Bears crumble in Dome, Vikes now 10-1!
The stars on offense were all over the place in the Metrodome Sunday as Farve completed 32 of 48 passes for just under 400 yards (I guess Brett’s not quite ready for Medicare supplement insurance just yet, eh, Cheeseheads?), Percy Harvin had a career game for a rookie, gaining 101 yards receiving and 45 yards rushing, and despite two fumbles, Adrian Petersen gained 85 yards on the ground to continue adding to his season total.
But perhaps the key stat, besides the Vikings 36, Bears 10 final score, comes in the first down differential. Minnesota had 31 first downs in the game; the Bears had only eight. Any time you dominate to that extent on first downs, it means you’re sustaining drives and scoring more than your opponent.
In all, the Vikings ran 83 plays, gaining 537 yards, while the Bears managed only 38 offensive plays, gaining 169 yards. That made Peterson’s lost fumble hurt a whole lot less, especially with the Bears giving up a fumble of their own, as well as two Jay Cutler interceptions.
Now sitting at 10-1, the Vikings have, in effect, a four game lead over the Green Bay Packers, who are 7-4 but were swept by the Vikings in the regular season. The Bears fall to 4-7 with the loss, and a rematch at Soldiers’ Field in late December is all but academic, and will be more about whether the Vikings have home field advantage sewn up throughout the playoffs by then or not; at 5-0 in the NFC North, the magic number for the division title is only two: either two more Vikings wins, two more Packers losses, or any combination thereof.
Next item of interest? This week’s Monday night game; if the New England Patriots can hand the New Orleans Saints their first loss of the season, the Vikings will be tied for home field advantage throughout the playoffs! Go, Pats!
