Well this one started out way too easy.The Bears parlayed it into a 39-10 blowout victory over the Minnesota Vikings in their final game Stateside for three weeks,and their last at Soldier Field for a month. The Bears stopped the Vikings three and out,got a 48 yard TD bomb from Jay Cutler to Devin Hester, Stephen Paea tackled Donovan McNabb in the end zone(first safety Vikings have given up since 1975 when Fran Tarkenton was the victim),and then a drive to the 3 from where Marion Barber scored. Either the VIKES looked brutal OR the Bears were just better with Chris Harris inactive and Brandon Meriweather on the sideline-which, or both? The first quarter ended 16-0 Bears. After Ryan Longwell’s 37 yard field goal got Minnesota on the board,Cutler threw a 13 yard TD pass to Dane Sanzenbacher and Robbie Gould kicked his first of three field goals on the night, a 51 yarder that had plenty to spare. The Bears halftime lead was 26-3 and this one was pretty much over.

The second half was played because rules say they had too, and also to determine the final score. Adrian Peterson got the Vikings into the end zone with a 4 yard run,but Devin Hester, who last December 20th returned a punt for a score at the U.of Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium, took the Longwell kickoff 98 yards to extend his NFL record for most kicks returned for a score. Gould later added a 26 yarder to make it 36-10 after the third quarter and a 22 yard chip shot just ten seconds into the third quarter.

NOTES—The Bears will leave for London Thursday and face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday at Noon Chicago time at Wembley Stadium….Hester left for a chest injury early in the fourth quarter.

LES