[December 02, 2013]MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Greg Jennings
fought a stomach flu all game and was already halfway up the tunnel with
what he thought was a victory under his belt when the Minnesota Vikings
had to holler at him to get back on the field.
Blair Walsh's 39-yard field goal was wiped away by a penalty,
rendering the fireworks and the celebration premature.
"I didn't even see the flag; I was so ready to get in the locker
room," Jennings said. "Then I heard my name being called and having
to go back out on the field."
Jennings then watched Walsh miss a 57-yard field goal, Chicago
kicker Robbie Gould miss a 47-yarder and Adrian Peterson carry the
Vikings back into field goal range in a wild overtime that ended
with Walsh's 30-yard boot that stunned the Bears 23-20 Sunday.
Peterson shrugged off a gimpy groin to finish with 211 yards on 35
carries and the Vikings (3-8-1) narrowly avoided their second
straight tie when Walsh's last kick sailed through the uprights for
the win with 1:43 left to play in the extra quarter.
When the game was finally over, Vikings owner Zygi Wilf ran onto the
field, wildly hugging players, soaking in a rare bit of positivity
in what has been a miserable season.
"You have got to believe, you can't tuck your tail and run, you
can't give up no matter how it looks you have to continue to fight,"
said Peterson, whose Vikings rallied from 10 points down in the
fourth quarter to get the win. "That's one thing that we have done
all year. Our record doesn't show it, but you guys have heard me say
it time and time again; I haven't seen guys quit. When I look in
their eyes there is fight there."
Alshon Jeffery had 12 catches for 249 yards and two touchdowns for
the Bears (6-6). If they aren't able to catch Detroit (7-5) in the
NFC North, they may look back to this game as the one that really
cost them.
Jeffery had touchdowns of 80 and 46 yards in the third quarter to
put the Bears up 20-10, but the banged-up defense couldn't find an
answer for a determined Peterson, who rushed for 51 yards in
overtime alone.
"We've got to put up a win in the win column. ... The standings
don't matter if you don't win football games," said Bears
quarterback Josh McCown, who threw for 355 yards and two touchdowns.
Here are five things that stood out from the wild game:
CASSEL TO THE RESCUE: Vikings starter Christian Ponder was
struggling mightily until he was knocked out in the second quarter
with a concussion. Matt Cassel stepped in and ignited the offense,
throwing for 243 yards with one touchdown and one interception in
the second half.
"For me now that I've been doing it for a little while, it's about
always being accountable to your teammates throughout the course of
the week," Cassel said.
PETERSON'S MILESTONE: In racking up his fifth
career 200-yard game, Peterson also surpassed 10,000 career
yards in just 101 games. Only Jim Brown and Eric Dickerson have
reached the plateau faster.
"Jim Brown, Eric Dickerson are the guys that I looked up to, the
guys that motivated me to be better than them and I still have a
long way to go," he said.
ROOKIE MISTAKE: Bears first-year coach Marc Trestman made a
head-scratching decision in overtime.
With the Bears driving into Minnesota territory, Trestman
elected to try a 47-yard field goal on second down, rather than
spend another play or two trying to get closer to the end zone.
Gould missed the kick, and the Vikings responded with the
game-winning drive.
"We were definitely in range, and I didn't want to at that point
in time risk a possible penalty that would set us back, similar
to what happened on the other side, or a fumble of some kind,"
Trestman said.
JEFFERY'S EMERGENCE: Brandon Marshall was the Bears receiver who
grabbed all the headlines as Jay Cutler's favorite target. But
Marshall said earlier this year Jeffery has all the tools to be
one of the greats, and Jeffery is proving his mentor right.
Jeffery is the only player in the league to top 200 yards
receiving in a game twice this season and so frustrated the
Vikings that cornerback Chris Cook was ejected for bumping an
official after giving up his second touchdown in the third
quarter.
"The sky is the limit," Jeffery said. "I strive to be my best. I
would like to go to the Super Bowl and then there are records to
break after that."
PATTERSON'S IMPRESSION: The crazy game almost got crazier at the
end of regulation. Gould tried a 66-yard field goal as time
expired and it landed in return man Cordarrelle Patterson's
hands. After Auburn's Chris Davis returned a missed field goal
to beat Alabama on Saturday, Patterson tried to do it against
the Bears, but was tackled at Minnesota's 22.
