CHICAGO — The Minnesota Vikings' playoff hopes stay alive for another week after their 17-9 win over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
Even before kickoff, the Monday night matchup shaped up to be a strange game. The Bears had more than a dozen players on the COVID protocol list, and Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen was ruled out because of an ankle injury.
Justin Jefferson ended up scoring his ninth touchdown of the season against Chicago, and rookie Ihmir Smith-Marsette got the first TD of his career.
The two touchdown passes from Kirk Cousins helped propel the Vikings to victory, but it wasn't the most impressive night of the quarterback's career.
According to the Vikings, finished with 87 passing yards, his career low as a starter.
But it was a milestone night for running back Dalvin Cook, who surpassed 1,000 yards rushing on the season at Soldier Field. Cook has now passed the 1,000-yard mark for three straight seasons.
Bears Teez Tabor and Trevis Gipson were whistled for 15-yard penalties on a key Minnesota scoring drive in the third quarter, part of a flag-filled eighth loss in nine games for Chicago.
Tabor was part of a patchwork secondary for Chicago after cornerback Jaylon Johnson and safety Tashaun Gipson joined safety Eddie Jackson and cornerback Artie Burns on the team’s sizeable reserve/COVID-19 list.
The Vikings, now 7-7, moved into the number 7 spot in the NFC playoff hunt.
Here's what's left for the Vikings regular season:
- Rams at Vikings, Sunday, Dec. 26
- Vikings at Packers, Sunday, Jan. 2
- Bears at Vikings, Sunday, Jan. 9
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