The Associated Press
Andrew Seligman
CHICAGO–No doubt about it now, the Bears really are serious about winning the NFC North.
Khalil Mack had a sack and fumble recovery, and Eddie Jackson returned an interception for a touchdown, as Chicago tightened its grip on the division with a 25-20 victory over the second-place Minnesota Vikings last night.
Mack and Jackson led a dominant effort by the defence. And Chicago (7-3) took a big step toward its first division championship since 2010.
The Bears won their fourth in a row–their longest streak since a six-game run in 2012.
Chicago finished 10-6 that year, missed the playoffs, and fired coach Lovie Smith after that season.
“You’ve got to understand the situation, facing a division opponent, knowing we’re going to face them twice a year,” Mack said.
“We’ve got to make that jump and you [saw] it today.
“It’s knowing what’s at stake,” he added. “Everybody showed up ready to play.”
The “Monsters of the Midway” simply dominated Minnesota yesterday, taking out the defending division champs after beating three struggling teams–the N.Y. Jets, Buffalo Bills, and Detroit Lions.
The Bears also have victories the past two weeks over NFC North opponents after dropping 10-in-a-row against division foes.
“This isn’t about proving, I don’t think for us, as much as it is about our guys just learning that they can trust one another,” head coach Matt Nagy said.
“When you stick together through the highs and the lows, and you work as hard as our guys do together and you listen to the coaches and the coaches listen to the players . . . you then get a chance to be in a situation like this tonight, to play in front of the whole world,” he noted.
Chicago suffocated the Vikings (5-4-1), with big advantages in total yards (308-268) and time of possession (34:29-25:31) even though quarterback Mitchell Trubisky had his difficulties.
“They’re a good defence but a lot of times we hurt ourselves,” noted Vikings’ receiver Adam Thielen.
The Bears were leading by eight midway through the fourth quarter when Jackson picked off a pass from Kirk Cousins that was intended for Laquon Treadwell.
His 27-yard TD return and a two-point conversion pass from Trubisky to Adam Shaheen made it 22-6.
Cousins then threw a 13-yard TD to Aldrick Robsinon and a two-point conversion to Thielen, making it 22-14.
But Cody Parkey kicked to 48-yard field goal with 2:48 left and the Bears hung on from there.
Trubisky was 20-of-31 for 165 yards and a touchdown. But he was intercepted twice by Anthony Harris.
Parkey shook off a performance unlike any other by making all three of his field goal attempts.
It was a big improvement over the previous week, when he hit uprights four times while missing two field goals and two extra points against Detroit.
“We all believed in him in the locker-room,” Trubisky said. “There was never a doubt. . . .
“I’m happy for Cody. He was big-time tonight,” Trubisky added. “He delivered for his team and put some points on the board when we needed them.
“They were crucial and he did a heck of a job.”
Cousins, meanwhile, consistently was under pressure and finished 30-of-46 for 262 yards.
He threw two touchdowns in the final 4:51 and got intercepted twice.
“It was a balance at times,” Cousins said. “They weren’t necessarily getting a sack but they were affecting my arm.”
Elsewhere in the NFL, Dallas shaded Atlanta 22-19, New Orleans routed Philadelphia 48-7, Detroit nipped Carolina 20-19, Indianapolis dumped Tennessee 38-10, the N.Y. Giants topped Tampa Bay 38-35, and Baltimore beat Cincinnati 24-21.
Houston beat Washington 23-21, Pittsburgh downed Jacksonville 20-16, Oakland edged Arizona 23-21, and Denver nipped the L.A. Chargers 23-22.
The L.A. Rams host Kansas City tonight.
