[2023] (Bears Game Recap - Week 1 at. Minnesota Vikings) Bears defense helps keep Vikings in check in opening week road win

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Bears running back Ryan Wilson pounds the ball, withstanding the pressure of a Minnesota Vikings defender 

There were a lot of questions surrounding the Bears and their ability to play this season, and it felt like the Bears were going to start 0-1 as they started their season on the road. However, to the pleasant surprise of the Bears faithful, that was clearly not the case. Although the offense was tested throughout the entire game, it was the defense that held its own and helped secure the victory for the Vikings. It wasn't a big win, it was only a 17-9 win, but it was a trend in the positive direction after an offseason where there was not much movement seen from the Bears. There were multiple good plays made by the Bears, and while it wasn't perfect, the Bears were able to get through a rowdy Minnesota crowd at US Bank Stadium -- which was a huge accomplishment in itself. This will really bring the Bears a lot of momentum coming out of the gates, and the Bears will hope to use that to their advantage. 

The Bears started the scoring with a field goal by rookie kicker Josh Nelson -- who showed signs of promise in the early going. It was smooth sailing for the Bears as morale was up after getting on the board first, but that all faded away when a Christian Sinnock passing touchdown gave the Vikings the first touchdown of the game. However, the Bears did not lose hope as they responded with a Gerald Lewis touchdown to Richard Maguire. From there, the Bears' offense was able to hold the Vikings to just that one touchdown, which has given Bears fans a lot of optimism on that side of the field. This was all capped up by a three-interception showing by Sinnock, which aided in the Vikings' woes to start the season.  

First-year Bears head coach nemolee.exe

It was not only the first win for the Bears in the season, but it was also the first win -- regular season, anyway -- for the tenure of new Bears head coach nemolee.exe. On that note, Bears fans are already excited about his arrival, despite this win being an ugly win. The new head coach has to say this at his post-game conference:

"Sure, it was a win. Was it a win that we are proud of? Absolutely not. But this doesn't mean we don't have to improve. We have to look back at this game and improve on our weaknesses, refine our strengths, We have to look at what went right and practice it, look at what went wrong, and improve off of that. The grind never ends for us, and I will make sure that it doesn't. If we do that, then maybe... MAYBE... we could be no-doubt playoff hopefuls -- maybe even a divisional championship. Kings of the NFC North, that has a good ring to it."

He was also asked about the standout performance of Jackson Frietas and if that had any implications on the WR1 race -- something that has been a headline ever since Chicago's first-round pick replaced Barnes as the WR2 of the team.

"I cannot comment about that, but I liked Frietas' performance today. It's too early to tell anyways, but both players played well today so it's hard to choose whose our first string for now."

POTG: SS Calvin Preston: 10 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 2 interceptions
Player of the Game

There were a lot of bright spots for the defense today. But there is only one person that is the no-doubt player of the game for Week 1. That would be Strong Safety, Calvin Preston. He had a game that, on defense, players dream about. He racked up an impressive 10 tackles, including one tackle for a loss. The veteran of six years, however, had a much more impressive token to his stat line -- two interceptions. Preston managed to hold 2 of the 3 interceptions from Sinnock today. That might not look like much, but two interceptions are something that you almost never see in a football game, let alone at the professional level. 

It was hard to choose a player on offense, but it honestly makes sense to choose running back Ryan Wilson for the crown. Sure, he had that one fumble from earlier. However, if you overlook that stat. he was dominant. He carried the rock 27 times, but he put up an impressive 167 yards -- which made up the majority of the Bears' offensive attack. He was also decent on the receiving attack, with 5 catches for 21 yards. Other honorable mentions for the offensive side of things would be Jackson Frietas and Jamie Ramirez, who put up respectable receiving numbers on the offensive attack themselves. 

Green Bay quarterback Joseph Garibay avoids a defensive player in the Packers' 13-7  victory over Carolina

Rival Check 

It looked like a rough week for the teams in the NFC North starting the week, giving off concerns on how the division will stack up -- also telling us that the NFC North is up for grabs. 

The Green Bay Packers started the season off against the Carolina Panthers at their home of Lambeau Field. Unfortunately for the Bears, the Pack ended up winning that game -- despite this win coming in a close affair. It was also a messy game, as Garibay did throw an interception in the 13-7 win for the Packers. Both touchdowns that game were on the ground, with Daniel Stordahl scoring for Green Bay and James Ibach for Carolina. The strangest part was that Russel Barnes did not play this game, but perhaps that will change in the coming future. The Packers' defense was also good, bringing Dekoda Link down three times. 

Meanwhile, for the Detroit Lions, it did not go any better, as the Lions got beat in a close 17-24 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.  Randall Hansen had a game that he would want to forget for the rest of his life -- passing 17 completions for 45 attempts, which is not a good look. Even worse, he only had one touchdown that game paired with a total of 3 interceptions. The defense tried to make up for the offensive woes for the Lions, but it was not enough, as the Jaguars were able to persist. Easier to be said it is not a good look for the Lions, who are looking to repeat as the NFC North Champs. 

Then there was the game between the Bears and Minnesota Vikings. You know how that went. 

Next week, the Packers and Lions will face off in Lambeau Field for yet another NFC North divisional game, while the Vikings are heading out West to Seattle to face the Seahawks under the bright lights that is Thursday Night Football.

The Bears will get ready for their first primetime game in 2023 in Week 2, as they will be facing off against the Tennessee Titans at Nashville.

Next Game:

As for the Bears, they will be traveling once again. They will be heading down south for Sunday Night Football, facing off against the Tennessee Titans in the Music City of Nashville. This game will truly be a true test for the Bears. Despite the Bears winning over the Vikings for their first week of 2023, the Titans are truly much more difficult competition as they will be playing with much more rigor than even Chicago will anticipate. They are even coming off a road 38-31 win over the Colts, which does not help the Bears' chances. Still, they have a good opportunity to truly shock everyone with a win against a tough team. 
 

MORE LIKE THIS:

5 takeaways from the Bears victory over Vikings 

Maguire or Frietas? The WR1 race is still heating up for Chicago

Bears fans take to Twitter after nemolee.exe wins first game

Who should the Bears keep? Let go of? Looking into the upcoming offseason. 

Lewis isn't playing to full potential, should we be worried? 

Should the Bears promote Pat Flexen to the starter role? 

The Grizz's Scouting Report: Week 2 at. Titans

Winners and Losers for Week 1 at Minnesota: Defense held its own, Lewis shaky 

Edited June 21, 2023 by nemolee.exe