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.
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