The Chicago Bears were looking to finish the regular season on a high note, but it wasn't meant to be as they were blown out by the Minnesota Vikings Sunday.
Thanks to three turnovers by Matt Barkley and five by the team overall, the Bears struggled to get anything going offensively, and the Vikings had no such issue as they cruised to a massive lead in the second half.
The Vikings got on the board first when they scored on their first drive of the afternoon. Jerrick McKinnon did the honors for Minnesota, as he hauled in a touchdown pass from Sam Bradford to complete a six-yard, 70-yard drive.
Barkley responded with an interception on the Bears' first drive, his ninth in three games, and the Vikings took advantage as they executed a beautiful drive of their own. Bradford completed a handful of passes, including a long one to Matt Asiata, and although the Bears' defense prevented another touchdown, Kai Forbath drilled through a short field goal to make it a 10-0 game.
A Jeremy Langford fumble gave the Vikings prime time field position, and they scored yet again. Kyle Rudolph, who dropped a potential touchdown pass on the previous drive, didn't make the same mistake twice as he bulldozed his way through the Bears' defense and gave Minnesota a 17-0 advantage.
A trick play allowed the Bears to get on the board late in the half, with a role reversal setting the stage for the touchdown. After a direct snap to Langford, Cameron Meredith got the ball and lofted a touchdown pass to an open Barkley to move the Bears to within a 17-7 margin.
The Bears coughed up the football again late in the half after Bralon Addison muffed a punt, and the Vikings scored on a Jarius Wright touchdown catch. A long Deonte Thompson kick return did enable the Bears to get in scoring territory at the end of the half, but they had to settle for a Connor Barth field goal that made it 24-10 at the break.
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The second half continued to be a horror show for the Bears as they continued to turn the ball over and the Vikings continued to score. McKinnon scored his second touchdown of the day on a run in the third quarter, and on a Barkley fumble early in the fourth quarter, Everson Griffen scooped the ball up and scampered into the end zone for a touchdown and a commanding 38-10 lead in the closing minutes of the game.
