Bears take a pass on postseason

MINNEAPOLIS -- In the end, the Bears didn't have enough offense, and the Vikings had just enough 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.

This one officially eliminated the defending NFC champions from playoff consideration.

"That's reality," coach Lovie Smith said.

Although the Bears' defense frequently dominated for most of the first three quarters, the offense wasn't able to capitalize on the 4 turnovers it was presented.

The Bears had just 209 yards of total offense, converted only 1 of 14 third-down chances, and rushed for only 32 yards on 17 attempts.

"That's what's so frustrating," offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. "Our defense played more than well enough to win, but we didn't get it done."

A rare defensive glitch turned a big Vikings pass play into a gigantic one. Robert Ferguson's 25-yard reception became a 71-yard gain when Danieal Manning bounced off the Vikings' wide receiver at midfield.

The missed tackle allowed Ferguson to go 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.

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

"We talked to the offense all week about going out and giving ourselves a chance to win, but we didn't do it," Turner said. "We didn't do the things you need to do to win a football game. We had great field position, we had turnovers, we had plenty of opportunities, but we didn't get it done."

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.

After Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson limped off, backup quarterback Brooks Bollinger, on his first handoff, 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.

Orton completed 22 of 38 passes for 184 yards, and Turner said he would remain the Bears' starter. His only interception came on his final play, a desperation heave into the end zone that was stolen by Darren Sharper with 1:38 remaining.

"I didn't throw it far enough," said Orton, who finished with a 59.5 passer rating and declined to cite any positives in his return. "We lost the game, so I don't think there are any positives. I felt comfortable. We just didn't make enough plays, and I put that on me."

The defense, at least for a while, played like it was 2006 -- Super Bowl caliber.

Orton and the offense benefited from a defense that forced 3 first-half turnovers. The third, by cornerback Nate Vasher set up the only touchdown in 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 Peterson, who came into the game with 1,200 yards but was held in check until late and still finished with a modest 78 yards on 20 carries.

The Vikings closed the gap to 13-6 with 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-yard line.

But they settled for Gould's 29-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead 4:29 into the game. Urlacher also recovered a fumble and had his fourth and fifth sacks of the season.