CHICAGO — The Vikings' annual trip to Soldier Field rarely seems to go smoothly. Monday's game with the Bears was no exception.
They came away with a 17-9 victory to get to 7-7, but it was not a performance to brag about.
Minnesota built a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter thanks to the Bears losing three fumbles and rookie quarterback Justin Fields failing to make timely throws.
But the Bears' depleted defense cracked down on Justin Jefferson, quarterback Kirk Cousins passed for just career-low 87 yards, and Dalvin Cook was held to 89 on the ground. Chicago's 31st-ranked offense outgained the Vikings 370-193. Linebacker Eric Kendricks was ejected after he hit Fields while the quarterback was trying to slide, a personal foul in a game that had both fanbases livid with officials.
Still, Chicago (4-10) could not capitalize on numerous opportunities in the red zone until scoring a touchdown on the game's final play, keeping the Vikings in the NFC playoff hunt.
With 14 Bears players on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the Vikings began the game lining Jefferson up in the slot, intent on taking advantage of the matchups they'd get against a Bears secondary missing all of its starters, and it paid off on their first touchdown. Cousins motioned Kene Nwangwu from his right to his left, getting the Bears linebackers to shift and creating a clearer release for Jefferson against safety Deon Bush out of the slot.
Jefferson gave Bush a quick two-step move, breaking to the corner of the end zone for an easy 12-yard touchdown.
Then, on the Bears' next drive, Cameron Dantzler swatted the ball out of Fields' hand as he flew by while the quarterback scrambled out of the pocket. Anthony Barr recovered, setting the Vikings up to score again.
It's there where things turned strange.
Officials called the first of four personal fouls against the Bears when Bush hit Tyler Conklin in the helmet while trying to break up a pass as the tight end leaped over the middle of the field. The ruling made Matt Nagy so angry that the Bears coach received another 12-yard penalty for arguing with officials during a TV timeout. The Vikings kicked a field goal on the drive to go up 10-0.
Then, after the Bears' had driven to the Vikings' 10, following Fields' longest completion of the night (a 27-yard throw to Darnell Mooney), Michael Pierce beat center Sam Mustipher and spilled David Montgomery's run outside, where Sheldon Richardson stripped Montgomery of the ball. Officials ruled Montgomery down on the field, but Richardson lobbied Mike Zimmer to challenge the play, and a review showed he'd pried the ball loose before Montgomery hit the ground.
The Vikings didn't gain any points from that turnover and Chicago would drive to the Vikings' 13 on its next drive. But Fields fumbled while trying to pull the ball down when D.J. Wonnum leaped into his throwing lane on a swing pass. Wonnum tackled Fields for a 14-yard sack — one of his three in the game — and the Bears had to settle for a field goal.
Still, they would get the ball back once more in the first half, after Cousins threw deep for Jefferson despite the fact the receiver had tangled his feet up with Marqui Christian's and tumbled to the ground after being grabbed by the defensive back. Bush made an easy interception, giving the Bears a chance for another field goal, but Dalvin Tomlinson deflected it and it fell short of the crossbar.
In the third quarter, the Vikings put together a touchdown drive with the help of two personal fouls — one on Teez Tabor for violating a new rule that prohibits defensive players from going low on offensive linemen while trying to play through the blocker and make a tackle. The call had Bears fans howling, and Chicago picked up another 15-yard penalty when Tashaun Gipson was called for roughing.
Cousins hit Ihmir Smith-Marsette for a touchdown to put the Vikings up 17-3, after three Bears defenders left the rookie receiver open while converging on Jefferson out of the backfield.
