Click here to see all recaps on a single page
| Other Week 13 Game Recaps | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARI at PHI | ATL at SD | BAL at CIN | CAR at GB | CHI at MIN | DEN at NYJ | IND at CLE | JAX at HOU |
| KC at OAK | MIA at STL | NO at TB | NYG at WAS | PIT at NE | SEA at DAL | SF at BUF | TEN at DET |
Week 13 Game Recap: Chicago Bears 14, Minnesota Vikings 34
What you need to know
| Chicago Bears |
The Chicago Bears were outmatched in the trenches on both sides of the ball and the score in this game does not nearly reflect how lopsided this victory was for Minnesota.
The Bears had a chance in the second quarter to shift the game in their favor. After stopping the Bears on third down, Vikings DB Benny Sapp was flagged for a personal foul. The Bears ended up with a first and goal at the one yard line but failed to punch the ball into the end zone after four tries. When the Vikings took over they quickly scored on a 99 yard strike from QB Gus Frerotte to WR Bernard Berrian and Minnesota never looked back.
QB Kyle Orton struggled in the game, especially in the second half. He threw three interceptions, all following bad decisions and was sacked three times. His two touchdown passes had a bit of luck behind them as WR Devin Hester left three defenders in his dust to score on a quick slant pass. The second touchdown pass from Orton came after an interception placed the Bears offense at the five yard line. Orton appeared lost at times and was not able to connect on any big plays when they were needed.
RB Matt Forte was the lone bright spot for the Bears' offense. He ran determined and aggressively but had a tough time running through the middle with both DL Pat Williams and DL Kevin Williams standing in his way. He still ended up with very solid numbers on the day. He lined up as a wide receiver for his touchdown catch.
Outside of WR Devin Hester's long catch and run, the Bears' receiving corps were not very effective. They dropped at least three catchable passes but they were not helped much by Orton's miscues throughout the game.
The Bears' defense was forced to deal with the offense's slew of turnovers in the second half. The Vikings benefited from solid field position after each of the interceptions and they took advantage by scoring 17 points off of them. The Bears only managed to sack Frerotte twice and despite stacking the box had difficult time bringing down RB Adrian Peterson.
DL Dustin Dvoracek left the game after the first drive of the game with an injury. His return was ruled out immediately.
| Minnesota Vikings |
The Minnesota Vikings played well in every facet of the game, especially in the run game and defense, and they took sole control of the NFC North with the win.
QB Gus Frerotte did not light the world on fire with his performance in this game but he managed the game well and led his team to victory in resounding fashion. He hit WR Bernard Berrian for a record-tying 99 yard touchdown in the second quarter. Berrian ran down the right sideline and was left alone by the cornerback making for an easy score.
RB Adrian Peterson was once again a dominant force in the game. He ran aggressively and did not shy away from contact. He regularly required multiple defenders to bring him down and even showcased some nifty jumping and juke moves to gain extra yardage. His touchdown in the fourth quarter iced the game for good. RB Chester Taylor was a great change-of-pace back for the Vikings, mostly playing on third downs. He showed-off some impressive quickness on his 20 yard touchdown scamper in the second half.
Besides WR Bernard Berrian's touchdown score, the receivers for Minnesota were not very effective. TE Jim Kleinsasser nearly had a touchdown but an official's review ruled him down at the one yard line which set up a short touchdown run by Frerotte.
The Vikings defensive front seven played exceptionally well. They clogged up the line of scrimmage and made things difficult for RB Matt Forte. QB Kyle Orton was under regular pressure and DL Jared Allen sacked him three times. The Vikings also pulled down three interceptions in the second half.
What you ought to know
| QB Kyle Orton, Pass: 11 - 29 - 153 - 2 TD / 3 INT |
QB Kyle Orton faced a lot of pressure from the Vikings front line and he was sacked three times by DL Jared Allen. He was often knocked down as he threw and made three bad decisions on each of his interceptions.
He did not read the defense well and was inaccurate throughout the game. His first touchdown pass was on a quick slant to WR Devin Hester, who grabbed the ball and beat three defenders into the end zone for a long score. The second touchdown came after an interception return brought the Bears into a first and goal situation and Orton hit RB Matt Forte on the left side of the end zone for the score.
| RB Matt Forte, Rush: 22 - 96 - 0, Rec: 4 - 29 - 1 (4 targets) |
RB Matt Forte put in an incredible effort in the loss. The Vikings defensive front line dominated the game but Forte ran hard and nearly managed 100 yards on the ground. On his touchdown reception, he initially lined up as the only running back but shifted over to become the only receiver on the left side and Orton hit him with a nice pass for the touchdown.
Forte also took one snap from the wildcat formation and ran it for a small gain.
| RB Adrian Peterson, Rush: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets) |
RB Adrian Peterson did not see much action in the loss.
| WR Devin Hester, Rush: 1 - 3 - 0, Rec: 3 - 67 - 1 (8 targets) |
WR Devin Hester took a quick slant pass from QB Kyle Orton 64 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. He made three defenders miss him and then scampered his way into the end zone. Hester also returned kickoffs in addition to punts. He had recently been replaced on kickoff returns. He also took one handoff on an end around.
