Bears and Vikings put on a show and the Bears hang on to win
48-41
The last time the Chicago Bears scored this many points, Walter
Payton was taking handoffs and Mike Ditka was prowling the sideline.
Kyle Orton threw two touchdown passes, special teams chipped in with two more
and the Bears hung on for a 48-41 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
Chicago intercepted Gus Frerotte four times even though its injury-riddled
secondary was missing starting cornerbacks Nathan Vasher and Charles Tillman
along with nickel back Danieal Manning. The Bears also lost star kick returner
Devin Hester to a quad injury in the third quarter, yet Chicago still managed to
put up its most points since beating Tampa Bay 48-14 at home on Dec. 7, 1986. It
was the most points the Bears have allowed in a win.
The Bears survived a late push by Minnesota after building a 17-point lead and
won even though Adrian Peterson ran for 121 yards and two touchdowns...
Adrian Peterson rushed to the left for 1 yard gain (Ryan
Longwell made PAT)
7 - 0
6:43
CHI
TD
Kyle Orton passed to Greg Olsen down the middle for 18
yard gain (Robbie Gould made PAT)
7 - 7
5:43
CHI
TD
CHI blocked punt attempt by Chris Kluwe. Garrett Wolfe
returned for 17 yards (Robbie Gould made PAT)
7 - 14
2:18
MIN
TD
Gus Frerotte passed to Visanthe Shiancoe down the middle
for 24 yard gain (Ryan Longwell made PAT)
14 - 14
2nd Quarter
13:33
CHI
FG
Robbie Gould kicked a 26-yard field goal
14 - 17
9:10
MIN
FG
Ryan Longwell kicked a 42-yard field goal
17 - 17
4:58
CHI
TD
Brad Maynard punt. Charles Gordon returned punt for no
gain. Charles Gordon fumbled. Zackary Bowman recovered fumble (Robbie
Gould made PAT)
17 - 24
0:22
MIN
TD
Chester Taylor rushed to the left for 1 yard gain (Ryan
Longwell made PAT)
24 - 24
0:00
CHI
FG
Robbie Gould kicked a 48-yard field goal
24 - 27
3rd Quarter
12:12
CHI
TD
Kyle Orton passed to Desmond Clark down the middle for
35 yard gain. Desmond Clark fumbled. Rashied Davis recovered fumble
(Robbie Gould made PAT)
24 - 34
10:40
MIN
TD
Adrian Peterson rushed to the left for 54 yard gain
(Ryan Longwell made PAT)
31 - 34
2:35
CHI
TD
Kyle Orton passed to Marty Booker to the left for 51
yard gain (Robbie Gould made PAT)
31 - 41
4th Quarter
14:53
CHI
TD
Matt Forte rushed to the left for 1 yard gain (Robbie
Gould made PAT)
31 - 48
8:59
MIN
FG
Ryan Longwell kicked a 23-yard field goal
34 - 48
3:00
MIN
TD
Gus Frerotte passed to Bernard Berrian to the right for
5 yard gain (Ryan Longwell made PAT)
41 - 48
Team Statistics
MIN
CHI
First Downs
27
18
Passing
16
12
Rushing
10
5
Penalty
1
1
Third Down Efficiency
4-12
2-9
Fourth Down Efficiency
3-4
0-0
TOTAL NET YARDS
439
327
Total Plays
74
56
Average Gain Per Play
5.9
5.8
NET YARDS RUSHING
155
53
Rushes
32
22
Average Per Rush
4.8
2.4
NET YARDS PASSING
284
274
Completions-Attempts
25-40
21-32
Yards Per Pass Play
6.8
8.1
Times Sacked
2
2
Yards Lost to Sacks
14
9
Had Intercepted
4
0
PUNTS
0
4
Average Punt
0.0
48.3
PENALTIES
8
5
Penalty Yards
50
45
FUMBLES
2
2
Fumbles Lost
1
1
TIME OF POSSESSION
35:07
24:53
Pregame Previews, Storylines,
and News
Preview:
The Chicago Bears have struggled to close
out games this season. They may want to watch tapes of the Minnesota Vikings'
last two contests as they try to start doing so. The Bears look to bounce back
from yet another heartbreaking loss as they host the NFC North rival Vikings,
who have won two in a row with last-minute dramatics. Chicago (3-3) suffered
another painful defeat last week, 22-20 at Atlanta. The Bears went ahead 20-19
when Kyle Orton directed an 11-play, 77-yard drive that was capped by an 11-yard
touchdown pass to Rashied Davis with 11 seconds left...
Pick: Last season at Chicago, Adrian
Peterson ran wild as he had 20 carries for 224 yards and three touchdowns. The
Bears D is not going to forget that and will possibly be out for some revenge.
This year's best rookie, Matt Forte gets to try to turn the tables in a
throwback NFC North affair. Chicago 20, Minnesota 10
Notable:
This NFC North rivalry has been as close as it gets, with each
team winning six of the last 12 games they've played against each other. Vikings
coach Brad Childress may be glad to get out on the road — Vikings fans were
calling for his firing last week
21.5
16.4