A year removed from winning the NFC North themselves, the Minnesota Vikings were on the other side of things Monday night. It was the Chicago Bears clinching the NFC North with a resounding 40-14 victory Monday night over the Vikings in TCF Bank Stadium at the University of Minnesota.
Bears Vs. Vikings: Hester, Cutler Lead Bears To NFC North Crown In 40-14 Romp Over Vikings
It started out so promising for the Vikes. Brett Favre, who had been questionable coming into the game, opened the scoring off with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Percy Harvin in the first.
From there, however, things quickly went the Bears way. And for Favre, he might have just thrown his last touchdown pass. Or any pass, for that matter.
During the 2nd quarter, rookie Corey Wootten drove Brett into the ground, injuring his head. Favre remained face down on the ground before leaving under his own power. He would not return with what has been described as a head injury.
Favre would finish the game 5-for-7 for 63 yards with the TD and an interception.
In his place, Joe Webb showed flashes. But it wasn’t nearly enough to offset the strong play of the Bears defense.
Or Jay Cutler’s offense, for that matter. Cutler threw three touchdown passes on the night and kept the Bears plenty ahead of the Vikes all evening.
Also helping things was Devin Hester, who set the NFL record for kick/punt touchdown returns with his 14th return for a score. Hester came into the game with 13 touchdowns on kickoff and punt returns. In the third quarter, he fielded a punt and ran down the right sideline 64 yards into the end zone for No. 14, which broke the record he shared with Brian Mitchell. It was Hester’s 10th career punt return for a touchdown, tying a record set by Eric Metcalf.
The first outdoor game in Minnesota since December 20, 1981 happened because the Metrodome is still undergoing repairs after the roof collapsed last week due to a heavy snowstorm.
Now, the Bears can start positioning themselves for the playoffs while the Vikings will wait to hear the future of Brett Favre as they start planning for their own.
For more news and recaps, keep an eye on The Daily Norsemen and Windy City Gridiron.
See More:
