Bears vs. Vikings: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for Minnesota

The Minnesota Vikings took another big step toward reaching the postseason on Sunday, dominating the Chicago Bears 38-17 at TCF Bank Stadium to earn earn victory No. 9 of the year.

Teddy Bridgewater picked up right where he left off this past week against the Arizona Cardinals on Minnesota's opening drive. The Vikings quarterback capped off a 13-play, 93-yard drive with a perfectly thrown end-zone fade to Stefon Diggs for a 15-yard touchdown.

After a Blair Walsh 53-yard field-goal attempt bounced in off the left upright to give Minnesota a 10-0 lead in the second quarter, Chicago responded with a scoring drive of its own. Jay Cutler took advantage of Xavier Rhodes leaving the game due to an injury with a 10-yard, back-shoulder touchdown completion to Alshon Jeffery with Terence Newman in coverage.

Within three points of the Vikings is as close as the Bears would get, however, as Bridgewater promptly guided Minnesota on another scoring drive to close out the half. Jerick McKinnon scored his first career touchdown with under 30 seconds remaining in the second quarter, catching a short completion from Bridgewater and going 17 yards before stretching across the goal line to give the Vikings a 17-7 lead at the half.

Chicago head coach John Fox called an onside kick to begin the second half, which Robbie Gould and the Bears kickoff unit executed to perfection. But, the Vikings immediately shifted momentum back in their favor, as Brian Robison stripped Cutler in the backfield and fell on the ball to give the ball to the offense.

Bridgewater turned a short field into points rather quickly with a connection to Diggs on the right side of the field, and the rookie wide receiver did the rest. Diggs ran 33 yards to score his second touchdown of the game, eluding and shedding Bears defenders along the way.

Minnesota dealt another blow to any chance of Chicago coming back in the game early in the fourth quarter. With the Vikings clinging to a 24-10 lead, defensive end Justin Trattou came up with his second interception of the season on a poorly executed screen pass by Cutler.

The Vikings again made the turnover hurt, as Bridgewater rushed the ball into the end zone from 12 yards out on third down, finishing off the play by diving over a handful of impending tacklers.

Matt Forte caught a four-yard touchdown pass from Cutler on the ensuing possession in an attempt to begin a miracle fourth-quarter comeback. Bridgewater quickly shut down any possibility of this happening, though, throwing his fourth touchdown of the game to fullback Zach Line on Minnesota's next offensive possession to close out the 38-17 rout of Chicago.

Bridgewater finished the game 17-of-20 (85 percent) for 231 passing and four touchdowns while also carrying four times for 17 yards and another touchdown. Adrian Peterson led the team in rushing despite an ankle injury, carrying 18 times for 63 yards. McKinnon led all pass-catchers with four receptions and 76 yards while adding a touchdown. Diggs caught three passes for 55 yards and a pair of touchdowns as well.

Terence Newman led the Vikings defense with eight tackles. In total, the unit combined for five sacks of Cutler, with rookie Danielle Hunter's 1.5 pacing the group. Trattou and Robison were responsible for the pair of Vikings turnovers, one interception and a fumble recovery, respectively.

Position Grades for Vikings

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Quarterback: A

Sunday against the Bears was a career day for Teddy Bridgewater. He was phenomenal in nearly every aspect of the game, completing short, intermediate and deep passes with efficiency. Both the fade to Stefon Diggs in the end zone and back-shoulder pass to Mike Wallace over the middle were particularly impressive.

Running Backs: A

Adrian Peterson had a solid game for the Vikings in relatively limited action due to an ankle injury, but it was Jerick McKinnon who was the star of the backfield against the Bears. McKinnon consistently broke loose into the open for big gains on short completions, reminding fans who had forgotten about him about his outstanding playmaking ability. 

In addition, the offense seemed to move more effectively with McKinnon on the field, but that is probably something for another time.

Wide Receivers: A

None of the Vikings receivers managed to catch more than three passes, but the core group of Mike Wallace, Stefon Diggs and Jarius Wright all played great. In total, the trio caught nine of 10 targets—which amounts to a 12.4 yards-per-target average—for 124 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

That is efficiency at its finest.

