Vikings Backups Fall to Bears in Meaningless Week 17 Game
Sunday's Vikings-Bears game at U.S. Bank Stadium was not your typical NFL game.
With the Vikings locked into the sixth seed in the playoffs and the Bears eliminated from contention, there were no real stakes. Mike Zimmer elected to rest virtually all of his starters, setting up an odd game between Vikings backups and a presumably less-than-fully-motivated Bears team.
Given those circumstances, it played out roughly as one might've expected. The Vikings' starting QB-RB duo of Sean Mannion and Mike Boone turned the ball over twice on the team's first five offensive plays. The teams combined for eight made field goals – five in the first half – to go with two offensive touchdowns and a safety. The Vikings' leading receiver was recent practice squad callup Alexander Hollins, who had just two catches.
Fittingly, some of the loudest cheers of the afternoon by the home crowd came when the scoreboard showed the Packers trailing to the Lions.
In the end, the Bears won a somewhat exciting game by a score of 21-19 on a late Eddy Pineiro field goal. A fourth down conversion allowed them to get down the field and win the game, spoiling a 12-point Vikings comeback.
The final score was of little importance for the Vikings, who finish their 2019 regular season with a 10-6 record. What mattered were the performances of the backups who went out and put their bodies on the line in the finale.
Despite two early turnover-causing mistakes – a fumble on a somewhat low but catchable pitch from Mannion and a clear drop that caused an interception – Boone's performance was one of the stories of the day for the Vikings. He ran for 148 yards on just 17 carries, showing off his burst through the hole and speed in the open field.
After being held to 28 yards in the loss to the Packers, Boone's first carry of the day went for more than double that – 59 yards, to be precise. He later added a 41-yard run and several other solid gains, as well as his third short touchdown run of the season.
Making his second career start, Mannion was solid but unspectacular for the run-heavy Vikings. His final line of 12 for 21 for 126 yards and two interceptions (one of which was Boone's fault, the other being a last-second hail mary attempt) reflects that performance. Mannion did make a couple of nice throws, including a 35-yard dime to Hollins to set up one of the Vikings' second-half field goals.
Mitch Trubisky wasn't great for the mostly lifeless Bears, throwing for just 207 yards and no touchdowns on 37 attempts.
Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of the game for the Vikings was how many unheralded players stepped up on defense. Ifeadi Odenigbo, Eric Wilson, and rookie Armon Watts each sacked Trubisky, with Kentrell Brothers and Stephen Weatherly also combining for a sack. Wilson and Brothers, who opened the season as the fourth and fifth linebackers on the depth chart, each recorded double-digit tackles. And cornerbacks Mike Hughes, Mackensie Alexander, and Holton Hill all had solid games.
It was a defensive performance that showed just how deep and talented the Vikings roster is on that side of the ball.
The Bears used the two Vikings turnovers and safety to get out to an 11-3 lead, then extended their lead to 18-6 on a David Montgomery touchdown run. But the Vikings came back with a Boone touchdown and Dan Bailey's third and fourth field goals to take a 19-18 lead. The fourth field goal was set up by a strip sack and fumble recovery by Odenigbo, his seventh sack of the season.
A late Bears drive set them up for the game-winning field goal and sent the Vikings into preparations for the playoffs.
