We’re at a crisis point with the Bears. They’ve lost four straight games now. There’s so much talk about head coaches and changes at the top that we forget that the investment in the individual games themselves are somehow lost.

Let’s use this space to really focus on Sunday’s matchup between the Bears and Vikings, which remains an important game in the grand scheme. The Bears have lost four straight games and Matt Eberflus’ record in one-score games isn’t great.

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All that spells trouble heading into a matchup where the opposition’s 8-2. The Bears knew the tough part of their schedule was coming late. They didn’t build a margin for error they were looking for heading into this difficult stretch, meaning this Week 12 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings is more important than ever. Let’s dive into it with five burning questions focused on this big matchup:

Can Thomas Brown keep the offense on track?

The new Bears offensive coordinator made some significant changes in Week 11. While that didn’t result in a win, there’s hope for better with the offense moving forward without Shane Waldron.

Thomas Brown seems to have inspired his players with his candor, attention to detail and schematic tweaks, which have positioned the Bears offense into a more efficient zone.  That must continue against the Vikings and defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who doesn’t have tons of tape on Brown running this show.

That might give Chicago an advantage in this one, but only if Brown uses it right (and the players at his disposal execute the right way)

“You only can defend what you see, and so I think you can play off those looks and do a good job being creative and putting our guys in position to create their own plays in space,” head coach Matt Eberflus said. “I think that’s an important part of any game plan.”

Will Bears pass rush get going?

The Bears four-man pass rush has been lagging. Sacks, pressures and quarterback hits are on the decline. Montez Sweat has been dealing with injuries and extra attention. Gervon Dexter has slowed his production after a solid start. Darrell Taylor hasn’t had a sack since the early going.

And, let’s be honest here, the defense misses Andrew Billings so much. The big man was the catalyst for everything the Bears do well, and his absence has been felt.

He isn’t coming back soon, likely at all, so the Bears must find a way to create pressure or expose the back end to bad situations.

Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is pretty darn good against the blitz, so the Bears simply must get home with a standard rush to be impactful in this game.

“Everything that we like to do starts with our four-man rush — first through third down, including two-minute (drills),” defensive coordinator Eric Washington said. “Whatever we like, whatever we desire to do in terms of sending an extra player should complement that. But we have to have the production with our four-man rush.”

How will Bears deal with the Brian Flores effect?

The Vikings have one of the NFL’s most intimidating defenses. True story. They blitz a ton, with innovative schemes that can be super difficult for rookie quarterbacks.  Caleb Williams called Flores the “king of the cover 0 blitz,” but he’s also the king of faking blitzes and dropping into coverage.

That creates a difficult time for Williams, but he’s getting better dealing with blitzes but pre-snap and post-snap. That last part is key, in his reaction to what happens beyond the initial read. Williams showed a willingness to run last week, which will help in those situations.

Williams is a smart guy and an instinctual player, someone who is learning how to deal with pressure pre- and post-snap. This might be his more difficult assignment to date, and how he evaluates and deals with the Vikings defense will go a long way in deciding a victor.

Will DJ Moore remain involved?

The Bears made a conscious effort to get DJ Moore involved in the game plan. They gave him short passes and opportunities in space that turned into efficient  production early in last week’s game.

His touch total decreased as the game went on, and the Bears have to sustain his influence throughout a contest. Part of that is making it work with Moore on deep route, where Williams hasn’t been great. Part of that is recognizing when he’s in favorable matchups and exploiting them.

Will Bears maintain buy-in with Matt Eberflus?

The Bears have experienced some difficult stretches during the Matt Eberflus era, including a run last season where they rebounded and finished strong. They’re experiencing difficulty right now, with essentially zero margin for error and an understanding that Eberflus might not be the coach next season.

A win on Sunday would show that the beleaguered head coach still has the buy-in required to do the improbable down the stretch. He’s 7-15 in one-score games, a damning statistic in terms of his future employment status.

How the Bears react to the remaining schedule will be key to his employment status and how the franchise treats the offseason, which will crucial in the fate of the franchise.