The Chicago Bears were coming off a short practice week and trying to have a short memory when they hosted the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at Soldier Field.
After Monday night’s demoralizing 32-7 loss at San Francisco, the Bears were counting on the return from a concussion of quarterback Jay Cutler to re-energize the team on both sides of the ball.
The VIkings pulled to with 25-10 after a 40-yard drive. Quarterback Christian Ponder passed two yards to tight end Kyle Rudolph for a touchdown with 10:44 left in the third period. The score was set up by an interception by Antoine Winfield after a Cutler pass caromed off the hands of Brandon Marshall.
The Bears were energized early, taking a 25-3 halftime lead on a 13-yard Cutler TD pass to tight end Matt Spaeth. The score came after Chris Conte intercepted a Christian Ponder pass and returned it 35 yards to the Vikings' 13 with 1:55 left until halftime, and that was the score at intermission after Robbie Gould's 39-yard field goal attempt was blocked on the final play.
Cutler completed 15 of 17 first-half passes for 170 yards and one touchdown. His passer rating was 115.0.
The Bears had 169 yards of total offense, compared to the Vikings' 92. Adrian Peterson was limited to 25 yards on seven carries.
Earlier, a 1-yard touchdown run by Michael Bush, his second of the day, had extended the Bears' lead to 16-3. On the extra point, holder Adam Podlesh took the snap from center and ran in for the two-point conversion for an 18-3 advantage with 4:01 left until halftime.
The Bears had gone up 10-3 on a 47-yard field goal by Gould with 32 seconds left in the first quarter. The drive covered 25 yards in 10 plays. The drive featured a taunting penalty against a feisty Cutler for flipping the ball at the Vikings' A.J. Jefferson.
The Vikings' Walsh had a 30-yard field goal attempt blocked by Julius Peppers with 12 minutes left until halftime.
Injuries were a concern for the Bears. Devin Hester was ruled out for the game in the second quarter after suffering a concussion. Guard Chris Spencer was questionable to return with a knee injury and guard Lance Louis had to be helped off the field after taking a vicious hit from the Vikings' Jared Allen. Matt Forte went to the locker room midway through the third quarter with an ankle injury and his return was called questionable.
The Bears' defense got back to its turnover-producing ways early when Peterson fumbled and Charles Tillman recovered at the Vikings' 34. Nick Roach forced the fumble. The Bears converted the opportunity into a 1-yard touchdown by Bush with 7:17 left in the first quarter to take a 7-3 lead. The drive included a 15-yard pass from Cutler to tight end Kellen Davis to the Minnesota 1.
The Bears lost the ball on their opening series when Matt Forte fumbled with 13:07 left in the first period. The fumble was recovered by Chad Greenway at the Bears' 28. The drive resulted in a 40-yard field goal by Blair Walsh.
After dropping two straight, the Bears needed to fend off the Vikings, who entered one game back at 6-4. And the Bears were trying to at least keep pace with the Packers as leaders of the NFC North. The Bears and Vikings will meet twice in three weeks. On Dec. 9, the Bears travel to the Metrodome.
Peterson reportedly missed the team bus to Soldier Field, but hailed a taxi cab in front of the team hotel and made it to the stadium at 10:23 a.m. for the noon start, according to the NFL Network.
The Bears have another NFC home game next Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.
fmitchell@tribune.com
Twitter@kicker34
Halftime: Bears 25, Vikings 3
This article
Halftime: Bears 25, Vikings 3
can be opened in url
http://sneerednews.blogspot.com/2012/11/halftime-bears-25-vikings-3.html
Halftime: Bears 25, Vikings 3
