Vikings-Bears Thoughts

A win is a win is a win......

The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Chicago Bears on Monday night, 20-17. It wasn't a pretty game but it was only the third Vikings win in Chicago this century. Wins have been hard to come by on the road against the Bears. Their visit last year was a truly ugly Monday night loss on Halloween. The Vikings will take any win they can get in Chicago. Ugly, or otherwise.

During the offseason I was a little disappointed when the Vikings signed quarterback Case Keenum. I wanted to see third-year Taylor Heinicke get the first shot at the backup quarterback job. I'm glad that I don't make these decisions. Keenum has been needed in four of five games this season. He's been at least solid in all four of those games and often terrific.

This game was a tale of two halves for the Vikings offense. Starting quarterback Sam Bradford made his first start since Week 1. Knee issues kept him out of the previous three games. He was able to participate in all practices in preparation for the Bears and felt good to go against the Bears. He didn't look good to go. He never looked comfortable, he had trouble getting the ball to receivers, and he often looked helpless against the rush. He was sacked four times. At least one of the sacks seemed to aggravate his knee injury. Four of the Vikings first five possessions ended in punts. The one that didn't end in a punt ended in a safety. He looked like a quarterback that hadn't thrown a contested pass in four weeks and was hobbled by a knee injury. The offense couldn't move the ball. The Vikings were fortunate to end the first half with a 3-2 lead. The offense was gifted a scoring opportunity when their defense gave them the ball on the Bears 13-yard line. With just over two minutes to play in the half, defensive end Everson Griffen had a strip sack of Bears rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and defensive tackle Linval Joseph recovered the fumble. It was the spark that a struggling Vikings offense needed. Bradford kept the offense in field position and Kai Forbath kicked the short, go-ahead field goal. Keenum replaced Bradford for the final possession of the first half and the entirety of the second. The offense looked closer to an NFL offense with a quarterback that looked comfortable on the field. The Vikings offense gained about 50 yards in the first half. They topped that on the opening drive of the second half. Keenum led his team on a 13-play, 75-yard drive that took nearly seven minutes. It ended with a 13-yard touchdown toss to tight end Kyle Rudolph. Their second possession was less time-consuming but more electric. That one ended with a 58-yard touchdown run by Jerick McKinnon. The Vikings offense was much more efficient with a quarterback that looked comfortable leading it.

Keenum should lead the Vikings offense until Bradford is absolutely 100% healthy. And that's coming from the clown that didn't want Keenum signed in the offseason.

The Vikings defense has been strong all season. This win is a loss without that continued strong play. They kept the Bears offense out of the end zone until the fourth quarter despite often great field position. The entire first half seemed to be played on the Vikings side of the field. The defense forced two Bears turnovers. Both of which gave the Vikings offense excellent scoring opportunities. Safety Harrison Smith's interception with just over two minutes to play provided the opportunity to kick the game-winning field goal.

Bears running back Jordan Howard shredded the Vikings defense last season. He had to be slowed last night. He had several nice runs but the Vikings never allowed him to get loose. Nothing like last year. He rushed for 288 yards in two games last season. The Vikings cut that 144 average to 79 yards on 19 carries last night. He did have a long touchdown called back by a penalty. He's a terrific running back and looks like long-time Vikings nemesis.

Bears rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky got his first NFL start last night. He was the talk of the game before, during, and after it. His statistics weren't eye-popping. 12/25 for 125 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown pass to tight end Zach Miller came off of a tip by Vikings safety Andrew Sendejo. It was a play that Sendejo would definitely like to have over. Trubisky also threw the game-sealing interception to Smith. Despite those numbers and descriptive knocks the rookie quarterback looked good. He has some nice physical skills. He's very mobile and throws accurately and gives Bears offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains a lot of play-calling options. The play design and execution of the two-point conversion was brilliant. You can't run that play without an athletic, mobile quarterback. Trubisky could use some better pass-catching talent around him but the Bears might have their quarterback of the present and future. It's wrong to write his career book based on one game but it was a very promising start.

The player of the game for the Bears was defensive tackle Akiem Hicks. He got a big contract last month and he showed why last night. Despite playing with a balky ankle he was a nightmare for the Vikings offensive line. Four tackles, three for a loss, and two sacks. He had a couple of rushes on which he looked like he had Vikings center Pat Elflein on roller skates.

The Vikings suffered a huge loss last week when rookie running back Dalvin Cook tore his ACL. Latavius Murray was first up to replace him. He had a few decent runs early but the offense wasn't able to move the chains. They couldn't build any momentum or opportunities. He ended up with 31 yards on 12 carries. McKinnon became the running threat in the second half. He was helped by an offense that was moving the chains. That gave him the opportunity to build some momentum and make some plays. The 58-yard touchdown burst was the biggest. For the game, McKinnon had 95 yards on 16 carries. He was also effective in the passing game. 6 catches for 51 yards. His play was helped by a softened middle of the Bears defense. Injuries and a suspension depleted the Bears linebacker position. It was still good to see the Vikings generate a running game in their first game without Cook. We'll see how it goes moving forward but right now McKinnon looks like the better running option.

It was a Vikings win. In a place where they rarely win.