The Minnesota Vikings traveled to Chicago to face the Bears on Monday Night Football, and it was a defensive battle from the opening kickoff. The teams combined for four turnovers, three sacks, and ten punts. Minnesota was able to put together a solid drive late in the game and won 19-13 on the road.
Kirk Cousins got his first win in 10 tries on Monday Night Football and it was the third straight victory in 2020 for the Vikings. They leaned heavily on Dalvin Cook who turned 34 touches into 112 scrimmage yards in the game. Wide receivers Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson combined for 178 yards and two touchdowns on the night.
The Bears suffered two key injuries in the game. Quarterback Nick Foles was carted off the field late in the fourth quarter with an apparent hip injury, and earlier defensive tackle Akiem Hicks limped off the field and did not return. Both players would be major losses if forced to miss time.
First Half
The start of the game was wild. Minnesota fumbled the ball on their first possession but the Bears gave it right back only two plays later on an interception. Following the two turnovers, Cousins found Thielen in the back of the end zone for a one-handed touchdown grab. The Bears kicked a field goal on the next possession to make it a 7-3 game.
After a pair of punts, Bears’ linebacker Khalil Mack intercepted Cousins, leading to another field goal before half. Chicago trailed Minnesota by one point heading into halftime.
Second Half
Chicago got the ball first in the second half, except it didn’t last very long. Kick return man Cordarrelle Patterson took the kickoff 104 yards to the house to put the Bears up 13-7. From that point on, it was all Minnesota.
The Bears would punt four times and turn the ball over on downs twice in the remainder of the second half. The Vikings tacked on two field goals before Cousins found Thielen for his second touchdown of the game. Despite an uneventful second half, the Vikings came away with a huge 19-13 division win.
Highlights
How, @athielen19?
How?
📺: https://t.co/srRRl7n5na pic.twitter.com/zcGexnEUrC
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 17, 2020
.@ceeflashpee84 SAID ✌️!!
104 yards to DA HOUSE.📺 ESPN
📱: https://t.co/yfm0Jlb8p7#MINvsCHI | #DaBears pic.twitter.com/1GlnjWa6gh— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 17, 2020
The Bears lost their fourth-straight game and drop to 5-5 on the season heading into their Week 11 bye. On the other side, the Vikings win their third consecutive game and improve to 4-5. While Minnesota remains in fourth place in the NFC North, they have tons of momentum moving forward after beating all three division rivals in the last three weeks. They will try to continue the win streak next week against the Dallas Cowboys.
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