Bears 23 - 13 Vikings

I really wish I could analyze this sordid affair in detail, but I really can't. It's just too bizarre and painful. 10 turnovers in all, and at one point Brad Johnson threw an interception, the Bears offense came out and lined up, Grossman threw an interception right back, and then Johnson threw another interception as soon as he came back on the field. Johnson over the course of four passes threw three interceptions during that stint... at halftime his QB rating was 16.7, still better than Grossman's 0.0. The difference was, the Vikings did not advance the ball after turnovers, and therefore failed to capitalize on them, especially when the Bears fumbled the opening kick-off, the Vikings started in field goal range, but lost 8 yards on the penalty-ridden drive and had to punt. And I have to agree with Tony Sirigusa about how stupid a punt returner has to be to get near a ball they can't field, because they only risk making it a live ball and causing a turnover. Tony Sirigusa's sideline reporting was a little strange, but I'll cut him some slack since he was in The 25th Hour, which I still think was a great movie.

There was some nice stuff at the end, when Brooks Bollinger came in at QB and drove the team down the field, scoring a touchdown rather than faltering in the red zone as the Vikings have all year. It was late in the game, and the Bears had to be feeling a little comfortable following the safety that put them up by 17 points, but it was still a nice sight. Then the Vikings decided to be daring and went for an unexpected onside kick, which frankly I would have enjoyed even had they lost it. Typically, after recovering the onside kick the Vikings failed to move the ball and the line couldn't protect Bollinger, who predictably got hurt. The Tardis came in on our last possession and lost a fumble while trying to run away from the Bears pass rush, but I'm hoping maybe we see more of the Tardis next week.

This was a game nobody really won, and the Bears should have headed to the locker room with the knowledge that they had just been exposed as being a far more vulnerable team than their 10-2 record would indicate, and that they will be eaten alive in the playoffs when Grossman can't stop throwing to the other team, and they aren't playing the Vikings anymore. The Bears would be better off not going to the Superbowl, because playing like this versus the AFC champions and losing 41-0 would be a stain on the franchise for decades.

This is the punishment of the Weauxf Gawdz for bandwagon fans straddling the fence waiting to see who won, a game neither team can be proud of. Thanks to you, we all suffer, and I think you know who you are.