Minnesota at Chicago

Chicago was closer than the final score would imply last week against Cleveland. The Browns played extremely well, especially late in the game. The Bears are on the cusp of being a very solid team. What they need is a weak opponent against which to build some confidence. But, Chicago isn't the story here - Minnesota is. This team is in shambles. They are playing horrible football and their off-the-field problems are not very public. The boat issue is distracting and Mike Tice's job is on the line. Tice said this week that "If I were to tell you this team is not distracted, I'd be lying to you." They've lost by an average score of 16 to 27 as Culpepper has already thrown nearly as many interceptions as he did all last year. Outside of their one win against the hapless Saints, Minny has lost by a combined score of 31-91. Their defense was bad last year but at least Culpepper was scoring. Their offense will struggle again here against one of the better defenses in the league (Chicago has the third ranked D in the NFL). And, this Minnesota defense is exactly what Kyle Orton needs to see. Great situation for Chicago here and bad one for Minnesota. Two stars on the Bears.