EAGAN, Minn. – The Vikings (3-5) are visiting the Bears (5-4) for a Monday Night Football matchup at Soldier Field. Kickoff for the 119th meeting between the franchises is 7:15 p.m. (CT) Monday.
Here are the ways to watch the action.
BROADCAST TV
ESPN (it will be simulcast on WCCO in the Twin Cities)
Kickoff: 7:15 p.m. (CT)
Play-by-Play: Steve Levy
Analysts: Louis Riddick and Brian Griese
Field Reporter: Lisa Salters
ON MOBILE
Because this is a national broadcast, fans coast to coast will be able to watch the game on their iOS mobile devices with the VIKINGS APP or VIKINGS MOBILE SITE (Safari browser only).
LOCAL RADIO:
KFAN 100.3-FM and KTLK 1130-AM
Play-by-Play: Paul Allen
Analyst: Pete Bercich
Sideline Reporters: Greg Coleman & Ben Leber
Pregame Show: 5 p.m. (CT) with Mike Mussman
KFAN and KTLK are the flagship stations for the five-state Vikings Radio Network.
NATIONAL RADIO:
WESTWOOD ONE
Play-by-Play: Kevin Harlan
Analyst: Kurt Warner
SATELLITE RADIO:
Minnesota: Sirius 81 and XM 226
Chicago: Sirius 83 and XM 225
National: XM 88
ADDITIONAL OPTIONS
Click here for the full bevy of options that include over-the-air, cable, satellite, over-the-top and streaming methods.
VIKINGS POSTGAME LIVE
Tune-in after each Vikings game on the team's digital and social platforms to watch Vikings Postgame Live presented by Mystic Lake. The show will feature expert analysis, highlights, Next Gen Stats and postgame sound from Head Coach Mike Zimmer.
COORDINATORS ON THE OFFENSE, DEFENSE & SPECIAL TEAMS
Below are takeaways from Friday's media sessions with Offensive Coordinator Gary Kubiak, Co-Defensive Coordinators Andre Patterson and Adam Zimmer, and Special Teams Coordinator Marwan Maalouf.
Kubiak on commitment to the run:
With the kind of success the Vikings have had in the run game behind Dalvin Cook, opposing defenses are crowding the box in an effort to slow him down. Kubiak was asked about that defensive approach opening things up in the passing game for Minnesota.
"Well, I would say that's true. But I also think one of the reasons we run the ball well — and I learned this from Mike [Shanahan] a long time ago — is when people play an 8-man box, you still have to challenge your guys to run the ball," Kubiak explained. "You can't just say, 'If I get an 8-man box, we're not going to run it.' We're just the opposite. We're committed to it; we have ways of schematically still staying locked into things we want to do.
"Obviously, you want to push the ball down the field when that happens, but I think the mentality of being really good running the football is one that, whether I'm getting a 7- or an 8-man box, I'm still going to run the football well," he added. "That's where we start, and then try to make some big plays off of it."
Patterson on progression of the defense:
Don't ask Patterson about increased confidence in Minnesota's defense, because he's always believed in what his guys are capable of.
He did express happiness, though, in the unit's progression and how things have come together defensively over the past two games.
"I wouldn't use the term 'confidence.' I haven't lacked confidence from the beginning with these guys," he explained. "We're just happy guys are showing improvement, and that's part of what happens when you continue to work on the day-to-day grind and continue to help them get better, and the players have bought in from day one to try to master the things we've been trying to teach them. The word 'confidence,' to me, makes it seem like at some point we lost confidence in them, and that never occurred in our locker room."
Zimmer on Chicago's offense:
The Bears offense hasn't quite hit their stride this season, currently ranking 29th in yards per game (317.8) and in points scored per game (19.8).
But that being said, the Vikings know Chicago has plenty of offensive weapons when things start clicking.
"They've got a lot of talent at the skill positions," Zimmer said. "[David] Montgomery is a very good, hard-running back, as well as Cordarrelle [Patterson], as we know. They've got some talented receivers that can go up and get the ball, guys that can take the top off. And Nick Foles is a champion quarterback, so he knows where to get the ball and get it to the right place. We're going to have to be really good with our eyes, do a great job in the running game and get to the football, and be tight in coverage on them."
Maalouf on the blocked punts against Detroit:
Although the Vikings have turned the page to Chicago, reporters got their first chance Friday to ask Maalouf about the two blocked punts Detroit had against Minnesota last week.
Maalouf explained that punter Britton Colquitt was not at fault on either play.
"I think one word that kind of describes both of them is going to be 'technique.' They're both technique. Nothing mental," Maalouf said. "So obviously if you're going to choose between technique and mental, I'm always going to choose technique. But it is so important that we go back to our fundamentals, and I think that's the most important thing for our guys. The one on the right side with Mike [Boone] being there, you never cut [while] going backwards. That's something that you want to teach your high school kids, your college guys. Simple mistake. And then move on.
"The other is a technique issue, as well. So we corrected those right away," he continued. "The guys had some time off obviously because we had a long week this week with Chicago on Monday night, so they did a really good job. They wanted to watch the video together as soon as possible. We did that. We've been repping those and just making sure that our technique is good across the board. That's exactly what it is."
