The Minnesota Vikings (4-5) face the Chicago Bears on Sunday. It is without a doubt a must-win game for the Vikings in a highly competitive NFC North.

The Vikings aren't out of the division race by any means. The Bears and Detroit Lions both stand at 6-3 in the division lead, with the Green Bay Packers not far behind at 5-3-1 with an earlier tie against the Dallas Cowboys. For Minnesota to climb back into the playoff hunt it will need improved play from its quarterback J.J. McCarthy should he be able to play through his latest injury, a bruised hand.

McCarthy has made incremental progress over the last two weeks. He relieved Carson Wentz of quarterback duties two weeks ago against the Detroit Lions in a huge win over the rival opponent, 24-21. They didn't win because of McCarthy though.

The young quarterback was sacked five times and completed 14/25 passes for 143 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. McCarthy's 5.7 yards per attempt and 53.8 QBR left plenty to be desired, but he did enough to help secure the win with largely big mistake-free football aside from the interception.

The Minnesota rushing attack came just short of McCarthy's yards total with 142 rushing yards for the squad. The Vikings managed to still score 27 points for the day.

McCarthy was more prolific against the Ravens last week than he was against the Lions, but still lacked efficiency. As a result, the Vikings came up short, 27-19.

The Minnesota quarterback completed 20 of 42 passes for 248 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. And while his yards total went up, he ended up with a worse QBR at 18.5.

McCarthy isn't perfect nor does he have to be perfect. He does need to be better to give the Vikings a chance at a playoff run.

Minnesota doesn't need much out of the quarterback position to perform at a high level. Earlier in the year, Carson Wentz completed 14 of 20 pass attempts for 173 yards in a 48-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. It's clear the team does not require a 300-yard passing game to win decisively week to week. It will need McCarthy to play efficient football, though.

Ahead for the Vikings are three straight opponents with winning records in Chicago, Green Bay and the Seattle Seahawks. It presents an opportunity for McCarthy to lead a special run as the season nears its close.

If he is able to play, McCarthy will look to make a name for himself with a season sweep of the Bears.