Bears Blow Away Vikings 39-10
Now everyone settle down. Yes, the Bears beat up the Minnesota Vikings 39-10 to even their record to 3-3 while trying to keep within a lap of the 6-0 Packers and the 5-1 Lions. We saw a lot of good things, but let’s remember that these Vikings are 1-5 for a reason. They’re awful. Pitiful. Woeful. Any other synonyms for pathetic I could put out there? As many call the Bears’ defense old, McNabb is ancient. It’s late, so let’s go bullet points after the jump to review the game notes.
- It’s about time that Mike Martz realized that maybe they should leave a couple of extra blockers back to give Jay some time. With the max protect looks, Cutler looked comfortable in the pocket and was able to make plays. Way to build on a good game in Detroit with a great effort. Is it finally starting to click for the offense? Is he finally turning into the quarterback we traded for a couple of years ago?
- That said, the offensive line actually looked decent. I can’t think of more than one false start while they avoided the big mistakes and misreads that end up getting Jay Cutler killed. You’ve got to give credit where credit is due.
- Cutler to Hester. Bomb. This is what we’ve been waiting for. Beautiful pass. Beautiful catch. Simply beautiful.
- Hester’s kickoff returns never get old. The way he sets up the coverage team and then pops through there is ridiculous!
- How about Roy Williams showing up? 3 catches for 50 yards is his best outing as a Bear. Look out, 80 catches here we come!
- Dane Sanzenwaddle continues to get it down in the slot. He tallied another touchdown subbing for Earl Bennett.
- The defense was clearly focused on stopping Adrian Peterson. He ended up with 39 rushing yards on just 12 attempts. Nicely done D!
- It was a night when it looked like the All World running back was on the Bears’ sidelines. Forte is becoming so consistent, we’re taking it for granted.
- Welcome to the NFL, Stephen Paea. In his first NFL action, he recorded a sack that led to a Bears’ safety. Nice work, kid. Keep it up.
- Julius Peppers, who was listed as doubtful as late as Friday, played and played well. He racked up a couple of sacks and led a spirited effort by the defensive line.
- Chris Harris, who was demoted earlier this week, was Inactive. I get the demotion, but a healthy scratch? Come on Lovie! The Bears are lucky he wasn’t needed. Maybe Lovie knew they could get away with benching their safeties because the Vikings are so pitiful? I’ve also heard some rumors that Harris could be on the trade block, so maybe the Bears didn’t want the all-world tweeter to risk getting hurt.
- Adam Podlesh is growing on me. He had a great game with great directional kicks and a couple of long punts to flip the field.
- Robbie Gould is solid as can be, even though he may have cost me my fantasy matchup with DeCon. Nice 51-yard boot! Next time, let’s save that one for a game when my fantasy team isn’t going against you and the Bears actually need a score.
Overall, a great effort against a lousy team. Let’s celebrate the victory but keep our feet planted firmly on the ground. The Bears did exactly what they were supposed to do.
What did I miss? What were your observations? Does this win mean that the Bears are back on track or is this just the equivalent of beating up a little kid and taking his lunch money? I’d love to hear your comments.
Next week, the Bears will be heading to London to take on the Bucs, who scored an impressive win over the Saints. The game could be a critical tiebreaker game, so it will be a crucial game to get before heading for a bye.