The Chicago Bears regained their swagger and halted their two-game losing streak by thumping the Minnesota Vikings 28-10 in a critical NFC North matchup Sunday at Soldier Field.
With Jay Cutler returning to the lineup after sitting out Monday night's loss at San Francisco because of a concussion, the Bears' offense displayed some long-sought consistency as the quarterback and Brandon Marshall connected repeatedly on key plays.
Marshall wound up with 12 catches for 92 yards. Cutler completed 23 passes of 31 passes for 188 yards and one touchdown and a passer rating of 86.5
The Bears improved to 8-3 and will at least continue to share the division lead with the Green Bay Packers (7-3), who play the New York Giants on Sunday night. The Vikings fell to 6-5.
Robbie Gould's 46-yard field goal with 3:57 left in the third period capped the scoring. During the drive, Matt Forte was taken to the locker room with a right ankle injury. His return was listed as questionable.
Forte (14 carries for 42 yards) was injured on a bizarre play. He was tackled by several Vikings and the ball came out belatedly. The fumble appeared to be recovered and returned 51 yards for a touchdown. After a review, the TD was denied and the Bears took over.
Injuries already were a major concern for the Bears. Devin Hester was ruled out for the game in the second quarter after suffering a concussion. Guard Chris Spencer left with a knee injury and guard Lance Louis had to be helped off the field with a knee injury after taking a vicious hit from the Vikings' Jared Allen. Cornerback Charles Tillman missed considerable time with an ankle injury.
The Vikings had pulled to with 25-10 after a 40-yard drive. Quarterback Christian Ponder passed two yards to tight end Kyle Rudolph for a touchdown with 10:44 left in the third period. The score was set up by an interception by Antoine Winfield after a Cutler pass caromed off the hands of Marshall.
The Bears were energized early, taking a 25-3 halftime lead on a 13-yard Cutler TD pass to tight end Matt Spaeth. The score came after Chris Conte intercepted a Ponder pass and returned it 35 yards to the Vikings' 13 with 1:55 left until halftime, and that was the score at intermission after Gould's 39-yard field goal attempt was blocked on the final play.
Cutler completed 15 of 17 first-half passes for 170 yards and one touchdown. His passer rating was 115.0.
The Bears had 169 yards of total offense, compared to the Vikings' 92. Adrian Peterson was limited to 25 yards on seven carries.
Earlier, a 1-yard touchdown run by Michael Bush, his second of the day, had extended the Bears' lead to 16-3. On the extra point, holder Adam Podlesh took the snap from center and ran in for the two-point conversion for an 18-3 advantage with 4:01 left until halftime.
The Bears had gone up 10-3 on a 47-yard field goal by Gould with 32 seconds left in the first quarter. The drive covered 25 yards in 10 plays. The drive featured a taunting penalty against a feisty Cutler for flipping the ball at the Vikings' A.J. Jefferson.
The Vikings' Walsh had a 30-yard field goal attempt blocked by Julius Peppers with 12 minutes left until halftime.
The Bears' defense got back to its turnover-producing ways early when Peterson fumbled and Charles Tillman recovered at the Vikings' 34. Nick Roach forced the fumble. The Bears converted the opportunity into a 1-yard touchdown by Bush with 7:17 left in the first quarter to take a 7-3 lead. The drive included a 15-yard pass from Cutler to tight end Kellen Davis to the Minnesota 1.
The Bears lost the ball on their opening series when Forte fumbled with 13:07 left in the first period. The fumble was recovered by Chad Greenway at the Bears' 28. The drive resulted in a 40-yard field goal by Blair Walsh.
After dropping two straight, the Bears needed to fend off the Vikings, who entered one game back at 6-4. And the Bears were trying to at least keep pace with the Packers as leaders of the NFC North. The Bears and Vikings will meet twice in three weeks. On Dec. 9, the Bears travel to the Metrodome.
Peterson reportedly missed the team bus to Soldier Field, but hailed a taxi cab in front of the team hotel and made it to the stadium at 10:23 a.m. for the noon start, according to the NFL Network.
The Bears have another NFC home game next Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.
fmitchell@tribune.com
Twitter@kicker34
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