Vikings Start Fast, Collapse, Then Respond in Thrilling 29-22 Victory Over Bears
The 2022 Vikings continue to find ways to win close games. They also continue to make things more stressful than they probably need to be, but the results are all that matters.
Kevin O'Connell's Vikings raced out to a flawless start, collapsed, and ultimately responded with a huge drive in crunch time in their 29-22 victory over the Bears on Sunday. Chicago had one last chance to tie the game, but Cameron Dantzler stripped former Vikings receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette to seal the win.
The Vikings are now 4-1 in the O'Connell era. They swept the NFC North at home with wins over the Packers, Lions, and Bears in the first five weeks of this season. Heading into a Week 6 game against the Dolphins, the Vikings have a one-game lead and a tiebreaker over Green Bay in the division.
This team is either magical or lucky. Maybe a little bit of both.
Before things went haywire, this game was all Vikings for the first quarter and a half. Kirk Cousins completed his first 17 pass attempts, breaking Tommy Kramer's franchise record for consecutive completions. Justin Jefferson had 91 receiving yards by the end of the first quarter. Dalvin Cook scored two touchdowns, and even Jalen Reagor got in on the fun with his first touchdown as a Viking.
With seven minutes left in the second quarter, the Vikings led 21-3. They had scored a touchdown on each of their first three possessions and were almost toying with the Bears with creative plays by the end of the third scoring drive.
Then things started to shift.
With two minutes left in the half, Ryan Wright shanked a punt to give the Bears great field position. After an incredible catch by Darnell Mooney, Bears running back David Montgomery scored a touchdown to give his team some life. The Vikings had a bit of time left, but Greg Joseph's 53-yard field goal as the half expired sailed wide right.
The Vikings still out-gained the Bears 307 to 95 in the first half, but there was a lot of football left to play.
Things didn't get any better for the Vikings after halftime. They were out-gained 111 to 28 in a disastrous third quarter that saw the Bears cut the deficit to 21-19. Chicago then took its first lead in the fourth quarter on Cairo Santos' third long field goal of the game, which was set up by a Cousins interception.
But the Vikings' offense finally found its footing again when it was needed most. Cousins led a 17-play, 75-yard scoring drive late in the fourth quarter, converting multiple key third downs and punching it in himself on a QB sneak.
Then, with the Bears driving to try to send it to overtime, Dantzler ripped the ball out of Smith-Marsette's hands. It was the second crucial error for the former Vikings receiver, who also negated a Justin Fields touchdown run with an illegal block.
Jefferson finished the game with 12 catches for 154 yards and a two-point conversion. Cook had his best game of the season 121 total yards and two touchdowns. Irv Smith Jr. came up big on the final drive with a couple catches. And both Danielle Hunter and Za'Darius Smith had sacks in the game.
The Vikings got contributions from all over in this victory, their third in a row by one score. They became the first team to win a game in London and then return and win a game in the United States the following week.
Once again, there are things to clean up. The Vikings' defense wasn't great for much of this game, giving up 5.8 yards per play to a poor offense. Special teams, which had been so good in the first four weeks, were a disaster.
But for the third consecutive Sunday, the Vikings found a way. They'll take it.
Next up: the Dolphins in Miami next Sunday.
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