Rahula Strohl

Bear with Us

Play-by-play of the Bears-Vikings game from a guy who left all his props and wardrobe at home

So I had a few things I planned on bringing in so I could have an especially goofy picture and/or lead-in. But they're sitting various places around my apartment because I don't have the strongest memory when I'm about to head to work 9½ hours after I left it the night before.

Stupid .

Seriously, five freaking hours for 11 innings? It's enough to make a man root for the Rockies.

Okay, on to football. The Vikings haven't won in the state of Illinois since before the United States government allowed me to drink. They can drive me to exercise my now-governmentally-approved right to drink by winning today. But I don't think they will.

The Vikings have one weapon, that being the other Adrian Peterson (hereafter OAP). When your best offensive weapon is your running back, facing the Bears in Soldier Field is not what you want to do. If the Bears key on OAP, who are the Vikings gonna go to?

Bobby Wade?

(Disclaimer: I have said in the past that I am of mixed emotions on Bobby Wade. When he was with the Bears, there was no one on the team easier to approach nor more curteous, nor did anyone on the team make more community appearances than Wade. He was the kind of guy you really wished would be good, because he was a model player off the field. But he really isn't good.)

Other than some and the now-standard , there's really nothing compelling coming into this game. Well, it's a division game that the Bears can't afford to cough up now that they've built up some level of moementum, however small. So I guess there is something compelling.

But seriously? It's Vikings at Bears. The Bears could throw three interceptions and still win by two scores.

Auto-refresh and comment board on the right, or e-mail me at rstrohl@tribune.com. Moderate temperatures, overcast skies and a light on-and-off mist on the lakefront. Football soon.

Oh, and everybody on ESPN picks the Bears, though they barely talked about them because of that whole Brady-Romo showdown for all the ladies. They even did a feature on Belichick's hoodie. Apparently it is a bigger seller than Brady's No. 12 jersey. So Bostonians have rotten taste. Tell us something we don't know.

JohnF, meanwhile, picks the same score I did. I like your thinkin'. And injury report: Tavaris Jackson will be under center for the Vikings and Darwin Walker won't be lining up over center for the Bears.

FIRST QUARTER

Dick Stockton back in town, prompting some queries around the news room as to whether Chicago hasn't had enough of him in the past two weeks. Devin Hester actually gets a kick, takes it from the 5 to the 23 and Brian Griese's first career start at Soldier Field (interesting stat from Stockton) begins with a first-down on a slant left to Bernard Berrian, followed by Cedric Benson getting another first down running into the line and then bouncing right, 1st and 10 from the 44. Benson off the left side and he gets nothing. The camera angle isn't straight on, it appears as if it's coming from the left corner of the end zone toward which the Bears are marching. It's annoying. Swing pass left to Benson is incomplete and then Fred Miller starts falsely, 3rd and 15 from the 39. Dumpoff to Desmond Clark, about whom Sharper is not worried, gets back to the 44 or so, then a great Maynard punt is caught fairly by Bobby Wade inside the 10.

Sorry, not inside the 10, it's the 14, so inside the 15. OAP goes in motion from being wide right and they use him as a decoy and Chester Taylor gets six up the middle. Taylor again, this time into the left side of the line and he's dropped just shy of the sticks. Taylor again to the left side of the line, the Vikings have it blocked up well and he gets five to the 28 for the first down. Danieal Manning gives Troy Williamson too much space, leaving him free for a 10-yard slant, but Williamson drops the pass, which was perfectly thrown. Manning again gives WIlliamson space, and Williamson this time catches it and Manning closes just quickly enough to stop it short of the first down, 3rd and inches. Fullback Tony Richardson gets the first down up the middle. OAP gets his first carry and the Bears stuff him. OAP is not stuffed on his second carry, as he bounces out right and beats Adam Archuleta to the corner and gets to the Bears' 33. OAP bounces out to the right again, but this time Charles Tillman is sitting right there and won't fall for any jukes, dropping OAP 1-on-1 for no gain, then lets him know that there won't be any of that juke business. Jackson sails a ball down the middle that falls incomplete, and the crowd makes noise on 3rd and long. Jackson has nowhere to throw the ball, gets flushed and throws the ball away. A 51-yard field goal is evidently not in Ryan Longwell's arsenal, as the Vikings punt and it's a touchback. Chris Kluwe was aiming for the corner but he just didn't get it over there enough and the ball bounced in the end zone.

