Bears officially ousted with loss to Vikings

MINNEAPOLIS -- In the end, the Bears didn't have enough offense, and the Vikings had too much Adrian Peterson.

It added up to a 20-13 Minnesota victory, the fifth straight for the 8-6 Vikings, while the Bears plummeted to 5-9, losing for the fourth time in five weeks.

A Bears defense that dominated into the second half experienced a costly glitch that turned a big Vikings pass play into a gigantic one.

Robert Ferguson's 25-yard reception turned into a long gain when Danieal Manning bounced off the Vikings' wide receiver at midfield.

The missed tackle allowed Ferguson to go 71 yards, all the way to the Bears' 1-yard line, setting up a Peterson touchdown run that brought Minnesota within 13-12 after Ryan Longwell missed the extra point with 10:29 left in the third quarter.

More Coverage Stories Imrem: QBs merely pieces of a bigger puzzle [12/18/07] LeGere: Bears take a pass on postseason [12/18/07] Peterson's poise impresses Smith [12/18/07] Ayanbadejo's future on the line [12/18/07]

The Bears' defense came up with its fourth takeaway to regain the momentum on Brandon McGowan's second interception of the season, giving the sluggish Bears offense the ball at the Vikings. 48-yard line.

But, as it did most of the night, the Bears' attack punted after three unsuccessful plays.

Finally the Bears' defense could no longer prevent what seems inevitable this season, Peterson jump-starting the Minnesota offense. Bottled up by the Bears' eight-man fronts most of the game, he went 15 yards late in the third quarter to get the Vikings rolling.

Former Bear Bobby Wade's 19-yard reception brought the ball to the Bears' 20, and after Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson limped off.

On his first play, backup quarterback Brooks Bollinger bumped into Peterson, but it didn't matter. The rookie cut back against the grain, made a move that left McGowan grasping air and high-stepped into the end zone with 10:56 left. Bollinger's 2-point run put Minnesota ahead 20-13.

The Bears came back as Kyle Orton, making his first start -- and taking his first snap in a regular-season game -- in two years, finally shook off the rust.

He completed 4 of 5 passes for 38 yards, but the drive stalled at the Vikings' 39 when he was called for intentional grounding on a third-and-9.

The third quarterback wasn't a charm for the Bears in the early going against the Vikings. Orton, struggled to complete anything other than short flips to running back Adrian Peterson, who caught 7 of his first 13 completions, but for only 33 yards.

But the Bears' defense played like it was 2006 -- Super Bowl caliber.

They had to in order to keep it close, as the offense struggled to put together a drive of any length even when given excellent field position.

The Bears didn't have a first down in the first quarter, picking up 26 yards on 12 plays while being penalized three times for minus-15 yards.

Finally, on their sixth possession, midway through the second quarter, the Bears picked up a first down, but only 1, and they needed to convert a fourth-and-1 to do it.

They parlayed that offensive "explosion" into a 47-yard Robbie Gould field goal for a 6-3 lead with 6:57 left in the half.

Fortunately Orton and the offense benefited from a defense that forced 3 first-half turnovers, and the third, by cornerback Nate Vasher set up the only touchdown on the first half.

Vasher, who missed the previous 10 games with a partially torn groin muscle, returned with a flourish, picking off Jackson late in the first half at the Viking's 46 and returning 34 yards.

Two plays later, fullback Jason McKie scored his first touchdown of the season on a 1-yard run, 30 seconds before the break for a 13-3 lead.

Not only did the short-handed Bears defense, playing with two tackles signed last week, take the ball away from the Vikings three times in the first half, and four times overall, it shut down the running of rookie of the year Adrian Peterson, who came into the game with 1,200 yards.

The Vikings closed the gap to 13-6 with Ryan Longwell's 48-yard field goal on the final play of the half. A late hit by Charles Tillman on Jackson cost the Bears 15 yards and helped the Vikings salvage the 3 points.

Two takeaways by Brian Urlacher in the first 10 minutes of the game gave the Bears an early advantage and helped them hold it.

On the Vikings' second play from scrimmage, Urlacher's team-best third interception of the season and 12-yard return gave the Bears' offense the ball at Minnesota's 14. But after false-start penalties on right tackle Fred Miller and left guard John St. Clair, the Bears settled for Gould's 29-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead 4:29 into the game.

Then, with the Vikings ripping through the Bears' injury-ravaged defense on their second possession, getting large chunks of yardage on almost every play, Urlacher pounced on a botched handoff by Jackson that never found its way into Peterson's grasp, stopping the drive at the Bears' 23.

In the third quarter, Urlacher notched his fourth and fifth sacks of the season. But, just as it had on its first two possessions, the Bears' offense again failed to manage even 1 first down.