Mattie T’s In-game Blog: (Vikings vs. Bears)

It’s gametime!!! Let’s see if the Bears can beat Brett Favre for the first time in six tries ever on Monday Night Football…

1st quarter:

Jay Cutler nearly throws an interception on just Chicago’s 3rd play from scrimmage, but Ben Leber flat out drops it. Jay knows he won’t be able to get away with much of that tonight against a playoff-bound Vikings team.

Minnesota commits a huge penalty, as Asher Allen pushed Corey Graham out of bounds.

Adrian Peterson stuffed on his first 2 carries of the evening for minus 3 yards, courtesy of Tommie Harris & Lance Briggs.

Chester Taylor almost gets it all back on a 3rd & 13 draw play, but is just 2 yards short of a 1st down.

Chicago gets great starting field position on their 2nd drive of the game, as Earl Bennett falls on the football at the Bears’ own 40-yard line.

Cutler does a nice job on 3rd & 3 as he scrambles to his right before hitting Desmond Clark for a big 37-yard gain.

Matt Forte then bolts left for a nice 8-yard gain, as the Bears are looking early to run the ball more.

Rashied Davis makes a nice diving grab at the 10-yard line, which sets up 1st & Goal.

Forte’s 2 runs of 6 yards sets up 3rd & Goal from the 5-yard line, as Cutler then fires incomplete over the middle to Greg Olsen.

This sets up an extra-point like 22-yard field goal try from Robbie Gould, as he nails it right down the middle to give the Bears a 3-0 lead with 7:24 left in the 1st quarter.

Favre completes his first 3 passes of the game before giving way to Adrian Peterson, who stiff arms Charles Tillman en route to a 7-yard run.

Peterson then catches a 12-yard pass from Favre to get Minnesota into the red zone, but it’s called back due to illegal procedure on Percy Harvin.

Tommie Harris bursts up the middle for a near sack on Favre, as he just got it off for an incomplete pass.

Favre’s not so lucky this time around, as he’s stripped by Israel Idonje for a fumble. Harris falls on it for the game’s first turnover & Chicago possession.

Nice bootleg by Cutler, as he hits Greg Olsen for a 16-yard gain.

Cutler then shows off his scrambling, as he leveled Antoine Winfield on the way to an 8-yard run to end the 1st quarter with the Bears leading the Vikings 3-0.

2nd quarter:

Matt Forte turned a possible loss into a 5-yard gain, as he bounced to the left for a 1st down.

Jasper Brinkley tackles Desmond Clark for 15 extra yards, which prompts Clark to get up & shove Brinkley. No flags are thrown on the play, which sets up Robbie Gould for a 42-yard field goal attempt, which is good.

Chicago now leads 6-0 with 13:23 left in the half.

Percy Havin on the sidelines, which is not good news for Minnesota.

Adrian Peterson breaks a Nick Roach tackle for a near 1st down before Chester Taylor runs left for a 9-yard pickup.

Isreal Idonje makes a nice stop, as Chester Taylor is tackled 2 yards short of a 1st down.

Chris Kluwe then shanks an ugly 15-yard punt off the side of his foot, which will give the Bears 1st & 10 from their own 34-yard line.

Rookie Kahil Bell gives the Bears a 1st down with 2 runs for 13 yards before Cutler hits Greg Olsen for a 25-yard gain. Vikings having lots of trouble so far trying to stop Chicago’s pair of tight ends.

Devin Aromashodu makes a nice leaping catch at the 10, as he gets extra yardage all the way down to the 2-yard line.

The drive is capped up as Cutler connects with Greg Olsen for a 7-yard touchdown, as Robbie Gould’s extra point gives Chicago a 13-0 lead with 5:56 left until halftime.

Brett Favre tries a play-action bootleg pass to Sidney Rice, but Charles Tillman pushes Rice for an incompletion & no flag.

A 3rd & 8 screen pass goes horrid as Forte is stuffed for a 7-yard loss.

Nice pressure by Mark Anderson on 3rd & 3, as he forces Brett Favre to throw it out of bounds & set up a Vikings punt.

