After all the hub bup,the Bears and Vikings got this Monday night game under way with Zambonis blowing snow off the field and the Vikings receiving the opening kickoff and with about 70% of the stands full. Robbie Gould kicked off to Lorenzo Booker who retruned 32 yards to his 40.The Bears defense looked just as bad at the start of this game as they did last week again New England. Brett Favre was a surprise starter and with Adrian Peterson not active,handed to Toby Gerhart for three yards,and then for six,and then for a first down for nine and a first down,triggering the Viiking horn for the first time. Favre scrambled to the left and found Percy Harvin who made a diving catch at the 31. Then Gerhart got 8 to the 23. Finally Favre and Harvin connected on a screen and the recever broke a D.J.Moore tackle and scored standing up to makle it 7-0 just 3:38 into the game.Danieal Manning returned the kickoff 19 yards to his 34. Matt Forte ran off right guard 7 yards,then he picked up one to his 42.Jay Cutler on third down found Earle Bennet for eight yards at the 43 for a first down. His pass was then almost picked off,but dropped by Ben Leber. He then hit Bennett who fumbled but Greg Olsen recovered at the Minnesoita 44 making it third and three. After being forced to used a time out,Cutler under a blitz threw a pass into the slipper turf and Brad Maynard’s punt was fair caught by Grag Camarillo at his 14. After a Gerhart no gain, Favre unloaded a pass that Tim Jennings intercepted,but Julius Peppers was off side.Gerhart was then stuffed for no gain again on second down. Favre had another pass tipped by Henry Melton and Peppers picked it off at the Minnesota 14. Cutler hit Olsen for a short two yard gain. Forte was then held to a gain of just a yard. On third down, Cutler tossed incompleted pass as he and Johnny Knox had their timming off.Gould thus kicked a 29 yard field goal. The Vikings started at their 31.On a third and six,the snap was air mailed over Favre’s head and he raced back to recover’s it at his 11. Chris Kluwe punted it out at the Vikings 47. Former Viking Chester Taylor ran for 4 but Chris Williams was nailed for illegal hand to the face. Then a long screen pass play to Taylor was wiped out when a holding was called on Olen Kruetz. But on first and 30, Cutler found Knox on a 67 yard bomb to stun the crowd and the Vikings and give the Bears their first lead 10-7 with 1:55 remaing in the first quarter.The Bears got the only score of the second quarter by driving 70 yards in eight plays and getting to the Minnesota 15. Cutler then hit Devin Hester in stride for a touchdown to make it 17-7.Favre left the game when he was hit by former Northwestern Wildcat Corey Wooton and was replaced by Joe Webb. Cutler later had an apperent score to Devin Aromashodu,but offsetting penalties wiped that out and the half ended with no more scoring.

Hester returned the second halkf kickoff 79 yards to the Minnesota six.Forte was stuffed for a one yard gain on first down.Cutler then threw one away with nobody open.He then missed Bennett over the middle and Gould booted a 23 yarder to up the Bears lead to 20-7.After stopping the Vikes three and out, Kluwe’s punt resulted in history as Hester returned it 64 yards for a TD which set an NFL record, his 14th combined regular season kickoff and punt return score,breaking the mark he had shared with Brian Mitchell who had needed 223 games while Hester need just 74 games. This does not include Hester’s return of a missed field goal or his kick off return for a TD in Super Bowl XLVI.A horrible pass interference call on Major Wright put the Vikings in scoring range,and Webb then hit Harvin for 13 yards to the 13 before running it in to cut the Bears lead to 27-14.The Vikes tried an on side kick but Manning grabbed it and got to his 47.Cutler hit Hester at the Minnesota 45.Then he zinged one to Knox at the 34.Forte was hit behind the line for -2,but followed that up with a gain of five.Olsen then grabbed a Cutler pass for 11q at the 20 to move the chains.Forte picked up another first down with eleven to the nine for a first and goal.Cutler then found Rashied Davis up the middle with a zaler beam between two DB’s and it was 34-14 Bears with 5:16 left in the third quarter. Yet another stop on the Vikings, and the Bears drove deep enough for Gould to kick a 34 yard field goal to make it 37-14. Booker returned the kickoff 49 yards to the Bears 34 as the lenghty period finally ended. Webb hit Harvin for 14 yards to the Bears 19.The Vikings didn’tkeep the ball much longer as Melton recoivered a Gerhart fumble at the Bears 17.The next Viking drive ended with a Chris Harris interception which he returned 25 yards to the Minnesota 32.Kevin Williams picked up a personal foul on first down and the ball was spotted at the 19.Forte ran 14 yards to the 5 for a first and goal. He then added two more to the two.Taylor was stopped for no gain twice. Gould then booted a 20 yard chip shot to make it 40-14 with 7:03 left.Peanut Tillman picked off a Webb pass and returned it 57 yards to the Minnesota 35 with 2:58 left. Garrett Wolfe ran twice to get down to the two minute warning.They then turned the ball over on downs the the Vikes ran the clock out.

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