Vikings Beat the Bears, Close Regular Season with 13th Win
Josh Frey
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The Minnesota Vikings headed into Week 18 with an outside shot at claiming the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs, and because of that, they ran their starters out at the beginning of the game. Meanwhile, the Bears had no reason to win this game, and they spent much of the game playing their backups, including starting QB Nathan Peterman.
Because of that, Minnesota was able to jump out to an early lead, and the Vikings beat the Bears, 29-13, to close their regular season with a 13-4 record. It’s their third season with at least 13 wins in franchise history (1998, 2017).
With the Bears defense already coming into the weekend as the worst scoring defense in the league (allowing 27.1 PPG coming into Week 18), and then a few starters in the secondary being out, Kirk Cousins was able to be a flamethrower passing the ball.
Outside of a strange sequence in the red zone at the end of the 1st half, Cousins was brilliant on Sunday. The Vikings QB completed 17-of-20 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown as Minnesota leapt out to a 16-6 lead at halftime. Many of Cousins’ passing yards went to K.J. Osborn, who again went over 100 yards receiving. Osborn ended his day with 5 receptions for 117 yards. His season total ends at 650, just 5 short of his 2021 total.
In the second half, the Vikings ran Nick Mullens out to take snaps at QB. He performed well too, completing 11-of-13 passes for 116 yards and an interception. He and rookie Jalen Nailor once again established a connection in that second half as Minnesota’s 2022 sixth-round pick caught 4 passes for 62 yards.
Nailor hasn’t been given too many opportunities this season, but when he has gotten them, he’s been productive. Last weekend, he caught his first career touchdown pass, and fans will remember that he was the one who caught a crucial fake punt pass from Ryan Wright back in Week 4 against the New Orleans Saints. The Michigan State product finishes his regular season with 9 receptions for 179 yards and a touchdown.
Alexander Mattison also made his case for being a starting running back somewhere during the 2023 season. The Vikings RB2 finished the day with 10 carries for 54 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Mattison is expected to explore his options in free agency after not signing an extension with Minnesota during this past offseason.
As for the Bears, they rotated players in and out throughout the game. Peterman started the game at QB, but Tim Boyle also took snaps in stretches. Peterman actually played fairly well given the circumstances, completing 11-of-19 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown. Boyle, on the other hand, had a rough day with just 2 completions in 8 attempts and a pair of interceptions. One of those interceptions went to Duke Shelley, the first interception of his NFL career. The Chicago Bears cut him earlier this season, allowing the Vikings to pick him up where he has emerged as the CB2 down the stretch.
Chicago’s loss secured them the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft after the Texans won in heroic fashion over the Indianapolis Colts. It will be the first time that they pick first overall since 1947. Many expect them to trade that pick to a QB needy team, but they could also select one of the premiere defenders in the class.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings now wait to find out who their first playoff game will be against. If the 49ers win this afternoon over the Cardinals, that game will be against the New York Giants. If the 49ers lose, then we’ll have to wait until after Sunday Night Football between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.