Favre leads Vikings past Cutler, Bears 36-10

By DAVE CAMPBELL
AP Sports Writer

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota’s recruiting pitch to Brett Favre was
heavy on the no-pressure part: just steady the offense, let the
running game and defense do most of the work, and join in the
fun.

The Vikings are enjoying themselves, but Favre’s surgically
repaired right arm is doing a whole lot of work.

Favre completed 32 of 48 passes for a season-high 392 yards and
three touchdowns, and the Vikings intercepted Jay Cutler twice
in a 36-10 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

“I figured we’d have to throw it some,” Favre said. “I didn’t
come just to hand it off. I love to play.”

But the 40-year-old has been surprised by how much he’s been
heaving the ball. The Bears were blitzing and playing a soft
zone coverage a lot in the first half to bottle up Adrian
Peterson, so coach Brad Childress ordered offensive coordinator
Darrell Bevell to keep calling for passes.

Fine by Favre, even if it’s more than he expected. Left guard
Steve Hutchinson, one of several players who tried to sell Favre
on coming to Minnesota, teased him on the sideline about his
you-won’t-have-to-do-too-much pitch.

“It’s not like I wake up in the morning and don’t have any aches
and pains, because I do,” said Favre, who matched former Vikings
defensive lineman Jim Marshall for the NFL non-kicker record of
282 straight games played. “I’m sure when it’s all said and
done, I’m going to be like, ‘What did I do all this for?’ But my
arm feels great.”

The Vikings (10-1) outgained the Bears by a whopping 537 yards
to 169 and breezed to their fifth straight win, despite two more
fumbles and a pedestrian 85 yards on 25 carries by Peterson,
whose short, late touchdown run put Minnesota over 32 points for
the sixth time this season. The Vikings had 31 first downs, the
Bears just eight.

“I think pride is going to become an issue here,” Bears
defensive end Alex Brown said. “It’s going to be heart, pride
and who really enjoys playing the game of football.”

In the second half, the Bears ran 12 plays – and netted 2 yards.

“It’s a tough one,” said Cutler, who completed 18 of 23 passes
for 147 yards and one touchdown. “I didn’t expect this. We had a
good week.”

He added: “With as good a football team that I think we have in
here, to go out week after week and not live up to our own
expectations, that’s the tough part.”

Cutler was precise in the short passing game and effective in
the no-huddle, keeping the Bears (4-7) in it until late in the
second quarter. He was picked off by a diving Cedric Griffin in
the end zone. Then on the next possession, E.J. Henderson got
his hand on a ball over the middle that Jared Allen jumped up
and caught with 57 seconds left in the half.

Favre drove the Vikings 70 yards for a 24-7 advantage, and Ryan
Longwell kicked two of his three field goals after halftime to
further stretch the lead.

Cutler came to Chicago as the long-sought strong-armed
quarterback that has been missing there for decades, but the
Bears don’t have nearly as talented of a supporting cast as
Favre does in Minnesota. Cutler reached his career high with 20
interceptions, 15 of those coming in the last seven games, with
the Bears losing six.

“I’ll be honest. That was the most poised I’ve ever seen him
playing against him,” said Allen, who had two of the four
second-half sacks of Cutler. “Sometimes he can get frustrated,
but like I said they had a couple drives where they … were
making a few plays.”

When the Vikings finally persuaded Favre to keep playing and
join his former NFC North rivals, they added what was widely
viewed as their missing piece for championship contention.
That’s exactly the way it has been working out for them.

“We want to be ascending and continue to climb,” Childress said.

Five players caught five passes or more for the Vikings, with
rookie Percy Harvin totaling 101 yards, plus 45 yards rushing on
two end-arounds. Favre keeps putting needle-eye passes in
traffic to Harvin, tight end Visanthe Shiancoe and wide
receivers Sidney Rice and Bernard Berrian, and they keep coming
down with the ball.

“I think people are starting to look at our receivers like they
do at Adrian Peterson as a force to be reckoned with,” Favre
said.

Hunter Hillenmeyer forced both of Peterson’s fumbles. He has
lost five this year, and in 41 career games he has fumbled 19
times and lost 12. A replay review overturned Chicago’s recovery
of the second fumble, when officials ruled Hillenmeyer was out
of bounds.

NOTES: Coach Lovie Smith announced several injuries for the
Bears: LB Lance Briggs (knee), CB Charles Tillman (head), LT
Orlando Pace (groin) and Brown (leg). Briggs was hurt in the
first quarter, returned briefly and then aggravated the injury.
… The Vikings added all-time tackles leader Scott Studwell,
now their director of college scouting, to their “Ring of Honor”
in a halftime ceremony. … Cutler had 18 interceptions last
season for Denver and 14 the year before with the Broncos.