Monday, November 26, 2001
Sunday Night Game: Bears 13, Vikings 6
The Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS — Buddy Ryan and his ”46” defense are long gone, but the Chicago Bears are back to their old ways: not budging when they don't have the ball.
Chicago's defense held the Minnesota Vikings' often-potent offense without a touchdown Sunday night in a 13-6 victory.
“The Bears' tradition is the most storied in NFC history,” said quarterback Jim Miller. “Guys are trying to bring that back.”
It was the first time in 98 regular-season games the Vikings did not get into the end zone. The last time the Vikings went without a TD was last January — a 41-0 defeat to the New York Giants in the NFC championship game.
Daunte Culpepper, held without a TD pass for the first time this season, completed 26 of 46 passes for 209 yards and an interception.
“Their defense is not a pushover,” Culpepper said. “They have some great players. But we just weren't clicking.”
The NFC Central-leading Bears improved to 8-2 for the first time since 1991 as the Vikings (4-6) fell four games back. Chicago last swept Minnesota in 1995, the only year the Vikings haven't made the playoffs in coach Dennis Green's 10 seasons.
Minnesota's futility came six days after playing one of its most complete offensive games in a 28-16 Monday night victory over the Giants.
“They played better defense than we saw last week, but you can't win against anybody just scoring six points,” Green said.
With rookie Anthony Thomas inactive because of a sore hamstring, James Allen rushed 27 times for 107 yards, 80 in the first half. He helped the Bears grind down the clock after the Vikings pulled within 13-6 on Gary Anderson's 21-yard field goal with 3:17 left.
Reserve Leon Johnson's 34-yard burst through a big hole in the middle to the Vikings' 4 set up his 1-yard scoring plunge in the second quarter that gave Chicago a 7-0 lead.
The worst part for Minnesota was wasting a fine performance by its oft-exploited defense.
Miller completed 10 of 21 passes for only 97 yards after throwing three TD passes to Marty Booker last week against Tampa Bay.
“We don't worry about what the offense is doing,” said Vikings linebacker Jim Nelson. “It's not our responsibility.”
But the Bears' defense was stingy, reminding the struggling Vikings of those Ryan-led units on the dominant Bears teams of the 1980s.
“Anytime you're playing in the division, there's a lot of familiarity,” Green said. “They stopped us on a few series, and we stopped them on a few series. But they took advantage on a few series, and we did not.”
Roosevelt Colvin wasn't quite ready to put the current bunch on par with their predecessors.
“The defense of 1985, they won the Super Bowl,” Colvin said. “We have to wait until the end of the season to start comparing things.”
Randy Moss and Cris Carter, who each had 10 receptions last Monday night against the Giants, combined for just 70 yards — 45 for Carter and 25 for Moss, who had his hands on four balls that fell incomplete.
Minnesota's second-to-last drive was a perfect snapshot of its struggles. Culpepper's 23-yard pass to Byron Chamberlain gave Minnesota a first down at the Chicago 12. After a drop by Moss and another penalty, Culpepper found Harold Morrow for 14 yards to the 1.
Travis Prentice was stuffed on first-and-goal, and Culpepper was stopped on a rollout on second down. He fumbled the next snap, and Anderson had to come out to kick.
Rookie Michael Bennett had his best game of the year with 75 yards on 12 carries, but Culpepper continued to struggle as the boos grew louder.
Anderson kicked a 43-yard field goal, his first attempt in eight quarters, to pull the Vikings within 10-3 in the third quarter. But facing a fourth-and-1 at the Chicago 46 late in the quarter, Culpepper rumbled for a first down, but Moss was called for holding, forcing another punt.
The Bears then moved up the field on passes up 25 and 26 yards to David Terrell. Paul Edinger's 43-yard kick stretched Chicago's lead back to 10.
His 29-yarder late in the second quarter gave the Bears a 10-0 halftime lead.
“It was kind of a sluggish game all around,” Miller said. “But a win is a win. It's nice knowing we can control our own destiny.”
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Sunday Night Game: Bears 13, Vikings 6 
