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News | Minnesota Vikings – vikings.com

Ratings Surge for Teddy Bridgewater, Jay Cutler on 3rd Downs

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**The Vikings (8-5) host the Bears (5-8) at noon (CT) Sunday at the University of Minnesota in the third on-campus appearance by Chicago.

Minnesota is trying to sweep its NFC North rival for the first time since 2007 and win three in a row in the series for the first time since 1999-2000.

Here are 10 numbers of note to prepare for the matchup:

1 — ranking of the Vikings offense for starting field position after kickoffs (25.3, which is more than a yard better than the Redskins); the Bears coverage team ranks last in opponents' starting field position after kickoffs (25.3); Vikings KR Cordarrelle Patterson is leading the NFL with an average of 31.1 yards per return

2 and 8 — rankings of pass defense (total yards allowed) for the Bears (215.8 per game) and Vikings (231.8) this season; Chicago finished the 2014 campaign ranked 30th in the category, and Minnesota was 7th

3 —number of wins and losses by the Vikings and Bears since the teams met in Week 8 when the Vikings scored 10 points in the final 1:49 to rally for a 23-20 victory

8.5 — sacks this season by DE Everson Griffen, which is tied for 10th in the NFL; the Bears are led by LB Lamarr Houston, who has 6.0 (tied for 29th)

13 — team-leading number of receptions on third downs for Matt Asiata; the Vikings running back is followed by WR Stefon Diggs and TE Kyle Rudolph with 12 each; Bears WR Alshon Jeffery is 11th in the NFL with 17 catches; Chicago's Martellus Bennett recorded 16 on third downs before being placed on season-ending injured reserve

44.4 — percentage of touchdowns allowed by the Vikings when an opponent moves inside the Minnesota 20-yard line (16 times on 36 trips), which is the fourth-lowest frequency in the NFL; the Bears have scored TDs 47.6 percent of the time (20 out of 42)

92.5 and 102.8 — passer ratings for Teddy Bridgewater and Jay Cutler, respectively, on third downs this season; Bridgewater's rating on third down is 7.2 points higher, and Cutler is 10 points higher on third downs than all plays combined

View images of the key contributors for Chicago Bears this season.

100 —points on the season for Vikings K Blair Walsh and Bears K Robbie Gould, which is tied for eighth in the NFL; Walsh has hit the century mark in each of his first four seasons, and the way the Vikings and Bears have played in recent years could lead to a **pivotal kick** this week

118 — number of regular season games this will be for Vikings RB Adrian Peterson and Bears RB Matt Forte, which is the same number that Hall of Famer Jim Brown played during his career; click **here** for a deeper dive at how Peterson stacks up with Brown

168 —receiving yardage totaled on 10 catches by Rudolph, fellow tight ends Rhett Ellison and MyCole Pruitt and fullback Zach Line at Arizona; Rudolph had six for 67, Ellison had a career-long 41-yarder, Pruitt had two for 36, and Line had one for 24 after **bouncing off** two defenders

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