Minnesota Vikings 30, Chicago Bears 12: Vikings Collect Seventh Straight Win

It wasn’t pretty, but they got it

In a game between two NFC North rivals going in opposite directions, the Minnesota Vikings once again let a team that seemed ripe for a huge loss hang around, but in the end they got the job done.

Three different Vikings scored touchdowns, including two touchdowns on the ground, and the Vikings got another standout performance from their defense to defeat the Chicago Bears by a score of 30-12 on Monday Night Football at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Bears got the football first and rolled the dice early, choosing to go for it on a 4th-and-1 from their own 39-yard line. A handoff to D’Andre Swift did not get the necessary yardage, and the Bears turned it over on downs. That led to the game’s first points as Will Reichard drilled a 52-yard field goal to make it 3-0 less than three minutes into the contest.

Chicago pushed into Minnesota territory on their next possession but then turned it over again as Caleb Williams got drilled by Jonathan Greenard and fumbled the ball. Blake Cashman recovered the loose ball and took it into Chicago territory to set the Vikings up again.

Minnesota took advantage of the short field, with Sam Darnold finding Justin Jefferson for a 7-yard touchdown pass to make it 10-0 with five minutes left in the first quarter. After the score, Jefferson gave a shoutout to Vikings’ legend Randy Moss, who earlier this week announced that he was battling cancer.

The Vikings had a chance to add to their lead early in the second quarter and found themselves facing a 4th-and-3 from the Chicago 23-yard line. Kevin O’Connell elected to go for it, but Darnold was pressured and wound up throwing a pass that was intercepted by Tyrique Stevenson to end the Minnesota threat.

The Bears had yet another turnover on downs on the ensuing drive, this one from failing to convert a 4th-and-1 at the Minnesota 29-yard line, eschewing the field goal and not picking up the necessary yardage. The Vikings then pushed the ball down the field into Chicago territory and ended the half with a 31-yard field goal from Reichard to make it 13-0 going into the locker room.

After a few ugly drives to start the third quarter, the Bears finally got on the board on a 29-yard field goal from Cairo Santos to make it 13-3 with about seven minutes left in the third quarter. Minnesota then put together their best drive of the second half, thanks largely to Aaron Jones. He had a number of big runs on the drive, and got to finish things off with a 1-yard touchdown plunge to make the lead 20-3 with less than two minutes left in the third quarter.

Chicago shaved a few points off of the Minnesota lead early in the fourth quarter on a second field goal by Santos, as he connected from 39 yards out to make it 20-6 with thirteen minutes remaining in regulation.

The Vikings marched back down the field in short order, connecting on a couple of big plays and then getting a pass interference call against Jordan Addison in the end zone to set up a first-and-goal at the 1-yard line. Cam Akers took it from there, as he went into the end zone from one yard out for a touchdown to extend Minnesota’s lead to 27-6 with just over ten minutes remaining.

After a Chicago punt, the Bears added a bit of drama on the Vikings’ next possession as they blocked a Ryan Wright punt and set themselves up inside the Minnesota 30-yard line. They took advantage of the short field, as Caleb Williams found Keenan Allen for a 16-yard touchdown on a 4th-and-10 play to cut the Minnesota lead to 27-12 after a failed two-point conversion attempt from the Bears.

The Bears then went for an onside kick, but Josh Oliver recovered it for the Vikings and Minnesota ran out most of the clock and tacked on a 46-yard field goal from Reichard for good measure to account for the final margin.

With their seventh straight win, the Vikings join the Detroit Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles atop the NFC with a 12-2 record, though they’re still in second place in the NFC North because of the head-to-head tiebreaker with Detroit. They’ll take to the road last week as they head to the Pacific Northwest to face the Seattle Seahawks next Sunday afternoon.

The Minnesota Vikings sweep the season series against the Chicago Bears for 2024 with a 30-12 victory at U.S. Bank Stadium on Monday Night Football. Thanks to everyone who got their coverage of this week’s game right here at The Daily Norseman!