Let's go to the Rollerdome and play some indoor football!

Well, it's Bears-Vikings week. After the Packers, the Vikes are a close second in the Bears rivalry list, as well as the list of teams I (and most Bears fans) hate most. In fact, I've found that I actually have a deeper hatred for the Vikings' players than I do the Packers', as the Queenies do more showboating and have bigger mouths. (Of course that makes it twice as nice when they annually fail to back up their talk in the playoffs!)

The Bears and Packers rivalry is older and has a lot more history. The Bears have also fared much worse in it lately than in their rivalry with the Vikings. But just going up to that dome and playing amongst the fans dressed as Norseman, with that stupid horn that they blow... don't get me started!

I do think that the Metrodome can be a harder place to play in a given year than hallowed Lambeau Field, and usually when the Bears go up there something memorable happens. Here's a list of my top 3 recent Metrodome moments:

3. In 2001, the surging Bears met the struggling Vikings in a Sunday Night game that was dominated by defense. In the end, the Bears kept the powerful Vikes offense without a touchdown (which broke a long streak of consecutive games scoring at least 1 TD) and they won a nailbiter to complete the season sweep.

2. A week after a surprising come-from-behind victory against Mike Ditka's New Orleans Saints at Soldier Field, the Bears were due for a letdown against the defending NFC Central Champion Vikings but it never happend. They came in, got an early lead, and held on for a thrilling victory.

1. In 1994, the 9-7 Bears and 10-6 Vikings met in the Wild Card playoffs in a game favoring the high-powered Minnesotans. The Steve Walsh-led Bears, however, came in and punched Warren Moon's Vikings straight in the jaw en route to an easy win, the only playoff victory for the Bears in the 11 seasons since Ditka was fired.

I'd also throw in the Bears' thrilling come-from-behind victory in Minnesota in 1985, in which an injured Jim McMahon came in and threw three quick TD passes to take the lead, except (A) I've only seen it in highlights, and (B) it was almost two decades ago.

Anyway, that brings me to this week's game. Both teams are 1-1, so who has the advantage? Sadly, that would be the Vikings. This would be the case even if both teams were healthy, but without 3 starting defensive backs (Mike Brown, Jerry Azumah, and Charles Tillman) the Bears are going to be tested by the Vikings' powerfull passing game.

If the Bears are going to win, they MUST win the battles in the lines, both on offense and defense. On defense they must stop the Vikings running game and get pressure on Daunte "Fumbleitis" Culpepper without having to sneak a safety up to the box. On the other side of the ball, the offensive line must create running room for Thomas Jones and keep the Vikings defenders off Rex Grossman. If the Bears can do that—and that's a big if—then this will be a competitive game. Unfortunately, while I like what the Bears have been doing on both ends and think they are going places, this week will probably be too tough a challenge for this young, injured team.

Final score: Vikings 31, Bears 17

(Bears, please prove me wrong!)

-Mark