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Berrian helps Vikings topple Bears

Dec 1, 2008 - 6:14 AM By Brian Hall PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Bernard Berrian has been waiting for the opportunity that came Sunday night. It couldn't have come at a better time.

Berrian's big play against his former team helped the Minnesota Vikings claim sole possession of first place in the NFC North with a 34-14 triumph over the Chicago Bears.

After Minnesota stopped Chicago on four plays at its own 1-yard line, quarterback Gus Frerotte found Berrian streaking down the left side of the field for a 99-yard scoring strike to give the Vikings a 10-7 lead.

"It's just a straight go ball," Berrian said. "I've been lobbying for that play since the beginning of the season. The defense made a great stand down there to get us the ball back. They called the play and dialed it up, and Gus let it fly."

Frerotte added a 1-yard scoring dive, Chester Taylor had a 21-yard touchdown run and Minnesota (7-5) pulled away from Chicago (6-6) in this key divisional clash.

"It's amazing what a shift in momentum can do," Bears coach Lovie Smith said. "We were in pretty good shape, had a big takeaway there, and a big run to get down to first and goal. We have to get the ball in from there with four tries."

Adrian Peterson had another strong game against Chicago with 28 carries for 131 yards and a touchdown. He also had a 59-yard run that put the Vikings in position for Ryan Longwell's 23-yard field goal in the second quarter.

"It was very physical down there and I was expecting that coming into this game," Peterson said. "We were playing against the Bears and they have a great defense. So, we had to go out there with the determination that we had to fight for every yard that we could."

In four career games against the Bears, Peterson has rushed for 554 yards with eight touchdowns.

But, Berrian's play was part of a big momentum swing for Minnesota.

The Bears had driven 45 yards to the Vikings' 1-yard line early in the second quarter. On first down, Kyle Orton passed incomplete to tight end Greg Olsen. Chicago then ran three straight times into the heart of the Minnesota line and Pro Bowl tackles Kevin and Pat Williams.

"I felt like we needed a touchdown in that situation," Smith said. "We have to be able to get it in from there. If you don't get it in from there, you probably don't deserve to win."

Each attempt was stuffed for no gain as Chicago turned the ball over on downs. On the next play, with the Bears playing for a run, Frerotte hit a wide-open Berrian who outraced former teammate Charles Tillman for the longest play from scrimmage in Vikings history.

"It was actually a lucky play," Berrian said. "It's the luckiest touchdown I've ever had. (Tillman) went and bit on (tight end Visanthe Shiancoe) and tried to make a play on Visanthe. Gus said he looked to one side and came back to the other side and was actually surprised how open I was."

The Bears had their own big play to open the scoring as Orton hit Devin Hester on a slant and Hester outran the Minnesota defense for a 65-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter.

Rookie Matt Forte had 125 total yards for Chicago, including a 2-yard touchdown catch. Orton finished 11-for-29 passing for 153 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw three interceptions.

Orton had a team-record 206 straight passes before throwing three in the second half Sunday.

"Tough to win games when you throw three picks," Orton said. "Passing game needs to step it up. I need to step it up."

Given the lead, the Vikings defense took over. Minnesota led 17-7 at halftime before Forte's touchdown made it 17-14.

Darren Sharper's interception led to Taylor's touchdown run and a 24-14 lead. Ben Leber and Benny Sapp had fourth-quarter interceptions, each leading to Viking scores.

Orton's three interceptions led to 17 Minnesota points. Chicago now trails the Vikings by one contest, but the Bears now have three straight home games.

"We're definitely running out of time, four games left to go," Smith said. "We started a six-game season a couple of weeks ago. But, we still have time. Nothing has been decided right now. We are one game out of first place. We need a little bit of help. All we can do right now is just take care of our business."

Berrian finished with four catches for 122 yards.

Minnesota is at Detroit and Arizona the next two weeks before finishing the season with two home games.

"It's about improving in the areas you can improve in and growing as you go forward," Vikings coach Brad Childress said. "We got a ton of things we cleaned up in this football game. We have a month of football to go to see if we can play more. We need to get ready for Detroit, a team we didn't play very good against."