Goal-line stand and 99-yard pass lead Vikes past Bears
Seconds after the Bears were stopped four times at the 1, Bernard Berrian pulled in a 99-yard touchdown pass from Frerotte that sent the Vikings to a 34-14 victory and sole possession of the division lead Sunday night.
Orton's team-record streak of 206 attempts without an interception ended with a thud, and Minnesota (7-5) turned three turnovers into 17 second-half points. Orton finished 11-for-29 for 153 yards and two touchdowns.
Adrian Peterson had 100 yards by halftime and finished with 131 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings, who enjoyed their most lopsided win of the season.
The Packers (5-7) fell two games behind after a brutal November, and the Vikings (7-5) sailed into the fourth quarter of the season with a critical lead over the Bears (6-6).
The possibility of four-game suspensions for star defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams looms for Minnesota, and Chicago plays three straight weeks at home. Clearly, this was one the Vikings just had to have.
The Bears, leading 7-3, reached the 1 after a 26-yard scamper by Matt Forte up the sideline.
The Williams wall didn't budge, though, stuffing three straight-ahead runs in a row after an overthrow by Orton. Ben Leber and Pat Williams smacked Forte, the league's leading rookie rusher, on fourth down to send the defense rollicking off the field. Chicago coach Lovie Smith looked as if he was about to lose his lunch.
Frerotte dropped back in the end zone and found Berrian blowing by former teammate Charles Tillman, who had ducked inside to apparently cut off a post route. The pass was perfect, and the result the longest offensive play in Minnesota history by 10 yards had the home crowd roaring.
The stunned Bears punted it back, and Frerotte went 4-for-4 for 52 yards on an 86-yard drive he finished with a 1-yard sneak that made it 17-7 right before the half.
Comments
- Bengals run over Browns 2:43 p.m.
- Seattle makes it 10 in row over Rams 2:37 p.m.
- Colts remain perfect with win 2:31 p.m.
- The joy of a baby's love 2:26 p.m.
- Holiday shopping mildly encouraging 2:17 p.m.
- Woods cancels meeting with police 2:09 p.m.
- Venezuelan banks to be nationalized? 2:02 p.m.
- USA Today Top 25 Poll 1:48 p.m.
- The AP Top 25 1:45 p.m.
- No. 1 vs. No. 2 in SEC title game 1:43 p.m.
- Hall mouths off about hate of Utah
- BYU is champion of the state
- Cougars beat Utes in overtime
- Credit Coug defense for win
- Field goals, penalties doomed Utes
- Cave to be sealed with body inside
- Cougar defense rose to occasion
- Marriage definitions vary widely
- Jones' joy for life remembered
- Banged up Jazz get best of Blazers
- Hall mouths off about hate of Utah
598 - Cougars beat Utes in overtime
458 - Thunder rolls by Jazz
136 - Man trapped in Nutty Putty cave dies
117 - BYU is champion of the state
116 - Cave to be sealed with body inside
115 - Editorial: Poor welcome for Palin
113 - Rivalry Week is highly profane
89 - Hall's legacy measured today
77 - Y. focused on 10-win season
73
There are 14 BYU players from Salt Lake Valley. And there are four Utah...
Maybe it is time to adopt the BYU-Idaho and divert the funds used by the...
Talk it up Max -- you are the winner! Send the Utes to the Toilet Bowl! I...
The pilots that criticize the "silly" mistake of running out of fuel will...
Ute fans like to take the hate on the road. I was wearing a BYU shirt when a...
Re: rock I used to think dwill easily beat chris paul as the best point...
I would not play for any other coach, Coach Brown has all of his players...
The touchdown by wide-should not have been----He did not get in. I was right...
Please refer to any of the news reports that confirm that Jamie Whittingham...
AFTER HIS 15 TURNOVERS LAST YEAR. IT WAS PROBABLY A BYU FAN THAT DUMPED BEER...
Inarticulately angry or inappropriately angry. If some idiot fans did abuse...




You can be the first to comment on this story.