Hester could have caught another pass for a relatively nice gain but the ball bounced off his arm and Hester did not make any attempt to catch the ball until it was too late. It is likely he did not see the ball coming but he was looking back long enough in advance to have seen the football spiraling toward him.
| WR Brandon Lloyd, Rec: 1 - 24 - 0 (3 targets) |
WR Brandon Lloyd was not much of a factor in the game.
| WR Rashied Davis, Rec: 1 - 17 - 0 (5 targets) |
WR Rashied Davis only had one catch in the game. He had two drops including a deep pass down the sideline that could have ended in a score if he had been able to hold on. He was able to get the ball into his grasp but dropped it as he tried to bring it in.
| TE Desmond Clark, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (2 targets) |
TE Desmond Clark only had one catch in the game. TE Greg Olsen saw more playing time as the pass receiving tight end.
| TE Greg Olsen, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (4 targets) |
TE Greg Olsen was quiet in the game. In the second half, he showed some hustle by tracking down LB Ben Leber after his interception and then managed to strip the ball away. Unfortunately for the Bears, the ball skipped out of bounds before OL John Tait could knock it back in bounds.
| PK Robbie Gould 0 - 0 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 2 points |
PK Robbie Gould did not attempt any field goals and connected on both extra point attempts.
| CHI Rush Defense |
The Chicago Bears had a hard time taking down RB Adrian Peterson who racked up over 100 yards rushing in the first half alone. DL Dustin Dvoracek left the game in the first quarter with an injury and did not return.
| CHI Pass Defense |
The Bears pass defense managed one interception of QB Gus Frerotte and DB Kevin Payne nearly took it in for a score but stepped out of bounds at the five yard line. They also sacked Frerotte twice but did not put consistent pressure on the Vikings passing game. They also allowed a 99 yard touchdown pass to WR Bernard Berrian.
| QB Gus Frerotte, Pass: 16 - 25 - 210 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - 1 - 1 |
QB Gus Frerotte was not flashy in the win but managed to get the job done. He hooked up with WR Bernard Berrian for a 99 yard touchdown score down the left sideline. The Bears defense left Berrian unguarded and he made an easy catch and score.
He nearly had another touchdown to TE Jim Kleinsasser but after review the referees ruled that the tight end was done at the one yard line.
In the first quarter, Frerotte was hit late by Adewale Ogunleye on third down but no flag was thrown. Frerotte went down to the ground hard and laid facedown but was then able to walk onto the sidelines. The Vikings kicked a field goal on the next play and Frerotte returned on the next series and showed no ill effects from the hit.
| RB Adrian Peterson, Rush: 28 - 131 - 1, Rec: 2 - -1 - 0 (3 targets) |
RB Adrian Peterson ran with a fierce determination through the Bears' defense. He was difficult to tackle and jumped, cut, and juked his way to over 100 rushing yards in the first half despite facing a stacked box for most of the game. By the end of the game, Peterson's uniform was splattered with blood. His touchdown in the fourth quarter put the game out of reach for good.
On two occasions, Peterson was seen limping to the sidelines but each time he was able to return to the game.
| RB Chester Taylor, Rush: 10 - 46 - 1, Rec: 4 - 19 - 0 (4 targets) |
RB Chester Taylor was mostly a third down back. His touchdown scamper in the third quarter exhibited a surprising amount of speed and swiftness as he dodged defenders for 20 yards into the end zone.
| WR Bernard Berrian, Rec: 4 - 122 - 1 (3 targets) |
WR Bernard Berrian reeled in a 99 yard touchdown catch in the first half. The play was an integral part of the game and caused a large momentum shift that never moved back to Chicago's side. Berrian sprinted down the sideline and after the cornerback dropped out of coverage QB Gus Frerotte hit him in stride for an easy, long score.
| WR Bobby Wade, Rec: 1 - 15 - 0 (3 targets) |
WR Bobby Wade was targeted once in the end zone but the pas fell incomplete.
| WR Sidney Rice, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (4 targets) |
WR Sidney Rice was targeted once in the end zone but the pass was incomplete. Otherwise, he was not much of a factor in the game.
| TE Jim Kleinsasser, Rec: 1 - 20 - 0 (1 targets) |
TE Jim Kleinsasser nearly had a touchdown in the second quarter but the referees reviewed the play and ruled that he was down at the one yard line. QB Gus Frerotte ran the ball in on the next play for the score. That was Kleinsasser's only catch of the day.
| TE Visanthe Shiancoe, Rec: 1 - 20 - 0 (3 targets) |
TE Visanthe Shiancoe was not much of a factor in the win.
| PK Ryan Longwell 2 - 2 FG, 4 - 4 XP, 10 points |
PK Ryan Longwell hit two short field goals and connected on all of his extra point attempts.
| MIN Rush Defense |
The Vikings defense played well all around but RB Matt Forte was determined and racked-up nearly 100 yards on the ground. However, the Vikings made a strong goal line stand in the first half that set the tone for the rest of the game where they stopped the Bears three times on the ground. Both DL Pat Williams and DL Kevin Williams were big factors clogging up the middle.
| MIN Pass Defense |
The Vikings had a field day against QB Kyle Orton. They picked him off three times in the second half and DL Jared Allen sacked him three times in the game