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5 things that stood out in the Vikings' win over the Bears

What appeared to be a simple win suddenly took a turn.

Adam Uren

5 things that stood out in the Vikings' win over the Bears
5 things that stood out in the Vikings' win over the Bears /

The Vikings have moved to 4-1 on the season and put daylight between themselves and the Green Bay Packers – though they were made to work for it at home by the Chicago Bears.

Here are five things that stood out from Sunday's 29-22 win.

1. Dalvin Cook finally gets rolling

It's been a stop-start season for the Vikings' star running back, not helped by some tough matchups, but the Bears' sub-par run defense offered him an opportunity to rack up some yards – and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

Dalvin Cook finished with 94 yards on 18 carries with two touchdowns, and two receptions for 27 yards, and alongside Justin Jefferson proved the biggest threat in a scintillating first quarter by the home side.

Next up for the Vikings and Cook is the Miami Dolphins, whose defense got gashed by the New York Jets' Breece Hall and Michael Carter on Sunday, and they won't be happy to see Cook hitting his stride.

2. First half play-calling clinic by Kevin O'Connell

On Minnesota's second touchdown drive of the game, O'Connell went deep into his playbook and called two plays that would've shocked the world had they been called under past offensive coordinators. The first jaw-dropper was a double pass from Kirk Cousins to Jefferson to Dalvin Cook for a 23-yard gain on third and 10. 

The Vikings finished the drive with a third down shovel pass from Cousins to Jalen Reagor. That type of play has been a staple for the Chiefs and Packers over the years, but rarely utilized by past Vikings coaches. 

3. Vikings making ordinary QBs look extraordinary

It happened with Jared Goff in Week 3, Andy Dalton in Week 4, and again with Justin Fields in Week 5.

Fields isn't good – not yet at least – and the Chicago offense has struggled in every game it's played.

Yet like they did with Detroit and New Orleans, the Vikings somehow gave the Bears a foothold in the game, with the defense unable to lock down Fields as a 21-3 lead became 22-21 by the fourth quarter.

The offense struggled in this period too, with Kirk Cousins throwing an interception as the Bears surged back, but in the end he was able to lead a 4th quarter drive to get the crucial touchdown.

The Vikings will come up against much better QBs than Fields and their defense can't be trusted to stop them, so it'll be up to the offense to put games beyond doubt.

4. Vikings helped out by one of its former players

The Vikings' decision to cut receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette ahead of the new season was one of the most contentious cuts of the preseason, with the Bears swooping in to pick him up.

But on Sunday, the Vikings were given two big hands by their former player, without which the unthinkable may have happened.

The first was this push on Cameron Dantzler which was called for an illegal block, just as Fields set off on what would have been a 50-plus yard touchdown run.

The other was the last play of the game, with Smith-Marsette making a catch and passing the first down mark as the Bears entered Vikings territory needing a touchdown to level things up with just over a minute to go.

Instead of running out of bounds and stopping the clock, Smith-Marsette stay in bounds and a recovery Cam Dantzler stripped him off the ball, securing a win for the Vikings.

5. Just throw to Jefferson

No duh, right? But it bears repeating. In the first quarter Jefferson went crazy, with Cousins finding him seven times for 91 yards and it looked as though he would feast.

He still finished with an outstanding 154 yards including a 2-point conversion and the aforementioned 23-yard pass, the period in which Chicago got themselves back in the game coincided with a dearth in targets.

There's no point in keeping your opponents guessing by mixing it up if you've got a generational receiver who just gashed a team for 91 yards in a single quarter. Throw it to him. A lot.

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Adam Uren
ADAM UREN

Raised on the Isle of Man, Adam has 15 years experience as a reporter and editor at regional and national level in the U.K. and the U.S. He moved to Minnesota in 2014 and became a writer for Bring Me The News. He is now the co-owner and editor of Bring Me The News and Bring Me The Sports, mixing in some occasional sports writing with his other editorial duties. He lists his three great loves as his family, Liverpool F.C. and baked beans (the British kind).

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