CHICAGO– The Minnesota Vikings understand that the Chicago Bears are trying to keep a season that’s slipping away from falling completely out of reach.

Forgive them for being a little suspicious.

“This league is all about answers, and when you have teams that go through situations like that, tests of adversity, it’s always about answers,” safety Josh Metellus said. “It could make or break them.”

The Vikings (8-2) hope to “break” the Bears (4-6) and perhaps gain some ground in the NFC North on Sunday in a clash between teams from opposite directions.

Minnesota makes it three straight wins after beating Tennessee 23-13 last week, when Sam Darnold threw two touchdowns and ran for a score. The Vikings are trying to catch up with Detroit (9-1), first, and stay ahead of Green Bay (7-3) in a tight split. The Lions visit Indianapolis on Sunday, while the Packers host San Francisco.

The last-place Bears are reeling with four straight losses after losing 20-19 to Green Bay at Soldier Field last week.

They were able to end a 10-game losing streak against their rivals, only to let the lead slip away in the final minutes. They fell short when Cairo Santos’ 46-yard field goal was blocked as time expired, their second loss on a last-second play in the last four weeks. The streak began when Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders beat them on a Hail Mary.

On the positive side for Chicago, the offense had a better run against Green Bay in Thomas Brown’s first game as coordinator following the firing of Shane Waldron. No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams bounced back, throwing for 231 yards and reaching a career-high 70 after struggling the previous three weeks.

“There are going to be tough times, tough times in the long, healthy career that I hope to have,” he said. “It’s not going to change my mindset, and it’s not going to change it now.”

Vikings on the ground

The Vikings had just 33 carries for 82 yards last week against the Titans, a season-worst average of 2.5 yards per attempt, and they have particularly struggled in short-yardage situations this year.

According to Sportradar, the Vikings are the worst team in the NFL in rushing plays from the 1-yard line with six attempts for a 5-yard net. Their only touchdown in those situations came last week on Darnold’s sneak.

Don’t think running back Aaron Jones didn’t notice.

“I’m dying to go back,” Jones said. “I talked to my son about it, I talked to my mother about it, to everyone. I talk about it to everyone, I just try to make it exist, I work on the ground to be able to make it happen. I miss it. Let’s just say I miss the end zone, so I’ll be back soon.

Close losses

The loss to Green Bay was just the latest for Chicago in a long line of close losses during Eberflus’ 2 1/2 seasons. They are 2-4 in one-possession games this year and 5-17 during his tenure.

“The record is not where it should be in one-score games, we know that,” Eberflus said. “Again, we’re also very far away. There’s a lot of good things happening in these games. We just have to learn how to finish better as a group.”

Stay at home

Last week against the Titans, the Vikings blocked quarterback Will Levis on five runs designed for a 6-yard net. He twice ran for 12 more yards in an attempt to escape pressure that led to five sacks. The Vikings are very wary of the athleticism and elusiveness that Williams brought to the Bears, a unique dimension that should challenge their top-ranked run defense.

“We don’t talk about his mobility enough. He can escape the pocket and make a lot of plays with his legs, so we have to rush accordingly and try to keep him in the pocket,” the Washington outside linebacker said. Vikings Andrew Van Ginkel. “You don’t want to rush in scared, but you definitely have to rush in smart.”

Fluid operators

The Bears used more quick passes and pre-snap moves against Green Bay, creating mismatches and giving Williams more time to figure out the defense.

He also received the play call faster in his headset, giving him more time to figure out what the other team was doing.

All of this allowed the Bears to finish with 391 yards and convert 56.3% on third downs. Getting 179 yards rushing didn’t hurt, although the Bears could lose a key weapon if running back D’Andre Swift misses the game with a groin injury.

From the youngest to 100 years old

Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds is about to make history. Assuming he plays Sunday, he will become the youngest NFL player to appear in 100 games – at 26 years and 206 days old.