Cutler keeps the drive going with a big 3rd down completion to Earl Bennett, as he’s able to hang on despite facing two Minnesota defenders.

Devin Aromashodu then catches a sideline pass for a 12-yard gain, which puts the Bears at midfield.

Aromashoudu again with a big 26-yard catch, which sets up a 41-yard field by Robbie Gould to end the half, as the Bears take a 16-0 lead into the locker room.

Possible injury to watch out for in the 2nd half as Cutler might have possibly hurt his throwing hand.

Chicago has totally dominated the game to this point, as they have outgained Minnesota 225-82 so far & have held the Vikings to just 1 of 8 conversions on 3rd down.

3rd quarter:

Nice kickoff return by Percy Harvin to start the 2nd half, as the Vikings’ rookie takes it to the Minnesota 41.

Adrian Peterson then busts loose for a 10-yard gain as Craig Steltz makes a nice open-field tackle to save some extra yardage.

Bernard Berrian kills a chance at scoring some points, as he drops a big 3rd down pass from Favre which forces a Viking punt.

Johnny Knox stops his route on 3rd & 2, which forces a head shake from Jay Cutler as the Bears are forced to punt.

On Minnesota’s biggest offensive play of the night, Favre finds an open Berrian streaking down the right sideline for a big 38-yard gain.

Favre then tries to hit Sidney Rice in the end zone which falls up incomplete, but Charles Tillman is called for pass interference.

Adrian Peterson makes the Bears pay for the penalty, as he bounces outside to the left for his NFL-high 16th rushing touchdown of the season.

That’s all the Vikings would get though, as Israel Idonje blocks Ryan Longwell’s extra point. Chicago now leads 16-6 with 8:17 left in the 3rd quarter.

Danieal Manning then rips off a BIG kickoff return for 56 yards, as he takes it all the way to Minnesota’s 34 yard line.

Cutler then fires incomplete over the middle to Greg Olsen, but Jasper Brinkley is called for pass interference.

2 plays later, he hits Desmond Clark in the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown, as Robbie Gould’s extra point makes it a 23-6 Bears lead.

In a sign of how frustrating the night has gone for Minnesota, Percy Harvin ran into his own man before falling at the 26-yard line.

Adrian Peterson is hit inbounds by Danieal Manning, which causes some Viking players to cause a stir.

Favre then tries to hit Peterson in the end zone, but he slips as the ball goes untouched in the end zone.

Sidney Rice keeps it going with a clutch 13-yard grab on 3rd down, which sets up 1st & goal from the 3.

Visante Shiancoe catches a 6-yard touchdown grab from Favre, which now makes it a 23-13 Bears lead with 1:18 left in the quarter.

Big scare for Chicago as Johnny Knox is hurt during his kickoff return, as he takes it to the Bears’ 40 yard line.

The cart is out, which will essentially end his evening & possibly his rookie season.

Cutler then throws his 26th interception of the season, as Cedric Griffin picks it off to give Minnesota some momentum.

3rd quarter comes to an end with Chicago leading 23-13, but Minnesota is looking to make a 4th quarter charge to keep their homefield advantage hopes alive.

4th quarter:

After a 7-yard run, Adrian Peterson then catches an 11-yard reception to put the Vikings in business.

Favre then kills it with an intentional grounding penalty, which costs Minnesota 10 yards & a loss of downs.

Visante Shiancoe gets most of the penalty yardage back with a great grab on 2nd & 20, which sets the Vikings up with a manageable 3rd and short play.

Another scary injury as Charles Tillman is hurt & carted off the field in a stretcher.

Adrian Peterson is then stuffed for a 1-yard loss, which sets up Ryan Longwell for a 41-yard field goal try, which is good.

Chicago now leads 23-16 with 12:10 left for the game.

Cutler slings a 2nd & 7 pass over the middle to Earl Bennett, who can’t hang on as he slides to the ground.

Nice scramble by Cutler, as he moves to the right before finding Devin Aromashodu for a 11-yard gain & a Bears 1st down.

Drive is stalled though as Cutler is sacked on 3rd down, which forces a Chicago punt.

