***LAKE FOREST, Ill.,***— Week 11 has officially arrived for the Chicago Bears and one of the key storylines is Ben Johnson's squad looking to get their first divisional win of the season. After failing to put the game away in week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings, both teams appear to be trending in opposite directions. While the Bears appear to be on their way to a postseason appearance, the Vikings are reeling.
"I mean, it's a lot, because we' 0-2.," said wide receiver DJ Moore. "We need to break even with them and stay on this run that we're on."
Winless in the NFC North, a positive for the Bears is that over the next eight games, the Bears will play four divisional games. The race to win the NFC North starts this weekend with a win against Minnesota. For a team on the rise, a win this weekend against one of the league's top defenses means a step in the right direction for a team that's won games because of it's offense.
"We're both completely different new teams, so we know it's a different challenge, a different point in the season," said wide receiver Rome Odunze. "I feel like you definitely get into a rhythm as the season goes on, just playing football on Sundays is definitely different."
A major reason the Bears failed to put the game away in week 1 was a lack of chemistry between all 11 players on offense. Since then, nearly two months ago, the offense has come a long way with its operation. Chicago leads the league in explosive plays on offense in both rushing and receiving plays, two factors that will determine the outcome of the game on Sunday.
"I think the biggest thing is that we gotta play 60 minutes," said Odunze. "Four quarters of football. In these division games, it really comes down to the wire most times so that's kind of what happened last time when we gave it away. We're both completely different new teams, so we know it's a different challenge, a different point in the season. So we gotta go out there and give it our all."
With a defense that's banged up, the Bears will need to rely on the offense to win this game. Sunday's game will also serve as an opportunity for the Bears to see just how far they've come under Johnson's watch and more specifically, how the team's identity has evolved over the last two months.
"We found out a lot about ourselves over the course of the season so far," said Johnson "We are a different team than we were Week 1. So, is Minnesota. So, this will be a completely different matchup as far as I am concerned."
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