It’s a win and wins have been hard to come by this season. It’s going to be even harder without all-everything receiver Justin Jefferson for the next month or so. A hamstring injury last week against the Kansas City Chiefs put Jefferson on injured reserve. The Vikings offense is forced to find their way without one of the league’s best football players. Yesterday was the start. The offense left a lot to be desired. The defense was the reason for the win. They scored the winning points and made those points stand.
The Vikings scored on their opening possession. That’s good. They scored on their second possession. That’s great. Unfortunately, both scores were field goals, long field goals. Greg Joseph was successful from 53 and 51 yards. Through five games, the Vikings have been more likely to start games with turnovers than points. It was nice to finally see points on the first two possessions.
The Vikings didn’t start the game with a turnover but they did eventually give the ball to the Bears. It was on their fourth possession of the game. Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds caught what appeared to be an interception of Kirk Cousins. It was actually ruled a strip-sack by T.J. Edwards and a fumble recovery (catch) by Edmunds. Whatever it was, it was Bears ball and another turnover for the Vikings. Unlike all of the previous turnovers, the Vikings defense got the ball back for the offense. Three plays later, linebacker Jordan Hicks intercepted a Justin Fields pass that was disrupted by Danielle Hunter. Vikings ball.
The Vikings offense had 11 opportunities in this game.
1. 9 plays, 33 yards-field goal
2. 9 plays, 42 yards-field goal
3. 5 plays, 10 yards-punt
4. 3 plays, 8 yards-fumble
5. 8 plays, 77 yards-touchdown
6. 3 plays, 5 yards-punt
7. 3 plays, 9 yards-punt
8. 6 plays, 16 yards-missed field goal
9. 3 plays, 2 yards-punt
10. 3 plays, 3 yards-punt
11. 6 plays, 1 yard-end of game
That’s not a lot of productivity. The outlier of those 11 possessions is #5. That’s the possession set up by Hicks’ interception. There was 1:47 to play in the first half and the Vikings offense sailed down the field in 1:35. All eight plays were positive plays. They faced a single third down and converted easily. The drive ended with a ten-yard pass from Cousins to Jordan Addison. The rosy touchdown drive wasn’t all roses as Joseph’s extra point attempt was blocked and nearly run back for a Bears score.
12-6 at the half.
Despite the offensive issues, this game never really felt out of the Vikings grasp. That was because of the defense. The Vikings pass rush harassed Fields until a wrist injury took him out of the game early in the third quarter. Undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent replaced Fields. The pride of Shepherd University actually lit a spark in the Bears offense. Well, he lit a spark after the Vikings defense put some points on the board. On his third snap, Josh Metellus separated Bagent from the ball and Hicks scooped it up and raced 42 yards for what turned out to be the deciding points in the game. 19-6.
This was Jordan Hicks’ splashiest game with the Vikings.
Considering how well the Vikings defense contained Justin Fields, Tyson Bagent was a genuine nuisance. After the strip-sack-touchdown, he directed the Bears for at least 40 yards on three of his four opportunities. Fortunately, the Vikings defense held the pesky Bears to a single touchdown on those three opportunities. The Vikings have a very unfortunate history facing backup quarterbacks. For some reason, several of those backups have been Bears backups. If it wasn’t for a Byron Murphy Jr. interception to pretty much seal the game, Bagent might’ve been the next one.
19-13. It’s a win.
The Vikings offense gained 220 yards. 220 yards! Cousins has thrown for at least that many yards in a single quarter. Even without Jefferson, the Vikings should gain more than 220 yards against the Bears.
This win was won by the defense. It was a team effort but four players deserve special mention.
Jordan Hicks was splashy. The highlight plays were made by him. Interception, fumble recovery, touchdown, 10 tackles. He should be in the running for NFC Defensive Player of the Week.
Hicks was splashy. Danielle Hunter was dominant. His two sacks top his statistics but barely touch his impact. He created chaos in the Bears backfield on nearly every snap. He’s been the subject of recent trade rumors. The media loves to drive trade rumors as the trade deadline nears. No matter how much the media and the league tries to make it something huge, the NFL trade deadline will never be what it is in the other professional sports leagues. The Vikings should NOT trade Danielle Hunter. They should sign him to an extension.
Byron Murphy Jr. got his first interception with the Vikings. He spent most of the game covering D.J. Moore. The Bears most dangerous playmaker managed 51 yards yesterday. Nearly half of that total was on a late 24-yarder. Moore spent the bulk of game being frustrated by Murphy.
Josh Metellus made big plays. Again. His highlight play was the sack and forced fumble that Hicks tool for a score.
It’s a win.
The Vikings are now 2-4. The 5-1 San Francisco 49ers are up next. Monday Night Football. The Vikings offense must get untracked. 220 yards won’t work against the 49ers. The Vikings defense must continue its improving play.
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