Bears Upset Vikings, Saints Clinch Top Spot in NFC
Try as they might, the Bears couldn’t squander a 16-point halftime lead to keep the Vikings in the mix for the #1 seed in the NFC. Instead, they somehow they managed to hang on to pull off the 36-30 upset win and help the Saints back into home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
Brett Favre led a second half Vikings comeback where he picked apart Lovie Smith’s Cover-2 defense to tie the game up on a last gasp 4th and goal play with under a minute to go in the game. Had Izzy Idonije not blocked a Ryan Longwell PAT earlier in the game, the Vikings may have very well prevailed.
Lovie Smith apologists will try to use this win as a reason to keep Smith and his staff, but don’t be fooled. There are still plenty of reasons to pass out the pink slips at the end of the season. Be sure to check out FIRE LOVIE SMITH for lots of coverage as the walls cave in around Lovie. Let’s look at the memorable moments of the game: Tommie can you hear me?
Tommie Harris played inspired football. Not sure if this is some lame effort to rally in support of Lovie or try to earn his roster bonus for 2010, but either way, it’s too little, too late for me on the Tommie thing. I am skeptical that he’s back to old form, but with so many other glaring holes to fill, it probably makes sense to fork over the cash and bring this bozo back.
Vandy Night
It was like a Vanderbilt recruiting show on Monday Night Football. Jay Cutler, of course, had one of his best games as a Bear, throwing 4 TD passes with a 127 QB rating. One of those TD’s went to fellow alum Earl Bennet.
The offensive line played well, giving Cutler time to throw. A special hat tip goes to Chris Williams for keeping that purple rodeo clown Jared Allen shut down with minimal help.
Perhaps the biggest play from a Vandy guy came from veteran linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer, who forced a fumble out of Adrian Peterson to set up the game winner.
Special Feeling
The Special Teams continue to excel on this Bears squad. It’s sometimes the little things that we take for granted, like Izzzy Idonije’s blocked PAT. The big things we also notice, like Danieal Manning’s outstanding work in the return game. Johnny Knox also chipped in with some fine work on teams.
The only downside was a rare Robbie Gould missed FG in OT. Had the Vikings marched down to score after his push right, he would certainly be wearing the scapegoat hat.
Where have these guys been hiding?
Devin Aromashodu is at the top of my list of players that have been hiding on this Bears roster. How could this guy have been sitting behind Rashied Davis on game days? DA went off for 150 yards and the game winning TD. Not too shabby.
Other notable guys that made some plays include Chris Williams at the left tackle position, Mark Anderson made a couple of plays filling in for the injured Adewale Ogunleye. My two favorite and most under-appreciated guys include Izzy Idonije and Anthony Adams as guys who just make plays. Heck, we even saw Gaines Adams in some important situations.