The Chicago Bears head back on the road into a hostile environment as they start their toughest stretch of the season. They’ll travel to Minneapolis to play the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday.

Chicago comes into town with momentum. The Bears have won two straight games by a fourth-quarter game-winning drive led by quarterback Caleb Williams. The quarterback has led the team to four game-winning drives in the fourth quarter this season, which is tied for the most in the NFL.

Now the Bears (6-3) will return to NFC North action after starting the season 0-2 against the division. They let one slip away against the Vikings (4-5) in their season-opener when they blew an 11-point fourth-quarter lead. A win here sets Chicago up well not only in the division but in its playoff hopes as well.

Sunday afternoon’s game kicks off at noon on FOX. Here are the top five storylines to watch.

Forcing J.J. McCarthy into mistakes

Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy took over the season-opener in the fourth quarter when he threw two touchdowns and rushed in for another. The Bears will try to limit his hot hand this time around.

McCarthy, a La Grange Park-native and Nazareth alumnus, didn’t get a chance to build off of his hot start. He threw two interceptions in the Vikings’ next game and suffered a high ankle sprain, which forced him to miss the next five games. McCarthy returned in Week 9 and led the Vikings to a win over the Detroit Lions before losing to the Baltimore Ravens last week.

In those last two games, McCarthy has shown a tendency to be risky with some throws. He threw an interception against the Lions before throwing a couple more against the Ravens. The latest picks led to top Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson showing his frustrations during the game against Baltimore.

The Bears will try to continue those frustrations. Chicago leads the NFL with 13 interceptions, including cornerback Nahshon Wright’s interception that he returned for a touchdown in the season-opener. Bears defensive players have watched tape to force McCarthy into more of those mistakes.

“I’m studying as much as I can, as far as the plays that we’re gonna see, and just trying to go out there and make plays,” safety Kevin Byard said. “Obviously, that’s something we want to do. We want to get them frustrated out there.”

Limiting Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison

Another good way of stopping McCarthy from taking over Sunday’s game is by limiting his top two targets.

Chicago did a good job of that in its first matchup against Minnesota, albeit one of them didn’t play. Jefferson caught four passes for 44 yards, while wide receiver Jordan Addison missed the game because of a suspension.

Both Jefferson and Addison have had mixed results this year as the Vikings juggled quarterbacks between McCarthy and Carson Wentz because of injuries. Jefferson is averaging 76.2 receiving yards per game and has two touchdown receptions in nine games. Addison is averaging 65.3 receiving yards per game and two touchdowns in six games.

Despite the up-and-down numbers, Bears defensive players know they can’t take either player’s inconsistent play for granted. Chicago is allowing the sixth-most passing yards per game (240.3) in the NFL because of injuries all over the defense. Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson will likely be the top defender on Jefferson, with some support from the safety spot, as they try to limit one of the best.

“I think [Jefferon’s] got a great feel for the game,” Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said. “He does a great job of understanding how to set up his routes to create separation. And I think more so than anything else, this guy is one of the more competitive guys that we’ll go against.”

Round two against Brian Flores

A trip to Minneapolis means another battle against Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

Flores showed how difficult it can be to go against his defense during their Week 1 matchup. The Vikings came into the game with the expectation that they would blitz Williams a lot. Instead, Minnesota blitzed Williams 11 times, way down from the 23.8 it averages in games this year.

Bears head coach Ben Johnson compared going against Flores and the Vikings to his days with the Miami Dolphins when they’d play the New England Patriots. The Dolphins didn’t know what to expect each week based on the different defensive fronts former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick used to run. It makes sense that Flores picked up that trait since he spent time with Belichick in New England from 2008 to 2018.

Williams looked forward to the challenge for the fourth time in his young career.

“He’s probably one of the more challenging coaches that I’ve had to go against so far in my career,” Williams said. “Obviously, I haven’t played every single team yet and every single [defensive] coordinator, but up to this point, he’s been that. It’s all 70+ plays that you have or so, it’s a full mental – you’ve got, every single play, he’s challenging you to the full mental capacity that you are and can be.”

Back to running it

There aren’t many warts in Flores’ defense. But if there’s one thing the Bears will want to take advantage of, it’s the Vikings’ run defense.

Opponents have had some success running against Minnesota this season. Teams are averaging 125.6 rushing yards per game, which is the 11th-most in the NFL. The Vikings have given up over 100 yards in six games this season and over 200 yards twice.

Meanwhile, the Bears’ running attack has figured it out since the unit had 119 rushing yards in the season-opener, where Williams led the way with 58 rushing yards. Chicago is averaging 183.4 rushing yards over its last five games, thanks to better blocking from the offensive line. But the Bears seemed to get away from running the ball against the New York Giants on Sunday.

They’ll want to get back to it against Minnesota, who might not be at full strength to stop the run either. Linebacker Jonathan Greenard was ruled out with a shoulder injury, while linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel has been limited with a neck injury. But just like Flores tries to confuse the quarterback, he’ll try to do the same for the running backs.

“I think he does something different each week,” running back D’Andre Swift said. “We looked at the film. He’s been a phenomenal defensive coordinator for a couple years. So we’ve got our work cut out for us. It provides a lot of challenges.”

Looking to get right in the NFC North

Sunday will be an important game as the Bears try to get back on track in the NFC North after a 0-2 start.

Chicago hasn’t had much luck in the division since Bears general manager Ryan Poles took over in 2022. The team is 3-17 in the NFC North since then and hasn’t had a winning division record since 2019, when Chicago went 4-2.

“I think [Jefferon’s] got a great feel for the game. He does a great job of understanding how to set up his routes to create separation. And I think more so than anything else, this guy is one of the more competitive guys that we’ll go against.”

—  Dennis Allen, Bears defensive coordinator on Justin Jefferson

But a win Sunday could go a long way in getting back in the right direction. If the Bears win and the Lions lose to the Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago will be atop the division by itself 11 weeks into the season.

“We’re 0-2 in the division,” Johnson said. “They’re 2-0 in the division now, and we’re going up to their place, which is a very hostile environment. It will be loud, and we’ve gotta be able to handle those elements. So, really excited about the opportunity here for our team this week.”