mahomes/Watson, then re-signing Blake Bortles and then thinking Nick Foles was the answer. Pretty, pretty rough.

@harryhoodwink How is Xavier Rhodes playing this season? How about a ex- Vikings players ranking for level of play?

Rhodes has been great. He made PFF’s Pro Bowl team. Opposing QB rating on throws his way of 60.9. My guess is that he’s healthy and playing in a defense that fits what he has left.

Ranking ex Vikings: 1) Kevin Stefanski 2) Stefon Diggs 3) Xavier Rhodes 4) Everson Griffen 5) Mack Alexander 6) Storm Norton

@SORENSEN_ANDY Best Bear Quarterback of the Past 25 years, and why is it NOT Jay Cutler?

Of course it’s Jay Cutler but if there’s a reason it’s not it’s because he’s a doofus who underperformed his talent by being a doofus. Top 5: 1) Cutler 2) Jim Miller 3) Kyle Orton 4) Erik Kramer 5) Mitch Trubisky

It’s that bad.

@John2Quick4Me Is Pat Mahomes a difference maker on Chi s offensive roster? I know the dudes a MVP but do you think Nagy could get the same out of him / does he sit for a year/ all the questions if he and Trubisky switched places...

Patrick Mahomes has a Super Bowl ring from 2018. He’s the most talented quarterback of all time. I’m not saying Andy Reid and the Chiefs didn’t help. I’m saying the 2018 Bears offense was legit well designed and their defense was unbelievable and he would have made every single player around him better by making plays that no human has ever made at quarterback before. That argument that somehow Kansas City is the only reason he’s great always drives me crazy. Before last year, Bills fans claimed that if the Bills had drafted him, he wouldn’t have been as good. Yeah, OK. Do you know how trash the Colts were before and during Andrew Luck’s career and he still won a ton…and Mahomes is better than him.

@jmphill88 Do you think Cade Brem McNown actually dated two playboy models at the same time or Wikipedia just needs to be updated to clarify the timeline of each relationship?

Cade McNown has the funniest Wikipedia page. If you’re bored at work, read it.

@KrisKUSTRADIO Mandated question: Who will win the game Matt!? Bonus: Before the Williams wall in the 2000s, there was Chris Hovan. Was/is he considered a bust? Why did the Vikings let him go after 5 years? Was he highly touted (rd 1 no.25)? Please tell me a short summary of him?

I appreciate that you guys are asking this question now haha. I’ll go Vikings 24-17.

I’m not sure Hovan was as much a bust as just a guy. I didn’t cover him so it’s hard to give details about what worked and what didn’t in Minnesota. I see on a google search he’s had some recent legal troubles that aren’t so great though.

@vikesfan1930 Rank the worst reasons for horrible Bears QB decisions ? Drafts, Injuries, Trades ? ( Besides drafting Mitch instead of Malhomes) What is the score of Sundays game?

It’s entirely bad luck. It’s easy to trash them about the QB decision but I remember people not being super sold on Mahomes/Watson in the draft. Every study ever of drafting has shown that there’s no team that’s consistently good at it. I thought Josh Rosen would be good. Mel Kiper thought JaMarcus Russell was the best prospect ever. The Bears might have gone to the Super Bowl if not for a Jay Cutler injury in the playoffs. Meanwhile the Patriots stumble on a sixth-round legend. Who knows man.

@RobDN1 Can a Super Bowl team be built around the Vikings current offensive strategy? To win a SB, I think the Vikings need to focus more on the offense, less on the defense...modern game etc.

This is the theme of the mailbag and I don’t blame any of you after last week. I’ll add one more thing to what I said earlier: If we were talking about a team with average weapons and a struggling QB, it might not be such a thing. The reason it’s a thing is that Justin Jefferson is unbelievably good and Kirk is a talented QB who is capable of stringing together a bunch of good games. That’s a good place to start toward building a Super Bowl team, even if some of the decisions aren’t the most efficient. So, yes, I think a SB team can be built this way. Are the odds lower when you don’t center your offense around having the world’s best passing game? Yes.

@KAAAAAHN_tk421 Rank the following in whatever way you choose: Bears QB history, Vikings kicker history, and Lions franchise history

At least the Bears and Vikings have been competitive and given their fans some really fun seasons, even with QB and kicker problems. The Lions’ history is a travesty.

@robbQthibault Why is it NOT the time for #AirSkol with Jefferson, Thielen, & Smith? Because this is overdue like a library book. Throw the ball... Rushing be damned !

I’d put it this way: Rushing be… a helper….a finisher….a supplement… not the main focus

Andrew via email: Why hasn’t the special teams coordinator been fired yet?  If this isn’t as bad as N. Turner calling 7 step drops on the road with TJ Clemmings “playing” LT, it’s in the same ballpark.  Zimmer clearly knows how to fire a coordinator during the season. 

They must feel that it’s the lack of experienced players rather than coaching. It’s the only explanation I can give. It might also be harder with a ST coordinator to just give the job over to the next man up. It’s mostly been physical errors like fumbles, penalties, missed kicks rather than strategic errors. Maybe that’s at the core of it. It’s hard to say for sure.

@BlaineFrom If you were in vikings times, and you could have one animal that would be tame and fight with you in your viking quest. Would it be A bear or a lion?

Lion. King of the jungle for a reason man. Bears have limitations, like hibernation.

@Seth_Keymon Some divisions are tougher than others. If you could swap the Vikings out of the NFC North and into a different division, which team would you swap with?

The NFC East is the obvious answer here. The Vikings might have gone undefeated in the division. The NFC North is probably the second worst division in football this year. Every other division has two good teams or the Chiefs.

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