Everyone in the world knows that putting the Vikings in Chicago is like throwing a handful of Mentos in a bottle of Coke, but head coach Mike Zimmer refused to admit as much during a gathering with the media last week, and that turned out to be a motivating moment for the Bears, who dominated in a 16-6 win Sunday.
Zimmer was asked if Soldier Field is a tough place to play.
“I don’t know. That’s what everybody told me when I got here and we won some games. I guess if you turn the ball over and do dumb penalties and do dumb things, it’s a pretty hard place to play. I think they’ve lost their last two,” said Zimmer.
Zimmer’s comments are mostly fair considering that it is true that turning the ball over and “do dumb penalties” are recipes for disaster no matter where a team plays, but he made light of how difficult it is to play in Chicago, and adding “I think they’ve lost their last two” definitely backfired.
“Their head coach said something funny. I don’t even remember, but I looked at it and say okay, see you Sunday, bro,” said Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan after Sunday’s lopsided victory.
The #Bears noticed this. LB Danny Trevathan: "Their head coach said something funny. I don’t even remember, but I looked at it and say okay, see you Sunday, bro."
And: "(Zimmer was saying) 'I don’t know how hard it is to play in Chicago.' Well, they found out today." https://t.co/725AB4pBhE
— JJ Stankevitz (@JJStankevitz) September 30, 2019
Minnesota almost always stinks up the joint in Chicago, so Zimmer liking his chances because the Bears lost 10-3 to the Packers in the season opener and the Eagles beat the Bears in the playoffs is the verbal version of doing dumb.
As Zimmer said, “everybody” tried to warn him. But he shouldn’t have needed a warning based on his history as Vikings head coach at Soldier Field, where even his two wins were ugly.
2019: 16-6, LOSS – 90 yards of offense entering the 4th quarter.
2018: 25-20 LOSS – Trailed 22-6 before a pair of garbage time touchdowns.
2017: 20-17 WIN – Barely won despite being elite and facing Mitch Trubisky in his debut.
2016: 20-10 LOSS – Trailed 20-3 deep in the 4th quarter.
2015: 23-20 WIN – Needed a walk-off field goal by Blair Walsh to beat a terrible team.
2014: 21-13 LOSS – Bears lost 5 of 6 before the game, then out-gained MN 468-243.
Chicago is an extremely difficult place to play, and no team struggles there the way the Vikings do.
Maybe Zimmer was just trying to be a tough guy and play down his team’s impending implosion, but if he truly thought his game plan would overcome another monstrous performance in the Midway, then he’s clearly lost touch with reality.
