Minnesota Vikings defeat Chicago Bears 38-10 in week 17
The Minnesota Vikings were able to defeat the Chicago Bears in their final game of the 2016 NFL season to improve to an 8-8 record and send fans home happy.
The Minnesota Vikings entered week 17 of the NFL season as being eliminated from the playoffs. However, there was still a lot of pride on the line as well as escalators, statistics, and players with things to prove against the Bears.
In case you missed the 38-10 Vikings victory or wanted a refresher, here is a rundown of what happened during the game between these two NFC North teams who will be looking for a bounce-back season in 2017:
After the kickoff, the Vikings started with the ball. The team made quick work of their first offensive possession, hitting Cordarrelle Patterson on a 39 yard pass before Jerick McKinnon finished the drive with a 21 yard run. Minnesota leads 7-0 very early in the game.
Jan 1, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes (29) intercepts a pass during the first quarter against the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Now, Chicago had their turn with the ball. Like their previous meetings, the Bears used heavy doses of Jordan Howard to move the chains. Once the bears got in the red zone, Xavier Rhodes stepped in front of a pass from Barkley to Jeffery and got the interception.
Sam Bradford started out with some short passes to get their backs away from the end zone. Then, a combination of tough running with the football and Rudolph fighting for yardage moved Minnesota into Chicago territory. Once inside the red zone, the team stalled and had to settle for a short Kai Forbath field goal.
With a 10-0 lead, the Vikings were on defense when the Bears started driving. However, their running back had the ball pop out of his hands, and it was recovered by Anthony Harris to give the ball back to Minnesota.
Jan 1, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph (82) catches a pass against Chicago Bears linebacker Jerrell Freeman (50) in the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
It didn’t take long for the Vikings to capitalize on the turnover, with Bradford connecting with Kyle Rudolph for a 22 yard touchdown. Minnesota’s lead was extended to 17-0 after the Forbath extra point.
Chicago went back on offense, and it was once again heavy doses of Jordan Howard. The Vikings defense was stout and forced a punt. Marcus Sherels took the return for a 36 yard return into Bears territory.
Sadly, this is one time the Vikings couldn’t take advantage of the field position. After three unsuccessful plays, Minnesota punted the ball right back to the Bears. Pounding the football on the ground, Chicago moved into Minnesota territory. They converted a fourth down attempt to keep the drive alive, and finished off the 17 play drive with a Howard touchdown run.
Minnesota started with less than 2 minutes until halftime, and started chipping away at the field before them after the touchback. The drive stalled, but a punt from Jeff Locke led to a botched catch that was recovered by Jayron Kearse. After the review. it was determined that there was not enough evidence that Anthony Harris touched the ball while out of bounds, so the Vikings kept the ball just outside the red zone.
Jan 1, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jarius Wright (17) celebrates his touchdown with wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (84) against the Chicago Bears in the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Passes to Rudolph and Thielen put the team on the doorstep of the end zone, but it was a 1 yard touchdown pass from Bradford to Jarius Wright that got the touchdown. After the extra point, the Vikings led 24-7 with 18 seconds left.
But the Bears weren’t done yet. A big kick return and a deep pass to Meredith put the Bears in field goal territory. The kick was good, and the Vikings went into halftime with a 24-10 lead.
Chicago started the second half with more of their powerful running game. They moved the chains well before Trae Waynes was the recipient of a poor decision by Matt Barkley and capitalized by getting a big interception.
Sam Bradford used this opportunity to connect with multiple receivers and make their way down the field. Jarius Wright, Charles Johnson, Jerick McKinnon, Kyle Rudolph, and others got in on the drive with catches, which ended with Sam Bradford looking for Cordarrelle Patterson in the end zone. However, the Bears were able to be in the right place to intercept the pass for a touchback.
Jan 1, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Jerick McKinnon (21) celebrates his touchdown with wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) during the first quarter against the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Matt Barkley continued to hand the ball off to his running backs while sprinkling in short passes. On third and short, they failed to pick up the first down and decided to go for it. It took a group effort, but Minnesota was able to stop the 4th down run inches short of the line of scrimmage.
Following the turnover on downs. Minnesota took back over on offense. Kyle Rudolph made some big catches, but a play out of wildcat led to Jerick McKinnon running in his second touchdown score of the game from 10 yards out.
Down 3 scores, the Bears took over on offense and needed points fast to stay in the game. Chicago still ran the ball, but not as often with the clock ticking down. On 3rd and 1, Linval Joseph forced a fumble from quarterback Matt Barkley. Everson Griffen grabbed the bouncing football and ran it into the end zone.
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After a review, it was determined that the call on the field of a defensive touchdown was confirmed. The Forbath extra point gives Minnesota a 38-10 advantage.
Once again, the Bears took the field looking to narrow the massive Vikings lead. Incomplete passes hurt their efforts to move the chains, and a sack by Brian Robinson on 3rd down pushed Chicago back even more.
The punt return didn’t net many yards, but a run by Jerick McKinnon did. With Shaun Hill now in the game at quarterback, the game stalled with the quarterback throwing an incomplete pass on 4th down.
The Bears brought in their backup quarterback David Fales, and the contest officially entered ‘garbage time’. After picking up a first down through the air, two incomplete passes, and a fumble led to a Chicago punt.
The Minnesota Vikings took a knee three times to close out the 2016 season with a win at home over the Chicago Bears. They moved to 8-8 on the season and now have the long offseason ahead of them.
