Montgomery, defense come up big in Bears' victory

For 57 minutes, David Montgomery was the slam-dunk MVP of the Bears' pivotal 33-27 victory at Minnesota on Sunday.

The second-year tailback ran like a man possessed, barreling over would-be tacklers and cutting back against the grain for massive gains en route to a career-best 146 rushing yards on 32 carries.

But after Mitch Trubisky threw an interception in the end zone with 2:57 remaining, it appeared the Bears might blow a 10-point fourth-quarter lead.

The defense - which was thoroughly gashed by Vikings RB Dalvin Cook - needed to step up in a big way.

And that's exactly what happened as four clutch plays allowed the Bears (7-7) to race out of Minnesota (6-8) with thoughts of playoffs dancing in their heads.

"We're excited," said Trubisky, who completed 15 of 21 passes for 202 yards and a TD. "I mean this is what you play for. You play for an opportunity to get to the playoffs.

"We had a bad streak going there, but we knew if we stuck together and battled as a family ... that we could make a run."

Trubisky took the blame for throwing that errant pass to a well-covered Allen Robinson on third-and-goal from the 6. Rookie cornerback Cameron Dantzler snared the ball and put the Vikings in position to steal a game they'd never led.

But the Bears' defense stood strong, with Duke Shelley blasting Cook a yard short of a first down on second-and-7, Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith stuffing Cook on third-and-1, and Brent Urban harassing Kirk Cousins into an incomplete pass on fourth-and-1.

After Cairo Santos' fourth FG made it 33-27, Eddie Jackson tipped Cousins' Hail Mary into the hands of Sherrick McManis to seal the deal.

"Our defense made some big-time stops at crucial situations," said head coach Matt Nagy, whose team was without defensive backs Jaylon Johnson, Buster Skrine and Deon Bush. "They're fighters and they care a lot. We had a couple guys out today and the young guys came in and played well."

Montgomery, who has 906 rushing yards on the season, wrecked the Vikings all day. His most impressive gains included:

• A 19-yarder that began the first TD drive. He earned the last 6 yards by plowing right through sixth-year safety Anthony Harris.

• A 16-yard reception on third-and-4 on the first possession of the third quarter.

• A 14-yard TD run where he bounced off Harris at the 5-yard line and then dragged Jeff Gladney into the end zone. It gave the Bears a 27-17 lead with 5½ minutes remaining in the third quarter.

This was just the sixth time in 29 games Montgomery had more than 20 carries. It also blew away his career high of 27 attempts, which came in a Week 7 loss to the Chargers last season.

When asked what his mindset is when he's trusted with 30-plus touches, Montgomery said: "Make it count. Let's not regret giving me that many carries. Let me make sure that I show my O-line (and wide receivers) that I'm giving them everything that I've got. ... Let them know that they've got all of me."

Allen Robinson (4 catches, 83 yards) and Darnell Mooney (4 catches, 49 yards; 1 carry for 16 yards) led the way for the receivers.

Mooney caught his fourth TD of the season to open the scoring on an 8-yard reception. He now has 46 catches, which breaks Harlon Hill's single-season franchise rookie record of 45.

Cook finished with 159 all-purpose yards, 132 of which came on the ground on 24 carries.

So the Bears' roller-coaster of a season - one that left fans with a pit in their stomach for nearly two months - will come down to the final two games. Up next is what should be an easy victory over Jacksonville. Then the playoffs could be on the line when Green Bay visits Soldier Field on January 3.

Listening to Trubisky - and seeing how this team is suddenly clicking - you get the feeling they just may pull it off.

"The guys are in the locker room are excited," Trubisky said. "There's really good commaraderie right now (and) an intensity and a focus that I like to see. We're in a good spot and we just have to keep that going."