This was the most entertaining Vikings game I've seen in a long time. When the Bears tied it up at 31 all, I was sure the Vikings were going to lose but I was still overwhelmed with gratitude at finally seeing a competitive game. I was going to give you all a thoughtful analysis, but by the time the game ended I was so hungry I decided to get a little drunk and eat a lot of sushi instead. But here's what I pieced together later.
Given the play of the Bears offense, I'm shocked the Bears didn't score more, and at the same time I'm surprised they even kept it close. The first half scores by the Bears were both kind of freak events, like Devin Hester's 89 yard punt return where atrocious Vikings tackling and some mad running by Hester got him a touchdown (tying Lando Calrissian's Bears record), and on their second TD, Bernard Berrian went deep with Antoine Winfield in single coverage, and when the usually dependable Winfield fell down, Berrian was an easy target for a touchdown pass. In both cases, the Bears took full advantage of the opportunity and executed, so this isn't sour grapes, but you can't keep counting on those opportunities. The Bears also closed the half trying to take a lead into the locker room, and on 4th and inches in the Vikings half, the Bears ran a QB sneak only to have Vikings tackle Pat Williams rip the ball out of his hands before a pile of bodies rolled over them both.
The defense held, and after the Vikings punted the Bears made one more attempt at a first half lead. When time started running out the Bears made one more shot at a big running play tossing the ball to fullback Jason McKie, but Ben Leber hit him so hard the ball squirted out of his hands and flew ten yards forward to a lurking Antoine Winfield. So at the half, things were looking good for the Vikings defense unless they had another freakish breakdown in the secondary, since despite some big running plays the Bears offense hadn't put together a long enough drive to reach the red zone a single time.
I said I was also surprised they didn't score more, and here's why: in the second half the Bears offense string together some sharper plays and held the ball a little longer, but without any end product, as five successive drives ended with a couple of punts, a couple of interceptions, and on their only trip to the red zone, a field goal. The Vikings scored three times to put them up by 14, the Bears really looked cooked, and I thought the karma of a little luck in the first half was being balanced out by stalled drives. Four turnovers is also tall mountain to climb, yet the Bears were actually doing well to still be in it. With less than four minutes on the clock and down two scores Griese threw his second interception, and that should have been it.
But of course, all Vikings – Bears games are bizarre affairs that proceed in a non-linear fashion to whatever their strange conclusion, and the Vikings chipped in by going 3-and-out, losing yardage and taking little time off the clock. For some reason, our conservative coach who likes to run the ball at all times decided that with the Tardis being off target for a lot of the game (only passing for 136 yards in total) and the most important thing being keeping the clock running, it was time for some passing plays. The Bears got he ball back and Muhsin Mohammed took advantage of yet another clusterfuck in coverage as he made a catch surrounded by white jerseys, and still ran away from them all to prance off to the end zone. The Bears defense held again, and moments later Devin Hester took a Griese pass 81 yards weaving through the entire Vikings defense to the end zone, tying the game. I said a lot of the Bears scores were a bit strange, but on that one, Hester just outplayed the Vikings: there were no fortunate lapses in tackling, they just got beat.
I really thought that was it for the Vikings, that destiny had made her choice and the Bears were going to find a way to win it in overtime. Part of my thinking was that despite scoring a lot of points, the Vikings didn't make it to the red zone all day, and it was really big plays that kept them in it. In the first half especially, I'd replay some downs to figure out what went wrong and I'd realize that many times on running plays to the right side, a down lineman had just been left unblocked when the fullback blew his assignment (I assumed, watching this happen). So our receiver on that side would realize this and come back to throw himself in the path of this onrushing monster, and one of the Bears physical corners would be free to sniff out the run on that side. The blocking really improved in the second half, and the Vikings correspondingly took control of the game. Troy Williamson was back to dropping passes again, and the over-excited Tardis appeared to be trying to impale his receivers with the ball, throwing too hard and too high. Before the end of the first half, Williamson showed why a blind midget with the tiny hands of an uncoordinated 5-year old is still our #1 receiver when he used his unparalleled speed to get past the Bears zone and hung onto a 60-yard touchdown pass, in one of the four big play touchdowns for the Vikings.
The real force the Vikings had in this game was Adrian Peterson, who split carries with Chester Taylor and still managed to run for a godlike 224 yards and 3 touchdowns (with Taylor adding another 83). I know the Bears' Tampa-2 base defense is vulnerable to the run, but zounds. Given how Peterson rages through opposing linebackers on a pale horse with hell following behind him, it remains a mystery why he doesn't get more carries, and he put another exclamation point on his game when the resurgent Bears kicked off to Peterson, lurking back at the 9 yard line. I really thought the Bears would win it in overtime, but Peterson took the kick-off 53 yards back into the Bears half of the field, and on first down, Taylor pounded it forward a few more yards to the 33, getting closer to field goal range. Then our coach had another moment of inspiration and called for an incomplete pass (well, he didn't call for it to be incomplete, but I don't know how surprised he should have been), and then on third down Lance Briggs caught Peterson in the backfield, losing four yards. With time running out, the Vikings went for a 55-yard field goal to win it, and Ryan Longwell came through on a kick that looked well out of his range, so the Vikings could win it 34 – 31, and send the Bears packing all the way back to Halsted & Melrose.
Win or lose, this would have been the first Vikings game I've really enjoyed in a long time, but the win was certainly sweet, and the first Vikings win in Soldier Field since 2000.
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