Bears Euphoria

November 19, 2018

In front of a national TV audience, the Chicago Bears proved they belong in the playoff conversation. They defeated a good Minnesota Vikings team in every phase of the game, 25-20.  The Bears’ record now stands at 7-3; the Vikings are one-and-a-half games back, followed by Green Bay trailing at two-and-a-half back and the Detroit Lions three games behind.

 The Bears’ defense was the primary reason for the victory.  The Vikings have a great defense but on this night the Bears were better. It all starts with the front seven. The Vikings only gained 22 yards rushing. The tone was set early. Minnesota had third down with inches to keep a drive going. After calling a running play that lost 2 yards, they had to punt on fourth down.  Another key play came with the half winding down. Minnesota was poised for a touchdown or at least a field goal.  Linebacker supreme Khalil Mack recovered his own forced fumble to preserve a 14-0 halftime lead.

Not being able to run the ball, the Vikings’ offense became one-dimensional. Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins was under constant pressure. The Bears got close to him many times, forcing hurried erratic throws and two interceptions. The second was costly. Cutting the deficit to eight points, Cousins was intercepted by safety Eddie Jackson who returned it 27 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion gave the Bears a 16-point lead.  Later, down 11 points]  the Vikings would score a touchdown but miss the two-point conversion. This last drive left them only 48 seconds and their on-side kick was unsuccessful.

The Bears’ offense had a good start, confusing the Minnesota defense with multiple formations and misdirection. Quarterback Mitch Trubisky was completing passes to multiple receivers. He also kept some drives alive with his scrambling ability. The first drive stalled and in came Cody Parkey to attempt a 31 yard field goal. After the previous game’s four misses, Bear fans held their breath and let out a sigh of relief after the kick was made. A long drive culminated with a spectacular catch by Anthony Miller for an 18 yard touchdown. .Maybe worried about Parkey, Coach Matt Nagy goes for a two-point conversion, a pass to receiver Josh Bellamy.  He is a perfect example of the new Bears, making good catches with few drops. Next Bear fans hold their breath again as Cody Parkey hits from 41 yards out.]

As good as Trubisky was in the first half, he was equally bad in the second half. His two interceptions and a Tarik Cohen fumble gave Minnesota a chance to catch up, and they almost did. Letting this lead slip away would have ruined the season. But the Bears’ defense saved the day. After Eddie Jackson’s pick-six the Vikings came back and were within a touchdown and two- to tie point conversion the game. With just under three minutes left the Bears were in no-man’s land, facing fourth down and needing more than five yards and a choice of running an offensive play or letting Parkey try a 48-yard field goal. If he missed Minnesota would get the ball back at its own 38 yard line with over two minutes left, enough time to drive a short distance for the potential tying score. So in came the much-maligned Cody Parkey, who kicked the ball straight through the uprights to seal a Bears’ victory.

The euphoria of this win will not matter if the Bears have a hiccup against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day. However, the Bears are on a roll and should prevail. With the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers on the schedule, that totals 10 wins, which should be enough to make the playoffs. Any more wins would be gravy.  The last regular-season game of the year in Minnesota should be fun.