Pretty it wasn’t but the Minnesota Vikings left the Windy City with a much-needed 19-13 win over the Chicago Bears. The Justin Jefferson-less offense stumbled all day, and they could not find any rhythm. But the defense substantially upped their play and the three Bears turnovers the Purple induced turned out to be the difference in the game.

Neither team could muster much offense and for most of the first half, it appeared that all of the scoring would come from the two placekickers. Greg Joseph nailed 53 and 51-yard field goals to keep the Vikings competitive. And the Bears’ Cairo Santos returned serve hitting field goals of 22 and 53 yards to keep Chicago on pace.

Vikings Defense Shines

Brian Flores’ defense is starting to make believers out of the Vikings’ fans. Sacks by edge rushers D.J. Wonnum and Danielle Hunter effectively killed the Bears’ initial drive of the game. And Harrison Phillips’ sack of Bears quarterback Justin Fields at the Vikings’ four-yard line stalled their second possession. Chicago had to settle for a Santos field goal.

The Bears added another field goal later in the second quarter, and this set up an exchange of turnovers that would lead to the Vikings’ only offensive touchdown of the game. First Kirk Cousins was sacked at the Vikings 25-yard line by T.J. Edwards who also caused Cousins to lose the football. The ball was recovered by the Bears’ Tremaine Edmunds at the Minnesota 35 yard-line.

Addison Scores a Vikings Touchdown

Vikings

Vikings WR Jordan Addison (3) – Quinn Harris/Getty Images

Three plays later on third and two from the Viking’s 27-yard line, Fields threw a pass that was intended for DJ Moore at the Vikings’ 14-yard line. But Minnesota middle linebacker Jordan Hicks caught what was basically a jump ball interception and returned it to the Minnesota 23.

Cousins marched the team down the field trying to secure one final score before halftime. The drive would consummate with Cousins hitting Jordan Addison in the back of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown reception. But Joseph had his PAT blocked and the Vikings went to their locker room at halftime with a 12-6 lead.

Defense Makes Some Big Plays

After the half, both teams exchanged punts, but the Bears lost a key player at the end of their drive. On third and seven, Fields was chased down by Hunter and sacked at the Chicago 47 for a five-yard loss. Fields would injure his hand and the Bears would lose his services for the remainder of the game.

The Vikings would go three and out on their next drive, but their defense was poised to make another big play. On first and 10 at the Minnesota 48, backup Chicago quarterback Tyson Bagent was sacked by a blitzing Josh Metellus and the ball came loose. It was scooped up by Hicks who ran 42-yards for a Vikings score. The lead was now 19-6 Vikings with under seven minutes left in the third quarter.

Bears Cut the Deficit

The next two drives for both teams stalled, and the score remained 19-6 entering the fourth quarter. With 11:42 left in the game, the Bears started a drive that they hoped would cut into the Vikings’ lead. They marched down the field on a 10-play, 77-yard drive. Highlights of the march were two pass receptions by Moore that accounted for 42 of the yards on the drive. With 7:57 left in the game, Bagent dove in from one yard out to cut the Bears’ deficit to 6.

The Vikings were stopped on their next possession and the Bears got the ball back on their own 24-yard line with 6:44 left in the game. Bagent led them down the field in what they hoped would be a winning Bears drive. Mixing short passes and runs, Chicago methodically brought the ball down to the Minnesota 35-yard line with 2:02 left in the game.

Murphy Seals the Game for the Vikings

There, Bagent threw a woefully errant pass that was intercepted by Byron Murphy and returned to the Minnesota 45. The Vikings kept possession of the ball until time expired and they escaped Chicago with a win sparked by their defense.

Overall, the Vikings’ defense recorded five sacks and forced three turnovers. They also held Chicago’s quarterbacks to only 118 yards through the air as they applied pressure in passing situations the entire game.

49ers Next on the Docket

It only gets tougher for the Minnesota Vikings next week as they host an angry but dinged-up San Francisco 49ers team. The 49ers were stunned by the home field Cleveland Browns 19-17. In the process, San Francisco offensive stars Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuels were forced from the game with injuries. Samuels is considered day-to-day, but the extent of McCaffrey’s injury will not be announced until mid-week.

With the defense progressing, the Vikings offense needs to step it up a notch to give the team any chance of beating the 49ers. Priority one will be hanging on to the football because costly turnovers have been a game-changer for this team all year.