Tight Ends: C

The tight end group of Kyle Rudolph, Rhett Ellison and MyCole Pruitt were not very involved in the game plan on Sunday. Rudolph recorded a pair of catches for 21 yards and each were used in blocking situations, but it was a rather average day overall for this unit.

Offensive Line: A

After being highly responsible for the Vikings' loss to the Arizona Cardinals this past week, the offensive line responded with a strong performance. Bridgewater had plenty of time throughout the game, and he was sacked just one time early in the second quarter. While the 3.6 yards-per-carry average or 19-yard long won't show it, the front five also opened up running lanes for Vikings rushers as well.

Defensive Line: A

I am not the type of professor to hand out A+ grades, but if I were, this unit's performance was certainly deserving. This group accounted for four of Minnesota's five sacks of Jay Cutler, with Danielle Hunter, Brian Robison and Tom Johnson playing outstanding games. Sharrif Floyd also played at a very high level in relief of Linval Joseph in the nose tackle role, and Everson Griffen was solid in a limited role.

Also, Justin Trattou is kind of a ball hawk at defensive end. He also played a strong game despite minimal snaps.

Linebackers: B

Chad Greenway continued his strong year against Chicago with his third sack of the year. Eric Kendricks finished second on the team with seven tackles, and both Jason Trusnik and Edmond Robinson did a sufficient job with the base defense on the field.

Defensive Backs: B

There were not many standout performances from this group, but Xavier Rhodes, Captain Munnerlyn and Anthony Harris all played very well on the back end. Terence Newman, Trae Waynes and Andrew Sendejo also played effective games for the Vikings coverage unit. If nothing else, the fact that Minnesota cornerbacks have no problem making tackles is worth noting again here, as this group performed at a high level in this regard.

Special Teams: A

While it did take a bit of luck, Blair Walsh converted his only field-goal attempt from 50-plus yards out, and Jeff Locke was pretty solid in punting situations. It would have been nice to see him pin the Bears deep when he recorded a touchback, but he was solid enough to warrant a pass from nitpicking this week.

Coaching: A

Mike Zimmer truly is an outstanding head coach and defensive mind. His side of the ball yielded just 17 points (seven in garbage time) despite being down three prominent starters once again. On the offensive side of the ball, Norv Turner did a very nice job calling plays, culminating in Minnesota's best offensive performance of the season.

Teddy Bridgewater Blows Up

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Coming off an outstanding performance against the Arizona Cardinals, Teddy Bridgewater gave fans and skeptics an encore performance against the Bears on Sunday.

While he did not break his single-game passing-yardage record for a second consecutive week, Bridgewater did set personal bests in a number of other key categories, including completion percentage (85 percent) and passing touchdowns (four).

His stat line (17-of-20, 231 passing yards, four touchdown passes, 11.6 yards per attempt, 97.2 QBR, 154.4 passer rating, four rush attempts, 17 rushing yards, rushing touchdown) also resembled performances from a number of former quarterbacks.

As Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune points out, Bridgewater is the first Vikings quarterback to reach four passing touchdowns in a game since Brett Favre did so in 2010:

"

Teddy Bridgewater is the first #Vikings quarterback with four touchdowns in a game since some guy named Brett Fav-ur-ah back in 2010.

— Matt Vensel (@mattvensel) December 20, 2015"

Randall Liu, the NFL's director of NFC football communications, noted that Bridgewater is the first quarterback since Frank Ryan (1964) to complete 85 percent of his passes for four touchdowns and no interceptions while also having a rushing touchdown:

"

Teddy Bridgewater is 1st NFL QB since 1964 w/ 85+ comp %, 4+ pass TD, 0 INT & rush TD in a game (Frank Ryan) pic.twitter.com/miRPu95fKt

— Randall Liu (@RLiuNFL) December 20, 2015"

Similarly, Ben Goessling of ESPN noted that the four passing, one rushing touchdown effort is the first by a Vikings quarterback since Fran Tarkenton did so in 1961:

"

Teddy Bridgewater is the first #Vikings QB with four passing TDs and a rushing TD since Fran Tarkenton in the #Vikings' first game (9/17/61)

— Ben Goessling (@GoesslingESPN) December 20, 2015"

Bridgewater accomplished this feat with outstanding accuracy and excellent decision-making on Sunday, something that his coach noted during his postgame press conference (Vikings.com):

"That first touchdown he threw to [Stefon] Diggs was pretty big," Mike Zimmer said. "He read the coverage, they were in man coverage; he knew that he had that. Actually, I heard Scott [Turner], when they lined up, he said that he might have the nine route and he threw it in there."

