The Minnesota Vikings continued to test their fans’ collective cardiac health on Sunday, beating the Chicago Bears 29-22 at U.S. Bank Stadium. For most of the first half, the Vikings were in complete control of the game, building a 21-3 lead. However, the Bears cut the lead to 21-16 four minutes into the second half.
Giving up a score late in the second quarter evoked the specter of the 2021 Vikings, who had a tendency to collapse like a Russian bridge. They’ve been narrowly winning close games rather than losing them, but this contest started to take on the doomed vibe of late-era Mike Zimmer football.
Minnesota eventually lost their lead but responded with a third go-ahead drive in as many weeks. Over 17 plays, the Vikings marched 75 yards downfield, capped off by a Kirk Cousins sneak to give them a 27-22 lead. One play later, Justin Jefferson would cross the goal line for a successful two-point conversion.
Though the team threatened to look like the maddening Vikings of old, they were bailed out by a former Viking, doing what the Vikings formerly did: drawing an ill-timed flag and then later bobbling the ball during a potential comeback. With 1:12 left to play, Bears quarterback Justin Fields found receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette wide-open for a first down. But instead of getting out of bounds, Smith-Marsette fought for extra yardage. In the process, cornerback Cam Dantzler ripped the ball from Smith-Marsette’s hands, securing the victory.
Here are five numbers that tell the story of the Vikings’ thrilling victory over the Bears on Sunday.
17/17
Minnesota built an 18-point first-half lead primarily because of Cousins’ efficiency. He completed his first 17 passes of the day, breaking Tommy Kramer‘s team record of 16 consecutive completions. Cousins’ final completion was his easiest of the day. He pitched the ball to Jalen Reagor a yard in front of him for the one-yard touchdown.
This was a welcome change after Cousins had been inconsistent with his accuracy in the season’s opening month. He had only completed 63% of his passes through four weeks, a few ticks below his lifetime mark of 67%.
154
Justin Jefferson continued his quest to be the best wideout in football on Sunday, catching 154 yards on 12 receptions. It was his third 150-yard game of the season, and it appears that the Vikings have found ways to avoid him being shut out of games as he was in Weeks 2 and 3.
Jefferson caught four passes for 55 yards on the game’s opening drive. His final reception of the drive set the Vikings up at the Bears’ one-yard line. One play later, Dalvin Cook rushed into the end zone to give the Vikings a 7-0 lead.
36:44
The Vikings had the ball for 36 minutes and 44 seconds on Sunday, helped out by the 29 first-downs they picked up. Aided by converting on 12 of 15 third-downs, Minnesota could sustain drives and wear out the Bears’ defense.
This was most evident on the go-ahead touchdown drive. The Vikings would convert all five third-downs they encountered on the 17-play drive. The winning touchdown, a quarterback sneak by Cousins, came on third-and-goal from the Bears’ one-yard line.
9.9
Justin Fields eclipsed the 200-yard passing mark for the first time in 2022 by throwing for 208 yards against the Vikings. While 200 yards is far from a milestone in today’s NFL, Fields’ efficiency was hurting the Vikings. He only threw 21 passes on the day, averaging 9.9 yards per attempt.
That helped the Bears gain large chunks of yardage as they chipped away at the Vikings’ lead. Even on the game-winning play by Dantzler, Fields found Smith-Marsette for what would have been a 20-yard play.
50
As close as the Bears came to winning the game, only one of their drives spanned over 50 yards. Their first touchdown drive was a four-play, 50-yard drive that came after Vikings punter Ryan Wright shanked one that netted five yards and gave the Bears possession at midfield right before halftime.
Chicago’s three drives that ended in field goals only spanned 44, 34, and 19 yards. The Bears’ respective starting yard lines on these drives were their own 25, own 41, and own 48-yard lines. Minnesota entered the game with the best defensive starting field position in football. However, they had a major hiccup in this game, and it allowed the Bears to almost pull off the upset despite only gaining 271 yards of offense on the day.