To Joey Giggs on the board, Tillman plays with a similar cushion on stop routes (the second pass to Williamson) but he plays a lot tighter on slants than Manning did (the first pass to Williamson, the one he dropped). The big difference is, Tillman would have closed on Williamson a lot quicker and it wouldn't have been 3rd and inches. Pitch right to Benson and he follows a great pull by Olin Kreutz and Roberto Garza to get 12 yards for the first, then Benson gets three up the middle. Play fake to Benson and Griese checks down to him, but Benson hears footsteps and drops the pass. Another checkdown to Benson and he catches it this time, but only gets to the 40, two yards shy of the first. Another fair catch for Wade, this time just inside the 20 (and I'm sure it's the 20, not the 25).

E-mailer Rob Baker just sent me this link, which is where you can complain to Fox about this Jordan-awful camera angle. Rollout right and a dumpoff to OAP gets nine, then OAP gets nine up the middle, and it would have been a lot more had Archuleta not grabbed on and held on for dear life. OAP again, and this time for only a yard. The fourth consecutive play to OAP and Mr. Peterson, meet Mr. Briggs. Loss of four, 3rd and 13 from the 33. This time an inside handoff to Taylor and Israel Idonije drops him after only two yards. Hester runs backward, fields the punt over his shoulder inside the 10, runs along the 5-yard line from left to right to size up his lane, gets one and he's gone. Holy geez. PAT is good. He was basically trotting along the 5 and then off he goes. Wow.

Bears 7, Vikings 0, 1:56 left in the first quarter

So that ties Gale Sayers' team return record. Kickoff is dropped at some harmless yard line, I'll have it for you after the ads. It's the 26, from where Taylor is wrapped up from behind by Anthony Adams for a gain of one. OAP sweeps left and gets about seven. Good catch by Doug on the board, Stockton said that this was Hester's eighth return, ninth if you count the field goal. Yes, that one does count, as Doug pointed out. Jackson flushed from the pocket, shovels to someone for a first down and the Vikings will decline the offside call on Tommie Harris, 1st and 10 on the Vikes' 40. Jackson airs it out and Williamson has two steps on Archuleta and the Vikings can tie this with an extra point. They do.

Bears 7, Vikings 7, end of the first quarter

SECOND QUARTER

So on that touchdown pass, Tillman jammed Williamson off the line, then released him when he went deep, which was what Tillman was supposed to do. But Archuleta took an awful angle to Williamson and was playing catch-up after that. The Vikings, as Fox replays just showed us, also protected Jackson very well. Squib kick rolls to Hester at the 10 and he returns it to the 35. He can even make something out of that. Benson gets four, a pass over the middle to Olsen right at the sticks gets the first, then Benson gets another first through the middle, rumbling to the Vikes' 45. Benson again up the middle, only gets one. Griese goes to Muhsin Muhammad in the left flat and Moose drops it. Griese under a blitz, dumps a nice pass to the Real AP, who makes a nice catch for five yards, but the Vikings made illegal contact on Greg Olsen, so the Bears get 1st and 10 after the five-yard penalty and Griese hits an all-by-himself Bernard Berrian for the 39-yard touchdown up the right side. Replay shows Antoine Winfield fell down trying to turn around out of his backpedal. Whoopsie! PAT is good.

Bears 14, Vikings 7, 11:45 left in the half

OAP takes the kick from the 10 to the 30. To Chill on the board, I was scolded for the same reason by e-mailer Philly Mac. He then supposed that the reason I have such bravado is I grew up in the Jordan Era, and I have to say that's true. The Chicago team I know just doesn't get jinxed. Slant left to Sidney Rice at the sticks, and it would be another huge gain if Rice could catch. But he can't. On 2nd and 10, Taylor gets seven up the middle. They try to run a slant right to Bobby Wade, whose being covered tightly by Bears draft classmate Tillman and that's incomplete. Hester fields the punt around the 20 and returns it to around the 30 (exact yard line upon return from ads).

I know that didn't result in much, but seriously, why are they kicking to him? The return was indeed in the 10 yard neighborhood, but got to the 27, so I guess he fielded it around the 17 or so. Benson gets five, then nothing. To John on the board, who was wondering about Olsen, he has been more or less included, he has a first-down catch and has drawn an illegal contact penalty. I'm kinda glad they didn't go to Olsen on that Berrian touchdown pass. Griese has nothing, checks down to Real AP (herafter Real) for the first down, about a nine-yard play. End around right to Hester, he stops short, goes back left and turns a five-yard loss into a three-yard loss. From the 37, Griese tries to dump it to Rashied Davis out of the slot, but leads him a bit too much. Check down to Real gets four and Maynard will punt. Brian Baldinger points out that this may not be exciting, but it's letting the Bears' defense and special teams take control of the game, rather than putting them in an awkward position. I understand that logic given Grossman's struggles, but it would be nice, sometime before I shuffle off this mortal coil, to see a Bears offense that not only tries to convert on 3rd and long, but succeeds. Punt is downed at the 16.

