Step in the right direction for Bears
To the Bears' credit, there wasn't too much gloating Sunday after they snapped a three-game losing streak with their first home victory of the season, a 21-13 decision over the Minnesota Vikings.
The Bears outgained the Vikings 468-243, as their ridiculed and reeling defense allowed its fewest yards of the season. Both teams are 4-6 and have to squint to see NFC North leaders Detroit and Green Bay.
So, it made sense the winners were more relieved than euphoric after just their second win in seven games.
The Bears defeated a sub.-500 team that started a rookie quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater and was without its Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson.
But Sunday's effort at least stopped the bleeding on a team that was hemorrhaging and in danger of a total collapse, having lost five of six. Players in the winning locker room realized they haven't arrived, but they knew they at least pulled out of a nose-dive.
"We're nowhere near where we need to be," said offensive left tackle Jermon Bushrod, who was instrumental in keeping quarterback Jay Cutler clean despite 43 passes. "We have a lot of work to do.
"Getting this 'W' is cool, but we have six more games to go play, and we have to take this thing one week at a time, one day at a time, keep playing at a high level, and hopefully it can come together like it did today."
It came together especially well for the defense after the game started much like the Bears' previous three - all losses.
Thanks to failures on special teams, the Vikings jumped out to 10-0 lead in the first quarter. Robbie Gould, with his first field-goal try in four games and a chance to tie the game, was wide right on a 47-yard attempt.
On the Vikings' ensuing possession, safety Andrew Sendejo rambled 48 yards out of punt formation. Bridgewater connected with tight end Rhett Ellison on the next play for a 7-yard touchdown.
After ending their fifth straight first quarter without a point, the Bears finally got some momentum early in the second.
Cutler's 27-yard TD pass to Alshon Jeffery started the comeback. Cutler was flushed out of the pocket and rolled right before firing into the end zone, where a closely covered Jeffery made a nice adjustment to the ball.
In their previous three games, the Bears were unable to overcome early deficits, but the offense had a different mindset this time after falling behind by 10.
"Go score," Bushrod said, describing the mood. "Go find a way to put points on the board. We didn't want to get put in worse situations, so we went down there and we got 7."
A 44-yard Cutler-to-Brandon Marshall touchdown late in the second quarter and a 4-yard collaboration between the same two players with 8:51 left in the game provided a 21-10 cushion, and Ryan Mundy's end-zone interception preserved the victory with 42 seconds remaining.
Mundy said the key to the Bears' only interception and his second of the season was reading the quarterback and being where he was supposed to be. That was a theme throughout the week, and the major difference on defense after two embarrassing blowouts in which the defense was torched for 106 points.
"We just did our jobs," Mundy said. "That was the main focus coming into this game, 'Just do your job and be disciplined.' If you're supposed to be right here, be right there, and I think everybody did that."
Mundy agreed that Sunday's win was a start, but not much more.
"It's always a work in progress," he said. "It still wasn't perfect; there's still mistakes out there, there's still corrections that need to be made."
The defense did a better job of playing complementary football, something coach Marc Trestman stresses, as the pass rush and coverage worked together.
After getting just 1 sack in the previous two games, the Bears sacked Bridgewater twice, hit him at least five other times and frequently made him throw sooner than he wanted.
Defensive end Jared Allen and Willie Young each had a sack. For Young, that overshadowed his first-quarter offsides penalty on third-and-3 that gave the Vikings a crucial first down on their opening drive,
That play also illustrated how far the Bears still have to go.
"No, we're not where we need to be," Young said, disgusted by the notion. "We gave up some plays. They got an automatic first down on my offsides. By far, no we're not where we're supposed to be or we need to be.
"All we can do is just continue to take little steps. Let's not try to take a big stride. When it's time to open up the stride, that's what we'll do, but right now let's take it one step at a time and not get beside ourselves and feel like we've made it, like we're back."
At least the Bears are headed in the right direction for the first time in more than a month.
• Follow Bob's Bears and NFL reports on Twitter@BobLeGere.