An intentional grounding penalty on Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky gave the Minnesota Vikings two more points on the scoreboard Sunday.
Following another impressive boot by Minnesota Vikings punter Ryan Quigley, the Chicago Bears offense began their fifth drive of the day on their own 12-yard line.
After losing three yards on their first play, the Bears faced a 2nd and 13 from their own 9-yard line. As soon as Chicago rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky got the ball in his hands, he quickly realized just how vicious the Minnesota Vikings’ defense is.
With monstrous Vikings defensive tackle Linval Joseph about to bring him down in his own end zone, Trubisky flicked the ball behind him in an attempt to avoid getting sacked for a safety. However, the rookie quarterback soon found out that his little toss was not the best of ideas either.
Even though he was not brought down for a safety by Joseph, Trubisky was still called for intentional grounding on the play. Since the penalty was called with the quarterback in the end zone, the play resulted in a safety and two more points for Minnesota.
Safety dos Vikings https://t.co/TFqnlRtBU2
— Vikings FA (@VikingsFA_) December 31, 2017
Believe it or not, this was the first safety for the Vikings’ defense this season. Actually, the last time Minnesota’s defense scored two points was during a Week 3 matchup with the Carolina Panthers in 2016.
The safety was just one of the many plays made by the Vikings’ defense during the first half of their game against the Bears on Sunday. In the first two quarters, Minnesota’s defense held Chicago’s offense to just 53 total yards and one first down on 18 plays. The performance by the Vikings’ defense on Sunday had a lot to do with the team heading into the half with a 16-7 lead.
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The Bears and their rookie quarterback definitely found out in the first half why Minnesota is arguably the best defense in the NFL this season.