Words couldn't describe my joy, and honestly my relief, Sunday night when the Minnesota Vikings went for an onside kick and it was recovered by Chicago to seal the game. Benny Cunningham, thank you for giving me a peaceful night of rest.
The Chicago Bears defeated the Minnesota Vikings last night in a tightly fought game, with the final score being 25-20. This places Chicago in a comfortable lead of the NFC North with a record of 7-3, while Minnesota falls to 5-4-1 on the season.
I mean, where do I even begin with this? So many positives came from the game. Do I talk about Khalil Mack throwing a 320 pound man to the ground with one arm? The rowing the boat celebration by Anthony Miller? How clean these orange uniforms are?
There's too many positives to do a good, bad, and ugly. I think it'd be better to recap what I believe won us the game.
Cody Parkey, man. Just when I lost hope. The kicker was 3/3 on field goals last night, including a 48 yard straight up the middle bomb to give the Bears a cushion of comfort before a Vikings scoring drive. Parkey played well, and I give him credit for practicing at Soldier Field the previous week to prepare. Matt Nagy was proud too (a wink at your kicker before he ices the game is cocky, and I love it)
Is Eddie Jackson officially the best safety in the NFL? This game makes a compelling case. Jackson has a PFF (Pro Football Focus) score of a 92.4, the highest amount active safeties. With a clutch pick six in the fourth quarter, Jackson now has 4 defensive touchdowns alone. No other defensive player has more than 2. Best safety in the league? Think the evidence speaks for itself.
Khalil Mack brought great pressure, but the unspoken hero of the defense was for sure Akiem Hicks. 5 tackles for a loss and a sack, Hicks anchored the defense and helped stop a healthy Dalvin Cook from burning through the trenches.
Enough on the defense. Let's focus on the offense. Mitch Trubisky did struggle a bit. He ended the game with 20/31 completions , a pair of interceptions, and only one touchdown. However, he did rush for 43 yards. As of this week, Trubisky has more rushing yards than Cam Newton on fewer attempts (and is on the better team, hehe). Still a positive in a subpar game.
UPDATE: Trubisky has 363 yards on 51 attempts, Newton has 354 on 77
I could rant about this game all week. This was a critical game for the Bears. It cemented us in first place, proved to the rest of the NFL that this team can't be taken lightly, and that THE BEARS ARE BACK! I can't wait for that rematch against Greenbay, I truly cannot wait.
Comments