When the Minnesota Vikings played the Chicago Bears in Week 12, they seemed to be in complete control of the game. With two minutes remaining in the game, the Vikings led by 11 points after Aaron Jones ran for 106 yards and a touchdown. However, the Bears’ rather miraculous resurgence forced the Vikings to go into overtime rather than ending the game with a convincing road victory.
The Vikings stopped the Bears on the first possession of overtime, despite the Bears having all the momentum in the extra session. The Vikings won 30-27 after quarterback Sam Darnold led them to a game-winning field goal from John Parker Romo that was 29 yards long.
After Chicago’s late comeback, Jones was overjoyed to see his team win. That’s what successful teams do in the face of difficulty, he remarked. He was also happy that his team did not lose because of his first-quarter blunder close to the Chicago goal line.
Jones had two significant runs on the first possession, but defensive back Jonathan Owens forced a loose ball and recovered it at the Bears 1-yard line. Jones told NFL.com reporter Stacey Dales why he looked distraught on the sidelines.
Jones remarked, “You lose the ball and I wanted to get into the end zone.” “You get fired for those things.” I am unable to accomplish it. I informed coach Kevin O’Connell that I needed to improve on that and thanked him for his perseverance.
The Vikings are still pursuing the Lions in the NFC North.
To the astonishment of many fans and experts, the Vikings (9-2) have been among the NFL’s top teams this season. With 7-10 records, the Vikings and Bears shared third place in the NFC North last season. The Vikings were predicted by most to finish last this season.
But after losing two close games to the Lions and Los Angeles Rams, O’Connell and his club jumped out to a 5-0 start and have already won four straight.
Darnold had a strong game for the Vikings in addition to Jones. In addition to throwing two touchdown passes and completing 22 of 34 attempts for 330 yards, he did not throw an interception.
Jordan Addison, a second-year wide receiver, caught eight of nine passes for 162 yards and one touchdown. Darnold’s primary weapon throughout the overtime period, tight end T.J. Hockenson, hauled in seven receptions for 114 yards.
Superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson was restricted to 2-27 after being blanketed by the Bears, but the Vikings obviously had enough weapons to defeat their opponents and keep their second-place finish in the NFC North.
In Week 13, the Vikings will meet the Arizona Cardinals at home.
With an overtime victory, Sam Darnold of the Vikings creates a memorable moment.
CHICAGO — Despite all of the positive things Sam Darnold has done for the Minnesota Vikings this season, he has failed to lead a game-winning drive. When Darnold jogged to his 21-yard line for the second possession of overtime on Sunday at Soldier Field, all eyes were on him.
A turnover that would give the Chicago Bears an extremely unlikely victory was the worst thing any cynic could have anticipated.
Any optimist would have hoped it would be Darnold’s most memorable moment as the Vikings’ quarterback to date.
Every realist believed that the chances of each outcome were about equal.
The cynic gained a point from the first play. Darnold shifted the play from a run to a pass after misjudging the defensive alignment, which resulted in a sack. Although he was “disappointed” by the choice, coach Kevin O’Connell soon saw it as a chance: “I kind of wanted to see how he would respond.”
From that time until the Vikings won 30-27, Darnold left very little room for uncertainty. On second-and-17, he threw a 7-yard pass to tight end T.J. Hockenson, the first of six straight completions for 90 yards, setting up the Vikings for the game-winning 29-yard field goal by Parker Romo.
After the game, O’Connell praised his quarterback to reporters following Darnold’s season-high performance of 330 yards and two touchdowns.
“Show me anyone who had a better game at quarterback,” O’Connell said.
After rallying the Bears to 11 points in the last 22 seconds to force overtime, O’Connell admitted that rookie Caleb Williams could likely contend for that championship. However, Sunday was a significant continuation of Darnold’s response to a two-game run in which he committed six turnovers earlier this month.
Darnold has completed 42 of 66 throws for 576 yards and five touchdowns in the last two games. The one mistake he made during that stretch was failing to connect with running back Aaron Jones on a toss play.