Upon Further Review: Vikings move into playoff picture after beating Bears
If Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins gets the headlines after a Monday night loss, he should get consistent treatment after a big win.
Cousins, in the middle of his ninth NFL season, finally notched his first win in 10 tries on Monday Night Football, a 19-13 victory over Chicago. It also marked the first time Cousins topped the Bears in a Vikings uniform. He was even animated on the field after a key first down in the fourth quarter, bringing back memories of his old “You like that?!” mantra with Washington.
Acting as a game manager for a third straight week, Cousins was fantastic at Soldier Field. He completed 25 of 36 pass attempts (69.4%) for 292 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, the latter being a pass that bounced off the hands of wide receiver Adam Thielen.
More Vikings coverage
But really, it wasn’t Cousins who won the game for the Vikings. The real hero was head coach Mike Zimmer and his patched-together defense, the same unit responsible for aging its beloved leader by about a decade after a 1-5 start to the season.
Entering Week 10, Chicago head coach Mike Nagy announced he would no longer be calling offensive plays. Instead, it would be offensive coordinator Bill Lazor taking the “BE YOU” play card.
Well, Lazor’s debut didn’t go as planned. The Bears’ offense put up just six points and were held to a season-low 149 total yards, with just 32 of those yards coming after halftime. The Bears went three-and-out on their opening four possessions of the second half, only converted 2-of-11 third-down tries and were 0 for 2 on fourth down.
Allen Robinson, one of the most talented wide receivers in the league, was limited to six catches for 43 yards – just the third time in 10 contests he’s been held to under 70 yards.
Things weren’t necessarily pretty for the Vikings’ offense. Minnesota struggled to establish red-hot running back Dalvin Cook on the ground until Bears defensive lineman Akiem Hicks exited the game late in the third quarter. Cook rushed 30 times for 96 yards and did not find the end zone for the first time all season.
In the end, the Vikings were able to shake off an icky performance on special teams (surrendered a kick return TD and missed an extra-point attempt) for the victory.
Saddle up, Vikings fans.
At 4-5, Minnesota is officially in the postseason hunt. With seven contests remaining and a favorable upcoming schedule, the Vikings are two games behind the L.A. Rams (6-3) and Seattle Seahawks (6-3), who are currently positioned as the final two NFC wild-card teams.
Here’s a recap of Monday’s game (STORY | PHOTOS):
PLAYER OF THE GAME
When tight end Kyle Rudolph fumbled the ball away on the Vikings’ opening possession, it looked like Minnesota was marching towards its annual and inevitable meltdown at Soldier Field. Harrison Smith had other ideas. Bears quarterback Nick Foles’ second pass attempt of the contest tipped off the hands of receiver Anthony Miller and into the arms of Smith, who hauled it in for his third interception of 2020 and No. 26 of his career. The safety looked like the best player on Minnesota’s defense for much of the game. With the Bears facing third-and-7 early in the third quarter, Foles floated a pass down the field for Robinson, who grabbed it briefly before Smith came up behind him and swatted it down. The Bears were forced to punt. Later in the quarter, Chicago was up against a third-and-10. Minnesota blitzed six players, one of them being Smith, who rocketed past the offensive line untouched and forced a hurried pass attempt from Foles. And yet again, the Bears punted.
.@HarriSmith22 wasn’t gonna let this fly ?♂️? #SKOL
Via @thecheckdown
— FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) November 17, 2020
DON’T FORGET ABOUT ME
The Vikings have found a breakout star on the defensive line. D.J. Wonnum, a fourth-round pick by Minnesota (No. 117 overall) out of South Carolina, has been terrorizing quarterbacks over the past four games. He was credited with two tackles, one tackle for loss, a game-high three quarterback hits and one sack. Late in the third quarter with the game tied at 13, Chicago lined up for a third-and-6. The Vikings blitzed six players (once again). Starting at the edge, Wonnum breezed past three Chicago blockers en route to Foles for his third career sack.
.@DWonnum is in the backfield so often he should pay rent ?#SKOL
Via @Vikings
— FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) November 17, 2020
THAT MOMENT
It was rookie receiver Justin Jefferson lighting up the box score with eight catches for 135 yards, but Thielen found the end zone twice. His first touchdown grab was spectacular. On third-and-3 from Chicago’s 17-yard line, Cousins found Thielen streaking towards the goal line in single coverage. He hurled it towards Thielen, who trapped it between his shoulder and left hand and somehow, as he was falling to the ground, flipped the football around to further secure it. Insane. Thielen’s catch gave Minnesota a 7-0 lead with 6:34 left in the first quarter.
HOLY ****
Via @NFL pic.twitter.com/RmWVC97HzR
— FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) November 17, 2020
THIS NUMBER
53.1% — While Minnesota has had its struggles on defense, one thing it has done all year is protect its red zone. The Vikings have allowed their opponents to score touchdowns on 53.1% of their trips inside the 20-yard line, which ranks fourth-best in the NFL. The Bears only crept inside the red zone once and exited with a field goal. But Chicago was inside the Vikings 35-yard line two other times, ending in another field goal and a turnover on downs.
THEY SAID IT
“There was a couple times I was upset on the sideline, and Anthony Harris said, ‘Coach, just call the game. We’re going to win.’ They keep me in line, too.” — head coach Mike Zimmer
“Energy. Not having fans in the stadium, we was lacking a lot of energy the first couple weeks. But we found our energy; we found our swagger. We came out ready to play football. The last three weeks, that’s what we’ve been doing.” — wide receiver Justin Jefferson on what’s changed since the 1-5 start
“It’s a really good defense we played tonight. I felt like they showed it all game long. Yards were tough to come by, points were tough to come by, they were able to contain our run game for the most part, and that is why it was so important to have success in the passing game and have success on third downs.” — quarterback Kirk Cousins
“That was a great catch with contact. And the difficulty level is definitely a nine out of 10. I got to get me a one-hander this year, too.” — Jefferson on Thielen’s TD grab
WHAT’S NEXT
After three straight divisional bouts (all wins), the Vikings’ schedule turns favorable. Minnesota’s next three games — all at U.S. Bank Stadium — are against Dallas (2-7), Carolina (3-7) and Jacksonville (1-8). Those teams have combined for a .214 winning percentage. The Cowboys, who Minnesota will face at 3:25 p.m. Sunday, have lost their last four contests and are averaging 10.3 points per game since quarterback Dak Prescott was injured in Week 5. Andy Dalton is expected to return at quarterback after missing the Cowboys’ last two games due to a concussion.