Taylor beats Harris around the left corner, but he can't outrun Urlacher, five yard gain. Play fake to OAP, Jackson rolls right and has Williamson, who drops the first-down pass on the sideline. These guys really can't catch. The Vikings hold on third down, but it doesn't prevent Alex Brown from sacking Jackson back to the 16. Punt fielded inside the 35, returned to the 42.

Garrett Wolfe in the game, gets the carry up the middle for a yard. Replay shows that Davis got lit up big-time on that return. Ben Leber, who lit up Davis on the punt, comes in unblocked on a blitz and sacks Griese from the not-blind side. Desmond Clark on the right side gets two yards shy of the first, and the punt is a touchback. Jackson hits someone who actually catches it, didn't catch a number on the jersey, but it's a gain of nine, and Taylor gains five up the middle for the first down and the clock runs under 3:30. Taylor tries to cut back and slips for either no gain or a small loss. The Vikings set up some great blocking on a sweep left to OAP, and Brandon McGowan whiffs on a tackle (had him wrapped up and let him go) and Tillman and Urlacher, despite hot pursuit, won't catch him. PAT ties it.

Bears 14, Vikings 14, 2:19 left in the half

Tillman and Archuleta swarmed OAP, but a little too much and couldn't recover. Hester takes the kick at the 2 and returns it to the 30. Pass to Olsen just shy of the sticks brings us to the warning. To those wondering about Brandon McGowan, I don't know that he would be in the game if Kevin Payne's arm weren't broken. Obviously there's the Chris Harris question, which I can't answer. Dumpoff to Rashied Davis gets the first, and he scampers out of bounds to the 47 with 1:54 left. Griese has Olsen over the middle at the sticks and Olsen has plenty of room to run. Unfortunately, Olsen was looking at that room to run before catching the ball, 2nd and 10 with 1:50 left. Griese over the middle to Olsen again and Darren Sharper almost picks it off. Griese out of the shotgun takes hardly a drop and quickly hits Mark Bradley, who gets lit up just shy of the sticks, but they'll measure this. They are inches short and the Bears will go for it as the clock rolls under 1:20. Griese appears to get it on second effort but the Vikings say they have it on a fumble, and so do the refs. Pat Williams (whose cheeseburgers Olin Kreutz stole) just ripped that away from Griese, 1:12 left in the half.

From the Vikings' 43, Taylor gets nine, a declined offside on Tommie Harris leads to 2nd and 1. Taylor into the right side of the line appears to get the first, and the ball is loose, and the refs will sort this one out now with :58 left. Purple ball, and they call a timeout. So it's 3rd and 2, since the fumble set them back, and Jackson overthrows the fullback Richardson, who had Hunter Hillenmeyer beaten out of the backfield. Punt is a touchback, Bears have it with :46 left in the half and all three timeouts.

Griese tries to screen to Real, but throws it not that close to Real, then Benson runs into the right side of the line for two and the Vikings call a timeout with :38 left, 3rd and 8 from the 22. Delay to Real, he gets some space and gets to the sticks, spins out of a first down, but gets it again and gets out of bounds with :30 left. Dumpoff to Real and he gets another first down to the Bears' 42 and the Bears call their first timeout with :22 left. Griese looks downfield, doesn't have it, looks for Moose and throws way behind him, :18 left. Dumpoff for a loss of one and Real gets out of bounds with :11 left. Baldinger says the Bears should just go deep, worst that can happen is a pick that's equivalent to a punt. Another dumpoff to Real gets 10 more yards, they call Kreutz for holding, the Vikings accept with :04 left. Jason McKie gets the handoff, gets about seven or so and gets the mess knocked out of him by E.J. Henderson, the ball is knocked loose and McKie tries to get up, but can't. Commercials as Brian Urlacher stands over the fallen body of McKie as the Bears' medical staff attends to him. Oh, the Vikes recovered the ball and didn't return it as the half ended.

Halftime: Bears 14, Vikings 14

Halftime thoughts: Jason McKie walked off the field by himself, but whether that was a concussion and whether he'll be back, I don't know. I'm relying on Fox to do reporting. Yikes. As for the game, a 39-yard touchdown pass, an 89-yard touchdown return, a 60-yard touchdown pass and a 67-yard touchdown run. That's some big-play action there, folks. The end of that half was just sad on both accounts. I don't know why Griese didn't at least just try to force one downfield. No one's returning it for a touchdown from the 15, and the defense can stop the Vikings from going 80 yards in 10 seconds. I would hope, anyway. And that's not on Lovie, as Kane suggests on the board. They ran the receivers downfield, Griese just didn't want to throw it down there.

