MINNEAPOLIS – The slumping Bears will look to break their three-game losing streak today when they face the NFC North-leading Vikings at the Metrodome.

Chicago (4-6) has dropped five of its last six games, defeating only the hapless Browns since a promising 3-1 start. Minnesota (9-1), meanwhile, has taken control of the division behind an explosive offense led by Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson and a stifling defense fueled by Jared Allen.

Jay Cutler and the Bears face a difficult task today when they battle the Vikings.

In their 35-9 win over Seattle last Sunday, the Vikings outrushed the Seahawks 160-4 and didn’t allow Seattle to advance past the 50-yard line until Minnesota led 28-0 in the third quarter. Favre set a Vikings record by completing 88 percent of his passes (22 of 25) and threw touchdowns to four different receivers.

The Bears have dropped six of their last seven games to the Vikings in Minnesota, including losses by 24, 20 and 18 points. Their only win in the Metrodome in that span came in 2006 when Rex Grossman rallied the Bears to a 19-16 victory with a late touchdown pass to Rashied Davis.

The Bears have scored just one touchdown in their last two games. In last Sunday night’s defeat to the Eagles, Jay Cutler missed several open receivers as Chicago converted just 3 of 16 third-down opportunities, including 0 of 7 in the second half.

Cutler has thrown an NFL-high 18 interceptions and ranks 24th in the league with a 74.5 passer rating. He has especially struggled in clutch situations, having thrown the most interceptions of any NFL quarterback in the red zone (5), in the fourth quarter (6) and on third-down plays (8).

Cutler, who has thrown 15 of his 18 interceptions on the road this season, will face what’s arguably the NFL’s best defensive line. Allen is second in the league with 10½ sacks, and mammoth tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams anchor the league’s third-ranked run defense.

Allen abused Bears left tackle John St. Clair last season, recording 4½ sacks in two games. Today, the two-time Pro Bowler will face veteran Orlando Pace.

The Bears offense has struggled on the ground all season, ranking 28th in the NFL. Frequently hit behind the line of scrimmage, Matt Forte has rushed for just 516 yards on 157 carries. His 3.3-yards per carry average is the lowest among the league’s top 35 rushers.

Defensively, the Bears must contend with Favre, who has enjoyed a rebirth in Minnesota after leading the NFL with 22 interceptions last season while playing for the Jets. Favre has completed 69.7 percent of his passes with 21 touchdowns, three interceptions and a league-leading 112.1 passer rating.

Favre’s three interceptions this year equal the total that Cutler threw in the first half of the first game of the season during a Sunday night loss in Green Bay.

The Bears hope to fare better against Favre than they have over the past five weeks versus the Bengals’ Carson Palmer, the Cardinals’ Kurt Warner and the Eagles’ Donovan McNabb. Chicago allowed that trio to complete 74.7 percent of their passes for a combined 738 yards with 12 TDs, 1 interception and a 134.4 passer rating.

The Bears expect Peterson to play today even though he’s listed as questionable with an ankle injury and an illness. He’s third in the NFL in rushing with 999 yards and 11 touchdowns on 205 carries. Peterson entered the season having rushed for more yards (554) and touchdowns (8) against the Bears than any other team. In four meetings with Chicago, he has averaged 138.5 yards and two TDs per game.