Vikings Bury the Bears on Monday Night
Vikings Territory Breakdown
There was a white-out in Minnesota on Monday, but it was inside U.S. Bank Stadium rather than out. And it turned into a blowout, as the Vikings hammered the visiting Chicago Bears with a sluggish but ultimately dominating 30-12 performance. It was always pretty, but in the end, the Vikings, newly minted 2024 playoff participants, handled Caleb Williams and the Bears and took care of business pulling into a tie atop the NFC North with the Detroit Lions.
The offense played down to its competition for a time but then sped things up in the fourth quarter to pull away from the struggling Bears. The defense, in its bend-but-don’t break style, didn’t give up a touchdown until the outcome was virtually decided. They didn’t defend the run very well for the third game in a row, but they did defend their endzone, and that held off the Bears until the offense could get to work.
The Vikings now have three games remaining, and if they win out, they will win the NFC North and earn a much-needed week off (their bye was back in October) during the first-round of the playoffs. They face Seahawks in Seattle next week, the Green Bay Packers (who are just two games behind them) in Minnesota the next week and close on the road against the Lions—who are suddenly dealing with a number of injuries. It is all right in front of them, but they will need a more efficient offense performance to get it done.
Until then, we will talk about it. And the fellas at Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast—Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com—will be on the air to discuss it all—so tune in and check it out. The Vikings are 12-2: Skol!!!!
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