THIRD QUARTER

Fox pulls a WGN and comes back from commercial as OAP is returning the kick. Replay shows that he fumbled the kick return at the 5, picked it up and scampered up the right sideline to the 38. Brendon Ayanbadejo got too deep on that and OAP just ran by him. Taylor gets two, then five to set up 3rd and 3 from the 45. Fake inside handoff and a pitch right to Peterson, who is smothered by Hillenmeyer and Adewale Ogunleye for a minor loss. Punt out of bounds at the 14.

Benson gets a yard up the middle. Griese hits Moose out of the slot on an out route on the right side for the first down to the 26, then a slant left gets five yards. Jason McKie is questionable to return, neck injury. Benson into the line for three. One play after the sideline reporter tells us McKie is questionable to return, he's lead blocking for Benson on a pitch right for the first down to the 46. Good outside block by Muhammad, too. Griese goes to Moose 1-on-1 with rookie corner Marcus McCauley, and Moose drops it. Benson is then dropped on a sweep left for a loss of 6, and Griese can't find anyone on 3rd and 16, so he skips a pass to Desmond Clark, his checkdown. Punt is caught fairly just inside the 20.

They're calling it the 20, and Jackson hits Robert Ferguson on the left side for six. Archuleta is out, Danieal Manning shifts over to safety and rookie corner Trumaine McBride is playing corner. They really need Vasher back. OAP gets a yard up the middle and the crowd makes noise on 3rd and 3. Jackson throws too far out on an out route right to Wade and the Vikes will punt with 7:42 left in the quarter. Hester returns it 20 yards from the 19 to the 39, but it doesn't matter because Davis held the gunner, so the Bears will have it at the 10.

Play fake and Griese looks downfield for about a half a second before dumping off to Benson, who actually breaks a few tackles for a 12-yard gain to the 22. Another play fake checkdown and Benson drops this one. It was a little behind him but he should have hauled that one in. Run up the middle loses a yard, 3rd and 11. Oh my dear Jordan, they converted on 3rd and long! Clark catches it at the sticks over the middle and has room to run, which he uses, running up the left sideline to the Vikings' 48. Benson loses two, then Griese hits Olsen in the right flat for five, 3rd and 7. Kenechi Udeze forces a floater from Griese, and Berrian almost makes an impressive sliding catch on it, but it skips to him. Punt is caught fairly at the 11.

Make it the 12, from where Taylor gets a couple. On that third-down play for the Bears, Olsen was man-to-man with Kenechi Udeze. Yikes. The Vikings get a first down somehow, then OAP jukes his way through the first level and he's gone for a 73-yard touchdown. Chuck on the board just pointed out, there have been zero red zone possessions in this game. PAT good.

Vikings 21, Bears 14, 2:31 left in the third quarter

Squib rolls to the 19, Hester runs left to right and almost gets around the corner but instead just gets to the 35. And by the way, McGowan got faked out of his shoes on that touchdown. Griese floats an out route to Berrian, giving the cornerback enough time to close on Berrian for only a four-yard gain, then Griese and Moose aren't on the same page on an out route on the left side, the ball beat Moose to the spot and he only got a hand on it. Griese then hits Olsen on the right side and he gets the first down plus about five, 1st and 10 from midfield. Griese hits Davis on the left side for three. False start on Ruben Brown, 2nd and 12 from the Bears' 48. Griese rolls out right, throws back across his body and is picked off by Ben Leber around the Vikings' 40 or so, and that's the quarter.

Vikings 21, Bears 14

FOURTH QUARTER

Great diving catch by Leber, by the way. Make it the 36, from where Robert Ferguson slips out of his break and watches the ball sail over his head. Another drop on a left slant, 3rd and 10. That was Sidney Rice, who atones for his sins with a diving catch on an out route to the right side at midfield for the first down. Taylor gets a yard or two up the middle. He follows by running out of a tackle by Ogunleye for a first down to the Bears' 35, then Jackson tries to pick on rookie corner Trumaine McBride with veteran receiver Robert Ferguson in the end zone, but the ball went too far. OAP gets three up the middle. OAP into the left side of the line gets to the 30, and Ryan Longwell will attempt a 48-yarder. It's good.

