24 hours after finding out they controlled their own destiny to the top of the NFC North, the Minnesota Vikings earned their seventh win in a row on Monday night by defeating the Chicago Bears by a final score of 30-12.
With the victory, the Vikings are now sitting with a 12-2 record this season, and they are in a prime position to win the NFC North for the second time in the last three years. Monday's result also keeps Minnesota in the running for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, which they will likely only be able to capture if they win each of the remaining three games on their 2024 regular-season schedule.
While the Detroit Lions have been getting a bunch of attention from the national media for their success this year, the Vikings let it be known on Monday that they are currently a team that is worthy of a ton of praise as well.
Defense leads the way for Minnesota Vikings in Week 15 win over Chicago Bears
After letting Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams throw for 340 yards and two touchdowns against them in Week 12, Minnesota's defense stepped on the field on Monday with something to prove.
Well, it didn't take the Vikings defense very long to prove that this matchup was going to go much different for Williams and the rest of Chicago's offense. Minnesota forced the Bears quarterback to fumble on Chicago's second offensive drive of the game and that turnover led to the Vikings' first touchdown of the matchup.
Overall, Minnesota held Williams to just 191 passing yards and one touchdown this time around, while also forcing the Bears offense to go 2-for-15 on third and fourth-down conversion attempts in the contest.
Over on the offensive side of the ball, the Vikings put together a decent performance. Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold threw for 231 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Vikings running back Aaron Jones led the team with 86 yards and one score on the ground, and All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson led all Minnesota players with seven catches for 73 yards and a touchdown.
Next up for the Vikings is a road matchup against an 8-6 Seattle Seahawks team. It's definitely not going to be easy, but if Minnesota wants to stay in contention for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, then a win next weekend will be absolutely necessary.