The Bears (6-3) will look to win their fourth straight game when they battle the Minnesota Vikings (5-3-1) for first place in the NFC North Sunday night at Soldier Field. The winner of the contest will claim sole possession of the division lead. The game was originally scheduled to begin at noon (CT) but was flexed to 7:20 p.m. (CT).
The Bears have stacked three consecutive wins for the second time this year, beating the Jets, Bills and Lions by a combined margin of 68 points the past three Sundays. The Vikings have won four of five games since a 1-2-1 start.
This is the second of three contests against NFC North opponents in a 12-day span for the Bears, who will face a quick turnaround following Sunday night's game with a Thursday afternoon Thanksgiving matchup in Detroit four days later.
The Bears are the only NFL team that ranks in the top five in both points scored per game (fifth with 29.9) and points allowed (tied for fourth with 19.4). They've already tallied more points (269) than they did last season (264) with seven games remaining.
The last time the Bears were in sole possession of first place through Week 10 was in 2012 when they were 7-2. Of the three NFC teams that finished in last place in their respective divisions last year, the Giants, Buccaneers and 49ers are in last place again, while the Bears have moved from worst-to-first.
Defense playing takeaway
After a two-game lull against the Dolphins and Patriots, the Bears defense has reverted to its dominant early-season form in wins over the Jets, Bills and Lions.
The Bears lead the NFL with 16 interceptions and a plus-13 turnover ratio, and they're tied for second with 24 takeaways. They've forced at least two turnovers in eight of nine games this season and at generated at least three takeaways in six of their last seven contests.
Offense continues to shine
Since Week 4, the Bears are averaging 34.3 points per game, the second most in the NFL. The 206 points they've scored over that span are their most in a six-game stretch since they tallied 237 points in 1956.
Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was named NFC offensive player of the week for his performance in last Sunday's 34-22 win over the Lions. He passed for a career-high 355 yards with three touchdowns, no turnovers and a 148.6 passer rating. Trubisky ran for a fourth TD and ranks second in the NFL among quarterbacks with 320 rushing yards.
Numbers game
The Bears enter Week 11 ranked 16th in offense in the NFL (12th rushing and 20th passing) and 4th in defense (2nd against the run and 13th versus the pass. The Vikings rank 12th in offense (28th rushing and 8th passing) and 5th in defense (3rd against the run and 12th versus the pass).
Talk show
Bears coach Matt Nagy will address the media Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Trubisky will speak Wednesday, while offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and special-teams coordinator Chris Tabor will talk Thursday.
Series history
The Bears trail the series with the Vikings 60-52-2 and have lost six of the last seven. The Bears dropped the last meeting 23-10 last Dec. 31 in Minnesota. In the final game under coach John Fox, the Bears offense failed to score a touchdown, rushed for 30 yards on 15 carries and converted just 1-of-12 third-down opportunities. The Bears committed 10 penalties for 116 yards and scored their only touchdown on Bryce Callahan's 59-yard punt return.
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