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Bears put NFC North championship on ice

MINNEAPOLIS — For a short while, the snow that had fallen since early afternoon stopped.

But it began again just before Robbie Gould's game-opening kickoff. The field at TCF Bank Stadium was clear, though; the temperature was 23 degrees with winds out of the east-northeast at 13 mph, creating a windchill of 9 degrees.

All in all, for an outdoor stadium in Minnesota in late December, it wasn't too bad. It got worse, weather-wise, and for the Vikings, but it was ideal for the Bears, whose 40-14 victory clinched the NFC North title and a playoff berth in front of 40,504 hearty souls in the 50,000-seat stadium.

To the surprise only of those who don't know his history, Vikings quarterback Brett Favre started, despite injuries too numerous to list.

But he didn't last long. And perennial Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson wasn't even active for the Vikings.

Minnesota still scored first, but the 10-4 Bears took control soon after and never relinquished it, dropping the home team to 5-9.

The exclamation point was supplied, as it has been so often, by Devin Hester.

His 64-yard, punt-return score was the NFL-record 14th kick-return touchdown of his career, breaking his tie with Brian Mitchell.

The touchdown also gave the Bears a 27-7 lead on what had become a slick surface, although not nearly as bad as some had envisioned earlier in the week.

Hester had come close to breaking the record minutes earlier when he returned the second-half kickoff 79 yards to set up Robbie Gould's 23-yard field goal that gave the Bears a 20-7 lead just 54 seconds into the third quarter.

After Favre's replacement, sixth-round rookie Joe Webb ran 13 yards to get the Vikings within 27-14, the Bears answered almost immediately.

Quarterback Jay Cutler, as he did several times throughout the snowy, slippery evening, fired a dart over the middle, this time to seldom-used wide receiver Rashied Davis, for a 9-yard TD and a 34-14 lead.

By then Favre was long gone.

Corey Wootton's first NFL sack came early in the second quarter when the rookie bearhugged Favre and slammed him to the turf on his left shoulder.

The concussed Favre took several moments before gingerly getting to his feet. He did not return and probably never will.

The Bears immediately marched 70 yards in eight plays after another short punt by Chris Kluwe, who made it a point in the first half to avoid kicking the ball anywhere close to Hester.

But Hester burned the Vikings anyway when he caught a skinny post from Cutler for a 15-yard touchdown to give the visitors a 17-7 lead with 6:54 left in the first half.

Three runs by Matt Forte produced 24 yards on the drive and a 23-yard catch and run by Earl Bennett set up the score.

The Bears caught a couple of breaks late in the first quarter, when they were trailing 7-3. First, center John Sullivan snapped the ball over Favre's head, resulting in a loss of 22 yards. Then, a short punt by Kluwe gave the Bears the ball at the Vikings' 47.

The Bears promptly returned the favors. On back-to-back plays, guard Chris Williams was flagged for illegal hands to the face and Olin Kreutz was cited for holding, negating an 18-yard pass to Chester Taylor.

That pushed the Bears back to their 33 and they were facing a first-and-30, when Cutler found Johnny Knox near midfield along the sideline.

When Vikings safety Madieu Williams took a bad angle, Knox flew past him and coasted into the end zone for a 67-yard TD and a 10-7 Bears lead with 1:55 left in the first quarter.

By then the snow had become mixed with freezing rain and the slipping and sliding became more prevalent, although there were no injuries because of the conditions.

Julius Peppers cost Tim Jennings an interception near midfield when he was flagged for being offside. But two plays later, Peppers picked off a Favre pass that was deflected up by Henry Melton at the line of scrimmage.

Unable to move more than 3 yards, the Bears settled for Gould's 29-yard field goal, which left them on the short end of a 7-3 score with 5:18 left in the first quarter.

Peterson's replacement, Toby Gerhard, ran four times for 26 yards on the game's opening possession before Favre flipped a screen pass to Percy Harvin who turned it into a 24-yard TD and a 7-0 Vikings lead just 3:38 into the game.

The Bears quickly shut Gerhart down, and after they KO'ed Favre the outcome was never in doubt.

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Chicago Bears' Devin Hester (23) reacts after running back a punt 64-yards for a touchdown during the second half an NFL football game Monday in Minneapolis. Chicago Bears' Devin Hester (23) reacts after running back a punt 64-yards for a touchdown during the second half an NFL football game Monday, Dec. 20, 2010, in Minneapolis. The return was Hester's NFL-leading 14th career return for a touchdown. Associated Press