The game against Minnesota might indicate little about the Bears for next season in general but more specifically it carries significance for Caleb Williams and interim coach Thomas Brown.
It's the first time they'll get to see how Williams can perform with a second look at an opponent. It's also an indication of how well Brown can adjust game plans and fit them to match up better against an opponent he already faced.
"Obviously we're gonna throw in a few wrinkles, they're gonna try to throw in a few wrinkles and things like that, and try and make us mess up, make mistakes, things like that," Williams said. "I think it comes down to us knowing our job, doing it well, being detailed, being decisive and going out there and playing violent."
Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores last time might not have floored the gas pedal with his assorted blitzing schemes in Chicago and also because of all the short passes or screens the Bears used. Minnnesota only got to Williams for three sacks, although they did get the key one in overtime to force a punt and get the ball back for the win.
This probably won't be the case in the dome at Minneapolis where the noise is always an ally of the blitz. Williams says the plan of attack can be a key.
"Being able to be decisive and being able to have answers and different answers for different plays and knowing exactly where those guys are gonna be at so I can throw with anticipation or if I know what they're going to do, how they're gonna do it, I can maybe hang on the route and rip it and things like that," he said. "Being able to be decisive, knowing where guys are, knowing where my hots are, that still applies to that."
Brown is looking to see what Williams recognizes this time, how he adjusts.
"Yeah, fresh in his mind," Brown said. "They are still really good.
"The last two games obviously haven't changed a whole lot. We added a couple different wrinkles.
"So just trying to figure out ways to continue to provide answers every single snap but also for him to adapt and adjust based on what we did the first game. Obviously, had some success particularly later in the fourth quarter, having those 17 points and kind of come back and give us a shot to win the football game."
Williams went 32 of 47 for 340 yards and two TDs as the Bears rallied with 11 points in the last 22 seconds to force overtime before losing 30-27.
Brown can further his own cause in the hunt for the Bears head coaching job if they prove capable of winning, and doing it with effective play against Flores' tricky scheme would be a notch in his belt.
The plan is the key.
"I think just having answers," he said. "I think this defense tries to dictate the flow of an offense, makes it really hard when it comes to what you call, when you call it and having to always make alerts.
"Having built-in answers within a play but also taking advantage of some spots to take some shots down the field."
As far as the chess match with Flores, who could also be a future Bears coaching candidate, Brown made it a policy long ago of sticking to the task at hand and leaving future decisions alone..
"I don’t look at it as far as how good I am at what I’m doing," he said. "The whole goal is to get the team to be the best they can be. That’s always my focus.
"How I look is really irrelevant to me, because that’s also tied to overall team success."
He does anticipate having a different game plan against the Vikings than last game, which was his second calling plays for the Bears as offensive coordinator.
"The second time you play an opponent you have to have different answers," Brown said. "We did some success in that first game as far as being able to move the ball at times, get the ball out and beat some of the pressures.
"He'll make some adjustments. As far as me trying to guess what he's gonna do, I'm not even gonna try to do that. That's a waste of my time when it comes to thinking about that defense and what he does with them. It's more about us preparing our guys and having answers on every play."
If they do, both Williams and Brown will come out of it looking much better than after last week's game.
