MINNEAPOLIS — The Bears’ defense had no reason to feel good about itself when the Vikings walked to the line of scrimmage on fourth-and-1 from their own 29 at the two-minute warning Sunday. In the Vikings’ other three possessions of the half, the Bears had allowed 221 yards and 17 points.
When they needed a stop most, though, the Bears got one — albeit with an assist from a curious play call. In the shotgun, the Vikings faked a handoff to Dalvin Cook, the NFL’s season-leading rusher, and rolled quarterback Kirk Cousins out to the right. Under pressure and with no one open, he lofted a pass incomplete toward the right sideline.
The Bears got the ball back, kicked a 42-yard field goal to go up six with 56 seconds left and then hung on for a 33-27 victory at U.S. Bank Stadium. Cousins threw an interception to Sherrick McManis in the end zone as time expired.
The win brought the Bears back to .500 and kept their playoff hopes alive, while they all-but-eliminated their NFC North rivals from contention. Both the Bears and Vikings entered Sunday one game behind the Cardinals, who were set to kick off Sunday afternoon.
The Bears inched toward the precipice of playoff contention Sunday in a most unusual fashion, playing with an unstoppable offense and a helpless defense, the opposite of how they’ve played during a maddening, rollercoaster season.
The final few minutes, though, rang too true. With just less than three minutes left, quarterback Mitch Trubisky threw an interception in the end zone on third-and-goal from the 6. It was intended for tight end J.P. Holtz, who doesn’t have a catch this season. It was reminiscent of Trubisky’s fumble two weeks ago, which led to the Lions’ come-from-behind victory.
The Bears have won two-straight since, though, buoyed by a run-heavy offense that maximized Trubisky’s athleticism on play-action.
Sunday, they punted two minutes into the game — and never again. They rode running back David Montgomery, who had 32 carries for 146 yards and two touchdowns, and who added one catch for 16 yards.
An ill-advised Vikings squib kick to open the game allowed the Bears to pin the Vikings even after a three-and-out. The Bears forced one of their own and got the ball at their own 42. Four plays later, Trubisky faced third-and-three at the Vikings’ 32. He threw deep to Allen Robinson down the right sideline, who taped his feet in-bounds for a 24-yard gain. Trubisky threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Darnell Mooney on the next play.
The Vikings parried with a touchdown of their own, an all-too-easy eight-play, 75-yard scoring drive that ended when a wide-open Adam Thielen caught a two-yard touchdown catch because of busted Bears coverage.
The Bears punched back, gaining 44 yards over the next four plays before settling for a 42-yard field goal after Trubisky, who was 8-for-8 up to that point, threw incomplete to Javon Wims.
The Bears ended the Vikings’ next drive with a most unusual play — a Robert Quinn sack. The veteran edge rusher, who the Bears gave $70 million over five years this offseason, recorded his first sack since his first snap with the franchise, forcing a Kirk Cousins fumble that the Vikings recovered on third down. They were forced to punt.
The Bears then crafted a 7:19 drive that ground to a halt at the end — they ran four plays after having first-and-goal at the 1 — but ended with a David Montgomery touchdown. They added a 35-yard field goal after stuffing Cook on fourth-and-1 from the Vikings’ own 34. Coach Mike Zimmer had sent out the punt team but changed his mind when the Bears took a timeout to fix a personnel issue.
Cook ran 24 times for 132 yards on the game.
The Vikings kicked a field goal with 30 seconds to go in the half.
The Vikings’ first drive of the third quarter ended with a one-yard Cook touchdown, the second a 22-yard field goal after Cousins threw incomplete on third-and-goal from the 5.
In between, the Bears put together their own impressive drive, an 11-play, 5:24 possession in which Montgomery ran for 33 yards and caught a 16-yard pass. His 14-yard run was the second offensive touchdown the Bears have scored in the third quarter all season.
The Bears travel to play the Jaguars, who have one win, next week. They host the rival Packers in the season finale — and, amazingly, are likely to have something to play for.
