Studs 
and duds 
from Bears’ Week 11 win over Vikings 
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Lorin Cox 9 hrs ago: 
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The Chicago Bears propelled themselves into playoff contention with their 25-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night, showing off a potentially championship-caliber defense en route to the divisional victory.
Vic Fangio's group was locked in on all three levels and shut down Kirk Cousins until the final few minutes of the game.
Meanwhile, the Bears' offense did enough to stay afloat and secure the W with a few bumps along the way.
Here are the studs and duds from Chicago's Week 11 win.
Stud: Khalil MackIt's hard to find new things to say about Khalil Mack.
Once again, he was an unstoppable force from the outside linebacker position, and he reestablished himself as a top Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
Mack finished with a sack, two quarterback hits, a pass breakup, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the win over Minnesota.
Whether it be the running game or rushing the passer, he was disruptive on seemingly every snap, and his presence just makes everyone else's job easier on the defense.
He continues to be worth every penny and draft pick the Bears gave up for him.
Dud: Bryan WitzmannNo one on the Bears played horribly, but right guard Bryan Witzmann was among those who weren't contributing much.
Even though Jordan Howard was able to get a little more production in the running game, Witzmann struggled to create much movement up front.
He also looked to be the weak link in pass protection, getting beat for Mitchell Trubisky's only sack of the game.
His performance wasn't enough to sabotage the offense, but Chicago could use better from their right guard in the wake of Kyle Long's injury.
Stud: Akiem HicksAkiem Hicks gave Khalil Mack a run for his money as the team's best defensive player in the game.
He didn't have a forced fumble, but he had a sack and two QB hits of his own to go with four other tackles for loss in the running game.
The Vikings failed to consistently block him on the interior, and he gave Kirk Cousins and Dalvin Cook fits all night.
Hicks seems to be even better than he was last year in what looked like a breakout season.
Many Bears fans thought he was snubbed from the Pro Bowl, and he's making an even stronger case in 2018.
Stud: Eddie JacksonEddie Jackson's name didn't come up for most of the Bears win over the Vikings.
For a deep safety, that means he was doing a great job.
Kirk Cousins rarely through the ball in his direction because of tight coverage down the field.
But Jackson wasn't going to go unnoticed for the whole night.
He came up with a huge pick-six in the fourth quarter to help put the game out of reach.
He now has three interceptions, two forced fumbles and two touchdowns this season, a breakout candidate of his own making a case for the Pro Bowl.
Dud: Roquan SmithRoquan Smith wasn't bad, but he still made too many rookie mistakes for a linebacker in his 10th game.
Early on, he missed an easy tackle on wide receiver Stefon Diggs that allowed a big first down because of the extra yards after the catch.
He was also flagged with a defensive pass interference penalty down the stretch in the fourth quarter that helped keep Minnesota alive.
Smith left a lot to be desired in coverage, but he did make a few nice tackles in run defense.
He hasn't stood out as a play-making linebacker just yet, but it's still early in his young career.
Stud: Cody ParkeyCody Parkey received plenty of attention for hitting the upright four times last week against the Detroit Lions, so the pressure was on for a bounceback game against the Vikings.
He delivered with three field goals, including an important 48-yarder that gave the Bears some breathing room.
Matt Nagy didn't give him any opportunities to kick extra points, converting a pair of two-point conversions instead, but those decisions seemed to be based on scoreboard math rather than any issue with the kicker.
His teammates and coaching staff never lost faith in him, but Parkey needed a game like this to keep his confidence for two more games in the Windy City this season.
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