The Chicago Bears were able to fend off a late comeback attempt by the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, winning a 33-27 thriller and evening their record at 7-7 on the season and giving a boost to their playoff hopes.
The Vikings had a fourth down play deep in their own territory with two minutes remaining in the game, but Kirk Cousins’ attempted pass fell incomplete as the Bears took back possession. Another drive in the closing seconds fell short as the Bears squeezed out the victory.
Mitchell Trubisky had an efficient day, throwing for 202 yards and a touchdown, and although his late interception in the end zone gave the Vikings life, he was still able to help his team to the victory.
David Montgomery rushed for 146 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the game, marking the third consecutive game in which he had rushed for a score. Dalvin Cook was equally effective for Minnesota, with 132 yards to his credit.
The Bears got off to a hot start in the game, scoring on a five-play drive early in the first quarter to take the lead. On a rollout by Trubisky, he found Darnell Mooney for an eight-yard touchdown pass, giving Chicago an early 7-0 edge.
Adam Thielen tied things up for the Vikings later in the first quarter, sneaking out of a bunch formation and finding an open seam in the end zone for the easy touchdown and a 7-7 game with five minutes remaining in the frame.
From there, the Bears scored 13 unanswered points, with a pair of field goals from Cairo Santos and a touchdown run by Montgomery, giving themselves a 20-7 advantage with 3:38 remaining in the half.
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Dan Bailey, who had an awful week last week for the Vikings, managed to knock through a short field goal late in the half to bring Minnesota within 10 points, and then Cook scored a touchdown early in the third quarter to trim Chicago’s lead to 20-17.
Montgomery once again went to work in the third quarter, helping to cap off an 11-play, 75 yard drive with a 14 yard touchdown run to extend Chicago’s lead to 27-17.
Bailey and Santos exchanged field goals in the late third quarter and early in the fourth, but the Vikings drew within three points once again as Tyler Conklin hauled in a touchdown pass from Cousins for a 20-yard score an a 30-27 game.
After stopping the Vikings on a fourth down play late in the fourth, Santos kicked another field goal, and a last gasp Hail Mary pass from Cousins was knocked down in the end zone, giving the Bears the victory and a 7-7 record on the season.
The Bears will continue their playoff push in Week 16 when they head to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars in their final non-conference game of the season.