Favre tries a wide receiver screen pass on 2nd & 10 to Percy Harvin, but the Bears snuff it out perfectly for no gain.

Minnesota makes up for it, as Chester Taylor catches a check-down pass from Favre & takes it for a 20-yard gain.

Vikings then heat it up, as Favre hits Greg Lewis for a 27-yard gain. Favre again, to Sidney Rice for 12 yards, which sets up 1st & 10 from the Bears’ 13.

Percy Harvin then takes a screen pass & takes it 12 yards to the 1, as Adrian Peterson punches it in for a 1-yard touchdown run.

Ryan Longwell’s extra point ties it at 23 with 5:49 left in the game.

Danieal Manning strikes again for another big kickoff return, as he explodes 59 yards all the way down to the Vikings’ 21-yard line.

Bears don’t waste any time, as Cutler strikes to Earl Bennett on just the 2nd play of the drive for a 20-yard touchdown.

Gould’s extra point is good, as Chicago re-takes the lead 30-23 with 4:55 left.

Favre tries to hit Jim Kleinsasser on 2nd down, but the veteran fullback is unable to hold on as he hits the ground.

Jeff Dugan’s 9-yard reception sets up a huge 3rd & 1 play, as Adrian Peterson flips head over heels over the pile for 3 yards & a Minnesota 1st down.

Favre then almost gets picked off as a tipped ball JUST goes through the hands of Zackary Bowman, who nearly had a team-leading 6th interception this season.

Percy Harvin then catches a big 19-yard grab to set up the Vikings in the red zone with 2 minutes left.

Hunter Hillenmeyer makes a nice deflection on 1st down, as he tips Sidney Rice’s intended catch for an incomplete pass.

On 2nd & 10, Chester Taylor dances around, but only gains 2 yards to set up 3rd & 8.

Favre then strikes to Sidney Rice with 1:04 left, which puts Minnesota with a 1st & Goal situation on Chicago’s 8 yard line.

Percy Harvin’s screen pass doesn’t work too well, as he’s stuffed at the line of scrimmage by Josh Bullocks.

Clock’s still running on 2nd & Goal, as Jim Kleinsasser catches it for a minimal gain, but did stop the clock with 26 seconds left.

3rd & Goal at the Bears’ 6-yard line, as a backpedaling Favre fires incomplete to Percy Harvin on the left side of the end zone.

This will set up 4th & Goal, as Minnesota’s chance at a #1 seed in the NFC is now on the line.

Favre again fades to his left, but this time he connects with Sidney Rice for a 16-yard touchdown. Longwell connects on the extra point to tie it 30-30 with 16 seconds left.

Bears kneel down, which will force overtime in the final game of Week 16.

Overtime:

Bears win the coin toss & will receive to start overtime.

Devin Aromashodu’s huge evening continues with a 53 yard grab from Cutler, as that gives him 111 yards receiving on 6 catches for the game.

2 plays later, Cutler hits Desmond Clark for a 5-yard gain, which sets up a big 3rd & 5 play.

After Matt Forte’s 4-yard run, Robbie Gould misses a potential game-winning 44 yard field goal as it hooks wide right & gives Minnesota another chance.

Bears bring the heat on Favre, as he’s sacked on 2nd down by Alex Brown. This will set up a big 3rd & 15 play, as Brett is sacked again, this time by Mark Anderson.

Earl Bennett doesn’t call for a fair catch & pays for it, as Earl Bennett is hammered by DeMarcus Sanford at the Chicago 34.

Cutler is almost picked off on 3rd & 7 by Bennie Sapp, but it falls incomplete as the Bears are forced to punt.

Adrian Peterson then catches a 16-yard screen pass, but fumbles at the end as Chicago maintains possession.

Jay Cutler then ends it, as he hooks up with Devin Aromashodu with a 39-yard bomb to give the Bears a great 36-30 win over Minnesota in overtime, which now eliminates the Vikings’ chances of earning homefield advantage in the postseason.

The Player of Tonight’s Game goes to Bears wide receiver Devin Aromashodu, who exploded with 7 receptions for a career-high 150 receiving yards, which included the game-winning 39-yard touchdown grab in overtime to seal the win.