Chicago Bears keep play-off hopes alive with win over the Minnesota Vikings
There were no late game heroics for the Minnesota Vikings this time as they came up well short in losing 27-13 to the Chicago Bears on Sunday 14 November, in a dismal effort which is sure to spark more
controversy and speculation that head coach Brad Childress is on the way out.
How it happened
The Vikings did provide one brief moment of excitement on an otherwise forgettable and regrettable afternoon when Favre connected with Percy Harvin on 53-yard pass play for the Vikings only touchdown of
the game. At the time, the touchdown put the Vikings into a 10-7 lead in the second quarter. A 19-yard pass play from Cutler to Devin Hester with less than a minute to go in the half put the Bears into a lead they would never relinquish.
Ryan Longwell's 33-yard field goal for the Vikings, sandwiched between two Robbie Gould efforts for the Bears, were the only scoring of the third quarter.
Cutler hit tight end Kellen Davis for a 19-yard strike in the fourth quarter to round out the scoring.
Favre had a particularly difficult day throwing three interceptions and turning the ball over four times.
What they're saying
It seems like football fans have been dealing with Brett Favre retirement speculation forever, and in an interview with the NFL Network last week Favre admitted he had no intention of playing next season.
He's been known to change his mind, but if it's true then this game could have been his last real chance and it slipped away. At 3-6 on the season the NFC North has become a two-horse race between the Bears and the Green Bay Packers, but Favre sounds like
he's still clinging to whatever little bit of hope remains.
"I can't speak for the rest of the team, but I do know the consensus seemed to be afterward that there is life still left," Favre told the media after the game.
The Bears, on the other hand, did themselves a huge favour by picking up the win which helped them keep pace with the Packers who were on their bye week.
"We're right where we want to be," Bears defensive end Israel Idonije said after the game. "Momentum's building, we just have to keep this thing going."
What it all means
The Bears have a short week as they prepare to take on the Miami Dolphins on Thursday 18 November. The Dolphins have rather quietly kept themselves in the AFC play-off race and are a surprising 5-4.
As for the Vikings, their season has been nothing short of a disaster. It really is do or die time when they take on the Packers at home next Sunday. It will be interesting to see what unfolds over the
course of the week as rumors have spread that the players hate coach Childress. We'll see who still has their jobs come Sunday.
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