What I Predicted:
Week 16: vs. Minnesota (Monday Night Football) AP and the Vikings get their revenge late in the season in a meaningful game in Chicago as Favre plays well enough to win and AP dominates as usual. Vikings take it 28 to 24.
What Happened: Bears 36, Vikings 30
This magical Monday night was the epitome of “too little, too late”. I don’t know what happened to this Bears team against the Vikings but I like it. With their season over the Bears envied the opportunity to spoil the Vikings run into the playoffs. Everything about this game spelled blowout for the Bears, Favre and Childress bickering with two losses in a row for the Vikings, it turned out that this Bears team came out ready to play for one of the few times all season.
Getting off to a fast start has not been regularity this year, this game was much different. Going up 16-0 at half served as a shocking blow to the Vikings. Jay Cutler looked poised as he had his best game of the season aside from one errand throw at the end of the third quarter. Cutler connected with Olsen, Clark, Bennett and Aromshadu for scores. The play calling and protection were much better on Monday night reaffirming the whispers that the Bears struggles may not be laid all at Cutler’s doorstep.
Special teams deserve a shout out in the contest, as it was a huge reason the Bears won. Daniel Manning gashed the Vikings special team coverage all night giving Cutler and the Bears a short filed time and time again.
With how well the Bears played it still came down to a 4th and goal and the 6 for the Vikings and Favre did what he has done many times before, send the game into overtime.
Robbie “Good As” Gould had his first miss in overtime in his career quickly changing the mood at Soldier Field. The Bears Defense came up with a huge play as the Vikings were nearing field goal range; Hunter Hillenmeyer punched the ball out of Adrian Peterson’s grasp, which was recovered by the Bears.
Cutler drove his team down the field and threw a 40-yard strike to Aromashadu for the game winning touchdown, 7 catches for 150 yards will turn some heads in the Bears front office and the NFL for Devin Aromashadu.
With one game left against the Lions it looks as if the Bears will end the 2009 campaign 7-9, a big disappointment to say the least but one must wonder, what else will we learn about this team in Detroit?
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