If you were a Vikings fan on Sunday watching the Bears-Vikings game, you probably got that feeling, all-in-all while watching the game, that Minnesota just wasn't going to win.
It just wasn't meant to be. Minnesota had several golden opportunities to beat the Bears and blew just about each and every one of them in a 48-41 loss to Chicago at Soldier Field.
It probably surprised anyone who turned on their TV set to find the Bears-Vikings game such a high-scoring affair considering both teams boast two of the best defenses in the NFL. It didn't help that the Bears had injuries throughout their secondary and that the Vikings kept spotting the Bears wonderful field position throughout the game.
But perhaps the thing that really set the two apart was the discipline level between the two teams.
Whether it was more drive-killing penalties, or Jarod Allen diving onto a pile of players 3 seconds after the whistle had blown, that little yellow hanky found it's way onto the field way too many times (8) for the Vikings. Most of which were at crucial times.
Ray Edwards jumped offsides on what would've been a 53-yard field goal attempt by Bears kicker Robbie Gould, but instead made it a 48-yarder that he coasted through the uprights.
Vinny Ciurciu was flagged for a questionable pass interference call on 4th-and-goal from the 1 that gave the Bears new life and Matt Forte walked into the end zone on the next play to make it 48-31, a deficit too great for the Vikings to overcome.
The mistakes on special teams were even more evident. Minnesota spotted the Bears 14 points on mental errors despite getting a 7-0 lead early after Adrian Peterson scored on 4th and-goal from the 1 in the 1st quarter.
Veteran punter Chris Kluwe botched the snap and then had his kick blocked, but instead of falling on hit he tried to kick it again and it was batted into the end zone and recovered for a Chicago touchdown.
Then to make matters worse, on a Bears punt in the second quarter, returner Charles Gordon decides to try and block a Bears defender, instead of waving for a fair-catch, and gets pushed into the ball which conveniently makes its way into the end zone and the Bears promptly fall on it for another gift-wrapped touchdown to make it 24-17 at that point.
Couple that with 4 Gus Frerotte interceptions and the Vikings never had a chance.
Well, that's almost true. Despite trying their hardest to lose this game, Minnesota still found themselves with the ball trailing by 7 at the end of the game. If there's any negatives the Bears can take away from this, that is one of them.
Minnesota out gained the Bears 439-327 in offensive yardage. Frerotte passed for 298 yards and 2 TDs while Orton only threw for 283 and 2 TDs. The difference was the interception ratio- 4/0.
Adrian Peterson again rushed for over 100 yards against the Bears with a 121 yard, 2 TD performance, averaging 5.5 yards per carry. But it wasn't enough. Peterson only had the big 54-yard run that provided a brief spark to Minnesota's otherwise schizophrenic offense.
It must also be a very vindicating day for Chicago fans to get a win over the Bernard Berrian-led Vikings. Berrian was a receiver for the purple and orange last year, but led the Vikings with 6 catches for 81 yards and a TD today.
To add to just how bizarre this game was, Minnesota's only punt attempt was Kluwe's blocked punt. That usually means one of two things: you're either winning by a lot and scoring at will or; you did what the Vikings did today and turnovers, special teams included, served as your "punts".
Chicago (4-3) now is atop the NFC North, but will soon be joined by the Packers who are putting a hurt on the up-and-down Indianapolis Colts. Minnesota (3-4), meanwhile must regroup as they may be down but are certainly not out. One loss to the Bears is not the end of the season. Minnesota will head into the BYE week and hope to correct a lot of their mistakes before they return to the friendly confines of the Metrodome to face the Houston Texans (2-4), a team they can and should beat.
4 comments:
I only caught the very beginning of the game and then the 4th quarter, but I was cheering for the Vikings!
I had confidence in them in their last drive until Frerotte was sacked and then the play later threw an interception.
But hey..look on the bright side--at least (I doubt) you were cheering for Favre in OT and saw an UNREAL 57 yd. field goal--talk about a buzz kill.
Attention Sports Fans:
Hey guys, just wanted to extend everyone an invite to my house (923 e. Jefferson) this Saturday for an awesome day of tailgating, lawn games, and football watching. There’ll be games on multiple large-screen TVs starting at 11am and leading up to the big primetime match-up (No, not PSU/OSU, Notre Dame v. Washington!). I have a pretty big yard so all day we’ll have games going on (Bags, Australian Frisbee, Pong/Flip Cup, etc), and we’ll also grill plenty of meat. Feel free to bring friends/girlfriend/boyfriends/dogs (the yard is fenced in and my dog could use company). I’ll probably get a keg from John’s of something decent, let me know if anyone has any particular requests. Hope you guys can all make it!
P.S. Dave you don't have a blog I can post this on, but you're expected to make an appearance as well.
Bears own the Vikings.
It's a 2 horse race in the NFC North between the Packers and Bears.
The VQueens are just suffering from the curse of ESPN. Every time they pick a "Dark Horse" superbowl pick it blows up in their face. They picked Carolina a few years back and they fell apart. They picked the Broncos the next year with the same result. Same with the Saints. It's becoming like the Madden curse.
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