Vikings escape disaster, beat Bears 29-22 North News

MINNEAPOLIS — Kirk Cousins scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak with 2:26 remaining on Minnesota’s fifth third-down conversion of its go-ahead drive, and the Vikings snapped out of their mid-game hunch simply in time to beat the Chicago Bears 29-22 on Sunday.

Cameron Dantzler sealed the victory that put the Vikings (4-1) alone in first place within the NFC North by ripping the ball away from former teammate Ihmir Smith-Marsette close to the one-minute mark after a go from Justin Fields to the Minnesota 39.

Fields went 15 for 21 for a season-high 208 yards and his first landing go in 15 quarters and rushed eight occasions for 47 yards, however the Bears (2-3) did not have sufficient protection to tug it out.

Justin Jefferson completed with a career-high 12 catches for 154 yards and caught a 2-point conversion go from Cousins to push the result in seven, and Dalvin Prepare dinner rushed for 94 yards and two scores.

Cousins set a franchise report with 17 consecutive completions to start out the sport, and coach Kevin O’Connell placed on a play-calling clinic because the Vikings reached the tip zone on their first three possessions for a 21-3 lead halfway via the second quarter. 3 times final week in opposition to New Orleans, they needed to accept area targets after crossing the 20.

After a punt, two missed area targets and an interception threatened to wreck Minnesota’s stellar begin, the Vikings had another commanding drive.

David Montgomery scored Chicago’s’ first landing on a 9-yard run. Fields hit Velus Jones Jr. from 9 yards out on the primary possession of the third quarter get the Bears again into it.

Early within the fourth, Kindle Vildor picked off Cousins as he rolled proper on first down and tried to attach with Adam Thielen on the 30, and the return gave the Bears the ball close to midfield. Two performs later, Fields acquired unfastened for what would’ve been a 52-yard landing run, however Smith-Marsette was known as for an unlawful block above the waist to wipe that out.

Cairo Santos as an alternative made his third area aim of the sport to present the Bears for a 22-21 lead with 9:31 to go. The Vikings responded with a 17-play, 80-yard march that drained a fair 7 minutes off the clock. That drive included a 5-yard run with lower than three minutes left by the pocket-preferring Cousins on third-and-5 from the Chicago 20.

With division rival Inexperienced Bay enjoying early in London, a lot of the printed was proven on the videoboards as followers filed in and daylight streamed via the west-facing home windows.

When the Giants took the lead for good within the 27-22 victory over the Packers, the Vikings’ sport operations crew sounded the celebratory Gjallarhorn. The group roared as Inexperienced Bay fell to 3-2 and put Minnesota forward within the division standings.

The Vikings underneath new particular groups coordinator Matt Daniels had been stellar in practically each aspect of the kicking sport over the primary 4 video games, however there have been some hiccups Sunday.

Greg Joseph, who was the NFC Particular Groups Participant of the Week after going 5 for five on area targets to beat the Saints, had a 53-yard attempt go extensive proper on the halftime gun and a 51-yard try blocked by Dominique Robinson on Minnesota’s solely possession of the third quarter.

Jalen Reagor, who had his first Vikings landing on a jet-motion shovel go from Cousins, fumbled a punt return that he recovered round midfield within the second quarter.

Chicago: CB Jaylon Johnson (quadriceps) sat out for the second straight sport. … LB Matthew Adams (calf) was harm within the third quarter.

Minnesota: Rookie RB Ty Chandler left the sport with a hand harm on particular groups. … Rookie CB Akayleb Evans was being evaluated for a concussion within the fourth quarter.

Chicago: Hosts Washington on Thursday evening.

Minnesota: At Miami subsequent Sunday.