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Not even a late interception by Mitchell Trubisky would keep the visiting Chicago Bears from beating the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Following the pick, the Bears' defense came up with a crucial fourth down stop that led to a Carlos Santos field goal, as Chicago extended its lead to 33-27. The Bears' defense clinched the win when Sherrick McManis picked off Kirk Cousins' Hail Mary pass in the end zone on the game's final play.
Outside of his interception, the Bears enjoyed a very strong outing from Trubisky, whose eight-yard touchdown pass to rookie Darnell Mooney gave the Bears an early 7-0 lead. Chicago would score on its next three possessions to take a 20-10 halftime lead. And while Dalvin Cook's 132 rushing yards (that included his one-yard touchdown in the third quarter) kept the Vikings in contention, Cook was outshined by Bears running back David Montgomery, whose 146 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries helped the Bears get to .500 while dropping the Vikings to 6-8.
With the win, the Bears leapfrogged the Vikings for the eighth spot in the NFC standings. The Vikings will have to win out and get help if they are going to make it back to the playoffs for a second straight year.
Here's a deeper look at how the Bears were able to win their second straight game.
Why the Bears won
As stated above, The Bears received extremely solid play from Trubisky, who went 15-of-21 for 202 yards while also rushing for 34 yards on eight carries. Along with giving Trubisky steady protection, Chicago's offensive line also paved the way for Montgomery, who has now rushed for over 100 yards in three out of the Bears' last four games. Chicago also received solid efforts from receivers Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney, who combined to catch eight passes for 132 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, the Bears came up with a pair of fourth-down stops that led to two Santos field goals. Linebacker Danny Trevathan led the way with 11 tackles, while McManis' interception on the game's final play iced the win.
Why the Vikings lost
The two fourth-down stops really hurt the Vikings, whose 4-of-11 third-down efficiency rate also didn't help their cause. The Vikings were also just 2-of-4 in the red zone, as Chicago's secondary did a good job blanketing Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson in the red zone following Thielen's first quarter touchdown catch. Defensively, the Vikings were unable to keep Trubisky inside the pocket, as Trubisky made numerous plays on the outside. Minnesota also had no answer for Montgomery, who missed Chicago's Week 10 loss to the Vikings with a concussion.
The Vikings squandered big offensive contributions from Cook and Jefferson (eight catches 104 yards), who on Sunday broke Randy Moss' franchise record for receptions by a rookie.
Turning point
After both teams traded touchdowns, Chicago scored on consecutive possessions to take a 17-7 second quarter lead. They stretched their lead to 20-7 after Bilal Nichols and John Jenkins collaborated to stop Cook on fourth-and-one from the Vikings' 34-yard-line. While the Vikings did respond with a field goal of their own before halftime, they were unable to close the gap during the second half.
Play of the game
After Trubisky's pick, the Vikings, down 30-27, had the ball on their own 20-yard-line with 2:57 left. But after Cook was stonewalled by Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith on third-and-one, the Vikings, after calling a timeout, came up empty after Cook -- who was under heavy pressure from Brent Urban -- was unable to connect with Tyler Conklin. The Bears tacked on a field goal before picking off Cousins on the game's final play.
Quotable
"It was great to see the way he ran the offense all day today. I think he's doing a really good job of just commanding it and making good decisions." -- Bears coach Matt Nagy on Trubisky, who is now 5-2 this season as the Bears' starting quarterback
"That 14-yard touchdown run was awesome because he runs so hard. He runs with extreme passion and the guys were feeding off him." -- Nagy on Montgomery's second touchdown run that saw him break several tackles on his way to the end zone
What's next
The Bears will head to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars, who fell to 1-13 on Sunday after losing to the Ravens in Baltimore, 40-14. The Vikings will travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints, who are still the NFC's No. 2 seed despite Sunday's home loss to the Chiefs.
