Daniel, defense stymie Vikings in Bears' 16-6 win

[September 30, 2019]  Backup quarterback Chase Daniel replaced injured starter Mitchell Trubisky and completed 22 of 30 passes for 195 yards and one touchdown, and the Chicago Bears held on for a 16-6 win over the visiting Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoon.

Chicago (3-1) relied on a dominant defense that finished with six sacks and three forced fumbles, recovering two. The Bears nearly posted their first shutout since 2010 before giving up a touchdown in the final three minutes.

Kirk Cousins completed 27 of 36 passes for 233 yards for Minnesota (2-2), which has dropped both of its road games this season. Dalvin Cook had 14 carries for 35 yards and a touchdown.

Trubisky left the game early in the first quarter and did not return after injuring his left, non-throwing shoulder. He was scrambling left when Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter brought him down from behind and forced a fumble.

Trubisky landed awkwardly on his arm as he reached for the loose ball and quickly was announced out for the game. He returned to the field after halftime with his arm in a sling. Head coach Matt Nagy said afterward he didn't believe the injury was season-ending.

The Bears opened the scoring with 7:44 remaining in the first quarter. Daniel flipped a short pass to Tarik Cohen, who secured the ball and sprinted toward the front left pylon for a 10-yard touchdown.

Eddy Pineiro made a 25-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to push the Bears' lead to 10-0.

Another field goal by Pineiro, this time from 38 yards, made it 13-0 with 12:47 left in the third quarter.

Chicago again drove down the field with a mixture of run and pass plays before stalling in the red zone. Pineiro hit a 30-yard field goal to increase the Bears' lead to 16-0 with 3:04 to go in the third quarter.

Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky (10) warms up before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

The Vikings ended their scoring drought when Cook rushed for a 2-yard touchdown with 2:58 left in the game. But it remained a two-score game at 16-6 after Minnesota's two-point conversion attempt failed.

David Montgomery led the Bears on the ground with 21 carries for 53 yards. The team's top receiver was Allen Robinson, who had seven catches for 77 yards.

Stefon Diggs paced the Vikings' receivers with seven catches for 108 yards.

--Field Level Media

[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.