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© Oak Park Journal photo
 

Dan Peters Sports Editor
Oak Park Journal 
 
Bears show Vikings the door, sending them packing with impressive 27-13 win

by Dan Peters

Going into the game against the Vikings, you had to ask yourself which Bears team would show up today?  The same could be  said for the Minnesota Vikings.  Both teams have had up and down games the past few weeks.

For the Vikings, yet another one of Brett Favre’s miracle comebacks last week against the Cardinals at home. Favre directed a great two minute offense to rally from 14 points down to tie the game. Then in overtime, the Vikings sealed the deal with winning field goal. Game over.

For the Bears, which offense would show up? The offense that the Bears used last week against the hapless Bills? Or the one that made Jay Cutler a human target?

Both of these questions were answered, and then some.

The Vikings scored first after the stout Bears defense held Favre from getting to the end zone. 3-0 Vikings.

Early on for the Bears, it seemed they might be looking to set another record.. for penalties. The first several drives were stalled by offensive penalties. But through all of this, Jay Cutler looked great. When he saw the pocket collapse, he ran the ball. In fact, in the first half he was the Bears leading rusher. Credit that to the new look offensive line. Cutler guided the Bears to a 7-3 lead with a target pass to Greg Olsen.

“We were able to play the run fairly well and get them into the passing game,” Smith said. “Once you get a team where they are one-dimensional, it’s tough for them to come back.”

Vintage Brett Favre

Just when you thought the Bears were on a roll, enter Mr. Favre. He responded to Cutler’s drive with a pass to Percy Harvin for a 53 yard touchdown, giving the Vikings the lead back 10-7. Then it seemed the Vikings gave up… and the Bears never looked back.

Spreading the ball around

The Bears scored the game’s final points midway through the fourth quarter when Cutler tossed a 19-yard TD pass to a wide open Kellen Davis after executing a perfect play-action fake on third-and-one.

“Basically it was get a hard run fake and get the linebackers to bite up,” said Davis, who dunked the ball over the goal post after scoring a TD on his first catch of the season. “It worked just like we drew it up, so  it was great.”

 “We’re in first place in our division, and that’s our goal,” said coach Lovie Smith. “This was a big game. In order for us to hopefully be the champs of our division, you have to beat the [two-time defending] champs, so it was a big win for us.”

“Offensively, I felt like we had control of the game most of the time,” Smith said. “We had a few turnovers that knocked us back a little bit. But for the most part we did about what we set out to do.”

Just how good was Jay Cutler?

Cutler completed passes to nine different receivers, including touchdown throws to tight ends Greg Olsen and Kellen Davis and wide receiver Devin Hester.

“Jay did a great job of distributing the ball to all the receivers, and they made plays,” Smith said. “It seemed like time after time someone else would come up with a big play.”

Cutler completed 22 of 35 passes for 237 yards with three touchdowns, two interceptions and an 87.4 passer rating. He also had a 25-yard scramble as the Bears rushed for 130 yards on 38 carries.

Devin Hester was simply ridiculous.

Devin Hester scored his first offensive touchdown since the second week of the season,  and nearly got into the end zone on special teams, returning a kickoff 68 yards and a punt 42 yards in stunning fashion. Sunday marked the first time all season that he was utilized on kickoff returns.

“It felt pretty good back there,” Hester said. “My teammates were kind of excited to see me back there, trying to give me a little inspiration and a little motivation and I wanted to please them.”

Third down domination

The Bears finally found out  how to dominate and score in the third quarter.

The Bears  simply dominated Sunday’s game on third down, converting 11-of-19 opportunities on offense  and limiting the Vikings to just 1-of-9 .

The Defense again rises to the occasion

The Bears defense ended  the game with a bang as Chris Harris and Lance Briggs intercepted Favre passes on Minnesota’s final two possessions.

"This was probably as good a three-phase performance that our team has had I would probably say all season," Olsen said. "All in all, it was a good team win."

Now, the Bears head to South Beach for a Thursday game against the Miami Dolphins. With a win there, the Bears can claim sole possession of first place as the Packers were idle this week.