Vikings Flashback: Minnesota squeaks past Chicago in 2015
By Ali Siddiqui
In 2015, the Minnesota Vikings got a big road win over the Chicago Bears.
On Monday night, the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears will face off at Soldier Field. At 3-5, the Vikings are on a two-game winning streak (both wins against divisional foes), while the Bears are 5-4 and on a three-game losing streak.
Minnesota leads the all-time series 60-56-2, but they have lost the previous four meetings between the two teams.
Getting a win at Soldier Field has been a real struggle for the Vikings during the last two decades. Since putting together five-straight victories in Chicago from1996 to 2000, Minnesota has only won there three times since then.
Last-second field goal gives Minnesota Vikings the win over the Chicago Bears in 2015
One of the Vikings’ recent wins in the Windy City came back in 2015. The victory was Minnesota’s first in Chicago since 2007.
The Vikings were able to get the 23-20 road win over the Bears thanks to a 36-yard field goal by Blair Walsh as time expired. Walsh made all three of his field-goal attempts during the game and after a slow start to the season, he got back on track until his very last kick in the playoffs.
With the victory, Minnesota improved to 5-2 on the season. They went on to finish 11-5 and win the NFC North for the first time since 2009.
Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater completed 17 of his 30 pass attempts for 187 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson rushed for 103 yards on 20 carries while Stefon Diggs added six receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown.
The Vikings got a big play from Marcus Sherels, who returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown. On the defensive side of the ball, Terence Newman led the unit with eight tackles.
For the Bears, quarterback Jay Cutler completed 22 of his 33 pass attempts for 211 yards and a touchdown. Chicago running back Jeremy Langford rushed for 46 yards on 12 carries and Alshon Jeffery finished with 10 receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown.
Despite being 1-5 just two weeks ago, Minnesota still has a shot at the playoffs if they win on Monday night. The three games on their schedule after this week are all at home and they are all very winnable. Being 7-5 after the next four weeks is very possible for the Vikings. But first, they will need to start by escaping the Windy City with a win on Monday night.