Neal: Vikings and Bears meet again, and they’re traveling in opposite directions

The Vikings are chugging toward a Week 18 showdown in Detroit that could determine the fate of the NFC North, and Monday’s game against Chicago will be a checkpoint toward that destination.

The Bears are on a seven-game losing streak. They are on their second head coach, their second offensive coordinator and their second defensive play caller this season. They are banged up. They have suffered through four mismanaged, demoralizing losses.

Without fired head coach Matt Eberflus, who is a defensive mastermind but horrible at game theory, the Bears were cooked, glazed and sliced up by San Francisco last week. What 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan saw that day is likely what Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell will see, and exploit, on Monday.

Everything has gone right for the Vikings while everything that could go wrong has gone wrong for Chicago. The Bears can be pleased about one thing: Quarterback Caleb Williams has had a good rookie season and looks to be the answer behind center for a team that has had putrid quarterback play for a supermajority of its 104-year history. If Williams can throw for an average of 274 yards over his last four games, he will break Chicago’s single-season passing yardage record of 3,838 yards held by Erik Kramer. That’s how bad Chicago’s quarterback history has been.

Williams threw for 340 yards Nov. 24 as Chicago scored 11 points in the final 22 seconds in the fourth quarter before losing in overtime to the Vikings. Since then, Thomas Brown has become the head coach and Eric Washington has become the defensive coordinator. Last week’s debacle against the 49ers exposed their inexperience. Now they are facing a better team on the road.

There is a big advantage for the Vikings here. Brown began the season as the passing game coordinator, was promoted to offensive coordinator when Shane Waldron was fired and now is the interim head coach following Eberflus' dismissal. O’Connell will make it a long day for Washington. He will be forced to pick his poison. Pay extra attention to Justin Jefferson — the approach Chicago took in November — and watch Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson flourish. Or deploy elite cornerback Jaylon Johnson in one-on-one situations, where Jefferson eventually gets the last laugh.

Aaron Jones shook off a first-drive fumble in Chicago to gain 106 yards against a soft Bears run defense. Look for more of that Monday, setting up play-action.

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores now has enough tape of Brown’s tendencies to keep Williams from torching the Vikings like he did last month. Williams has struggled against zone coverage all season. Flores went to zone in overtime in Chicago, and Williams was baffled. Expect more of that — with timely blitzes mixed in.

Chicago running back D’Andre Swift is dealing with multiple injuries and is listed as questionable heading into the game. Travis Homer would be the next man up. Darrynton Evans could be elevated from the practice squad. And Chicago signed Royce Freeman last week as insurance. The Vikings run defense remains relatively stout, even with tackling machine Ivan Pace Jr. sidelined, but Chicago’s backfield situation could play into the Vikings’ hands.

U.S. Bank Stadium is the site of the Bears’ last road win in the United States (they won in London since). The Bears topped the Vikings 12-10 last season in a game both legions of fans want to forget. Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson were out with injuries. Chicago won with four field goals by Cairo Santos. The Vikings didn’t find the end zone until less than six minutes left the game. It was Joshua Dobbs vs. Justin Fields. It was Alexander Mattison vs. Roschon Johnson. None of those players will be on the field Monday, and both teams are better off for that.

It’s remarkable the direction both franchises have taken since then. The Bears were expected to post a winning season and push for a postseason berth. The Vikings weren’t expected to have separate five-game and six-game winning streaks, but it has happened.

It’s been the Vikings who have moved onward and upward since the teams last met at U.S. Bank Stadium. They are balanced on both sides of the ball. Sam Darnold is being mentioned as an MVP candidate, which no one saw happening in Week 1. Kicker Will Reichard, Mr. Thunderfoot, is healthy again. They basically have two head coaches on the staff in O’Connell and Flores.

The Vikings are facing a beat-up, frustrated Bears team wilting from traversing the toughest remaining schedule in the NFL. Take advantage of it. Go 12-2.