Bears 39, Vikings 10
First, Ohio State completed only one pass- but knocked Illinois from the ranks of the unbeaten and the Top Twenty anyway. The favorite pastry of the football teams I favor- the turnover- made the difference. Then, the Iowa Hawkeyes beat my Northwestern Wildcats for the first time in four years and the second time in seven. The 'Cats came back from a 17-9 deficit, but it was too little and too late.
And if that wasn't depressing enough, yesterday the St. Louis Cardinals won the National League pennant despite not being good enough to win their own diviision. Should the Redbirds defeat the Texas Rangers in the "World Series," as far as I'm concerned the world championship will be vacant- not because they're the Cardinals, but because, as a wild card team, they have no moral claim to the title.
But at least the Bears thumped the Minnesota Vikings last night, 39-10. The justly-maligned offensive line looked as good last night as it looked bad the previous Monday against Detroit- a team the Bears are anxious to encounter again. They'll have their chance in three weeks, this time at Soldier Field.
Major Wright and Chris Conte played safety for the Ursines, replacing Chris Harris and Brandon Merriweather- and played it well. Offensive Coordinator Randy Martz augmented Jay Cutler's pass protection by using tight ends as additional blockers. It worked; despite the fact that the Vikes have one of the best pass rushes in the NFL, Cutler was able to spend much of Sunday evening in something other than mortal terror for a change. Cutler was sacked only once, threw two touchdown passes, and went 21-for-31 for 258 yards. Minnesota defensive end Brian Robinson summed it up: “It’s tough to get a rush with six, seven people blocking."
Any hope the Bears have of making the playoffs depends on beating the Bucs at Wembley Stadium in London next Sunday, and beating the Lions at home three weeks hence. And a victory over the Eagles in Philadelphia in between wouldn't exactly hurt, either.
BEAR DOWN!!!
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