Vikings 24, Bears 14, 11:31 left in the game

Davis fields the short kick on the right side and runs across the field and gets a gain of about 20 yards past the 40. Benson gets six off left tackle, then Hester drops an out route on the left side that would have been a first down at the Vikes' 45. Griese hits Olsen sneaking behind his linebacker on the left side and he gets up the sideline to the 21. Griese goes up the right sideline but out of bounds to Berrian, who was on the ground, anyway. Benson gets eight up the middle for the first foray into the red zone for either team, then loses one on a pitch left and Gould nails the chip shot.

Vikings 24, Bears 17, 8:37 left in the game

Troy Williamson fields it at the 2 and drags a few tacklers to the 32, and Naufahu Tahi is down for the Vikings with 8:30 left in the game. OAP gets a pair, and he has gained more yards by himself than his opponent in each game of his career. I don't think 100 more yards are in the cards for the Bears today, so that'll continue. Jackson scrambles out of the pocket just enough that throwing at OAP's feet isn't grounding, 3rd and 8. Jackson hits Wade over the middle at the sticks, and he falls forward through the efforts of Briggs and Urlacher. He earned it. Jackson goes deep for Williamson, who had a step on Tillman, but Williamson can't make the diving catch, 2nd and 10 from the 43. Lance Briggs gets stuck on a block and OAP just follows that off right tackle for a first down as the clock runs under 6:20. Taylor now, through the left side of the line for 12 more yards to the Bears' 32. Urlacher looks less than pleased. Vikings false start, and Taylor gets a pair to the 35 as the clock will roll under 4:40. OAP cuts around the left side for a touchdown, with a "pathetic" effort, according to Baldinger, by Danieal Manning, who swiped at the ball and then just quit. PAT is good. I guess I jinxed the Bears.

Vikings 31, Bears 17, 4:10 left in the game

Brian Griese goes downfield to three Vikings players and the closest blue jersey is Muhammad who's about six or seven yards from it. Boy, when things go wrong for this team, they go WRONG.

Taylor gets four up the middle. Taylor gets nothing and the Bears call a timeout with 3:08 left. OAP gets nothing, another timeout, and the punt goes out of bounds at the Bears' 47.

Griese hits Berrian for 20 yards, out of bounds, then another Griese pick is dropped, 2nd and 10 from the Vikings' 34, from where Griese hits Muhammad coming across the middle, and Moose breaks a couple of tackles and gets to the end zone. PAT is good.

Vikings 31, Bears 24, 2:36 left in the game

The Bears still have two timeouts and the warning, so they can kick off here. But they don't, they run the onside kick, and Darren Sharper fields it at the 40 and that's where the Vikings will take it. Taylor loses a pair, the Bears call timeout with 2:30 left. OAP goes left, Urlacher smothers him for a gain of one and the Bears call their last timeout with 2:23 left. Anthony Adams flies through the line right on the snap and wraps up OAP for a loss of about four or five, and we have the warning before the punt. Kluwe puts it out of bounds at the 19, 1:53 left in the game.

Griese out of the gun, tries to check down to Real and sails him. I don't think they can afford checkdowns over the middle, but that's what we're gonna see. I guess I'm wrong. Griese goes for broke on second down and who's he got up the right sideline but Devin flippin' Hester, who hauls it in and sprints up the right sideline and the Bears are a PAT away from a tie. It's good.

Bears 31, Vikings 31, 1:38 left in the game and I don't believe it

Replays showed that Hester just beat his man up the field. But wait, OAP sprints through the middle of the wedge and if Ricky Manning Jr. didn't drag him down at the Bears' 38, the Vikings would be leading this one. Taylor gets four to the 34 (52-yard field goal), then a slant to Wade pops up in the air, but no one is there to pick it off. OAP gets it and gets lit up by Lance Briggs for a loss of five, and the Vikes call timeout with :04 left for a 54-yard field goal. Make it a 55-yarder, and Ryan Longwell pops it just over the crossbar to beat the Bears and set a new career long.

Final: Vikings 34, Bears 31

Final thoughts: Well damn. OAP had 20 carries for 224 yards and 3 touchdowns. I don't know a lot about fantasy numbers, but those sound good. Miss Chris Harris much at safety? Great blocking by the Vikes' O-line, too. Anyway, the Bears are 2-4, 1-2 in the division. They need to sweep through the division to have a prayer for the playoffs, I would think. Oh, and don't forget the 60-plus yard return by OAP that set up the game-winning field goal. Who would have said the kickoff coverage would be the late-game breakdown for the Bears? That's something they take for granted at this point.

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