Bears' last kick to Peterson ultimately costs them game

After Devin Hester's 89-yard punt-return touchdown opened the scoring Sunday afternoon, the Vikings either punted the ball into the end zone, out of bounds or so close to the sideline that Hester was hemmed in without much room to maneuver.

He managed just 19 yards on his 3 additional punt returns. On kickoffs, the Vikings preferred to deliver the ball to Hester short, on a bounce or a roll, to facilitate their coverage. Or, they kicked it short to someone other than Hester, who was held to 86 yards on 4 kickoff returns for a modest 21.5-yard average.

The Bears, on the other hand, kept kicking off to Adrian Peterson, who may have already clinched Rookie of the Year honors with his 361 combined yards (224 rushing, 128 on 4 kick returns and 9 receiving) against the Bears. The last time they kicked to him, it cost them the game when he returned it 53 yards to set up the winning field goal.

"Kicking away from someone is not something we do," said Bears special-teams ace Brendon Ayanbadejo, who was voted to the Pro Bowl after last season because of his excellence in kick coverage and whose block sprang Hester on his return TD Sunday. "We're the best special teams unit in the league. We're not going to be like the Minnesota Vikings and kick the ball out of bounds."

Insult and injury: The Vikings had tied the score on the final play of the first quarter when Tarvaris Jackson launched a long toss down the sideline, and speedy wideout Troy Williamson easily ran past strong safety Adam Archuleta and made the catch in stride for a 60-yard touchdown, trying the game at 7-7.

At halftime, Archuleta, who has been playing with his broken right hand in a small cast, was benched. Danieal Manning moved back from corner -- where he started in place of injured Nate Vasher -- to safety, and rookie Trumaine McBride took over at corner.

"I don't know if they had a lot of confidence in my right hand," said Archuleta, who was upset about giving up the TD. "It was a terrible, terrible play by me.

"Sometimes you try and do too much. I thought I saw something coming across out of the corner of my eye, and at that point it was too late. It was one of the worst plays I've ever been involved with."

Making an impression: The Bears held the Chargers' LaDainian Tomlinson and the Chiefs' Larry Johnson -- the league's top two rushers last season -- to a combined 80 yards on 33 carries earlier this season, yet they were trampled by Adrian Peterson for 224 yards on 20 attempts.

"He's still a rookie, and he's still learning, but I really expect him to get up to that level real quick," said Bears cornerback Charles Tillman. "He's a great back. He does a great job of taking the ball and hitting it outside and using his speed. Just an all-around great back, in my opinion."

"He ran like a monster today," said defensive end Alex Brown. "He did everything. Every big play they had besides the long reception (60-yard TD catch by Troy Williamson), he pretty much made them. We didn't help, but he made the plays."

Playing long toss: Bears wide receiver Bernard Berrian, who started but didn't play the entire game because of a toe injury, scored on a 39-yard touchdown pass from Brian Griese to give the Bears a 14-7 lead with 11:45 left in the second quarter.

Although Berrian leads the Bears with 30 catches and 408 yards, it was his first TD of the season. Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield slipped after Berrian hesitated and then took off for the end zone, as Griese dropped a perfect throw into his hands around the 10-yard line. That, combined with Griese's 81-yard TD pass to Devin Hester, may mute criticism of Griese's ability to throw deep.

"We never were worried about it," Berrian said. "(It's) the naysayers, who think they know a lot more than what is actually going on. He threw two perfect balls on those plays."

Harris hurting: You didn't hear Bears tackle Tommie Harris' name mentioned too often Sunday, and that's never a good thing for the Bears' defense.

"This is the toughest game I've played in since I've been here, due to the (Vikings') rush game," said Harris, who was credited with just 1 tackle and might have been better off resting his sprained knee for another week.

"I don't think I played well enough," he said. "I think there were plays that I could have stopped. I have to fight through some pain, so I think the more I get healthy, the more I can contribute to the team.

"I don't think I played well at all. I really blame some of the runs on myself."

Out of action: Cornerback Nate Vasher (groin) and defensive tackle Darwin Walker (knee) were inactive Sunday. Anthony Adams started in place of Walker.