The Chicago Bears clinched the NFC North with a 40-14 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday.
But what bizarre moments this game had before and during it.
First of all, Minnesota's backup quarterback Joe Webb had been practicing all week for Monday's game due to a Brett Favre injury. Well, it turned out that Favre decided he was going to take a shot against his arch-rivals, the Chicago Bears. The Bears were 9-4 before the game started, while the Vikings were 5-8 but Favre was going to go for it anyway.
But... that's just 1. Last Sunday, Minnesota's indoor home field, the Metrodome collapsed due to 17 inches of freshly fallen snow. Lukily, no one was there. You will soon find out why that is extra bizarre.
Now the Vikings had to find a place where they could play before Monday's game began. They finally settled on the University of Minnesota's outdoor home field. This is the first time that the Vikings played an outdoor home game since 1983 where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 10-6. So the Vikings found this a bit weird.
This bizarre moment ties to the one where Brett Favre said at the last minute that he will play against Chicago. Early in the 2nd Quarter, where Chicago led 10-7, Brett Favre was sacked by rookie Corey Wooton. His head hit the frozen turf extremely hard. This resulted in a concussion and backup Quarterback Joe Webb DID end up playing for about 3/4 of the game. Chicago, on the other hand, was preparing for Webb in the whole week. They pounced all over Webb and the Vikings.
This moment was not bizarre, it's historical. The Bears Wide Receiver Devin Hester ran a 61-yard punt return for a Touchdown. This was his 14th return resulting in a TD which is a NFL all-time record. Besides, this record was set on Hester's 5th season. 5 seasons is only 1/4 of an average football career so who knows how far Hester could go.
After all that bizarreness, the Bears won 40-14 and earned a spot in the playoffs.
It will be interesting to see how the Bears fare in the playoffs. They ended their season poorly with no offensive touchdowns and a crushing, game-ending interception by Cutler. There is no question that the Bears defense is strong. It is their offense that is of greater concern. Jay Cutler has all the talent in the world, but he often seems overwhelmed when the pressure is on him. Hopefully their bye week will give the team time to rest and game-plan well for their next opponent.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work Andrew. This blog is great!
J
GO BEARS!!!
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