Stefon Diggs also commented on the play, noting Bridgewater's pinpoint accuracy with rather comical terminology, per Chris Tomasson of the Saint Paul Pioneer Press:

"

Stefon Diggs on first TD catch: "It was front pocket, as we call it, ... where you keep your pens and your notepad That's where he threw it"

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) December 20, 2015"

As for Bridgewater, his favorite play of the afternoon was an outstanding back-shoulder pass on a seam route by Mike Wallace.

"I'd say the inside route to Mike Wallace up the seam," he said (Vikings.com). "He was matched up on a linebacker, and I did a great job of just throwing it at his back shoulder, and he did a great job of making the catch. It started up front with the offensive line giving me some time, and we just played pitch-and-catch."

There was one person who was not particularly impressed with Bridgewater on Sunday: Bears linebacker Pernell McPhee, who said he did nothing special, according to Vensel:

"

Pernell McPhee on Teddy Bridgewater: "He didn't do anything great. ... We really didn't tackle good today. That made him look really good."

— Matt Vensel (@mattvensel) December 20, 2015"

Well, Mr. McPhee, I beg to differ.

Adrian Peterson Injures Ankle

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

The only real negative that came from Minnesota's big win over Chicago on Sunday was an injury to the ankle attached to superstar running back Adrian Peterson. Fortunately for the Vikings, their fans and Peterson, it sounds as if he will be all right:

"Initially I was [concerned]," Peterson said after the game (Vikings.com). "I came in, I was able to sit around for a little bit, they taped it up and it got a little stiff on me. When I got back out, I was able to move around, get the muscles and tendons back firing and it got to the point where I was I was like 'OK, I can go, let me try it out.'"

Peterson was injured during the second quarter when his ankle was caught in an awkward position while linebackers Pernell McPhee and Shea McClellin attempted to bring down the NFL's leading rusher.

"I call it an alligator tackle," Peterson said. "You know how a crocodile strap on and they twist? It rolled me up."

He later went on to describe the severity of the injury, in his opinion, as well as noting the pain he initially felt:

"I knew it wasn't anything too serious, like a broken bone or a ligament, but it hurt like heck initially," he said. "Once I was able to put pressure on it, I felt comfortable."

As it stands today, Peterson should not be expected to miss much time. It should be expected that he will appear on Wednesday's injury report, possibility as a limited or non-participant in practice, but it appears unlikely that his injury merits an extended absence.

"I really can't pinpoint it right now, but it's definitely an ankle sprain," Peterson said. "I was able to get out, kind of get it loose, got it loose enough after the first series and I was able to get back out there."

He also noted that he is not sure if he will receive an MRI on the injury, noting that he will do as the Vikings medical staff suggests.

Peterson currently owns a nine-yard lead in the race for the NFL rushing title with 1,314 yards. Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin sits at second with 1,305 after his performance against the St. Louis Rams on Thursday.

Mike Zimmer: 'I Think Winning Is Ideal for Teddy Bridgewater'

Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

Mike Zimmer was emitting sunshine and rainbows during his postgame press conference after the Vikings' 38-17 victory (Vikings.com). The Vikings head coach was particularly impressed with the play of his quarterback, naturally, and vocalized his satisfaction in an interesting way:

"I don't think that there is an ideal game for Teddy Bridgewater," he said. "I think winning is ideal for him."

This description is very fitting for Bridgewater, who holds a 15-11 record as a starting quarterback in the NFL. He is a very team-oriented player, who often produces less-than-flattering stat lines that have many convinced he is not very good at his position.

Total wins is not a very good way to evaluate quarterbacks, as football is arguably the greatest team sport in the world. With that said, Bridgewater absolutely has played an integral role in Minnesota's success this season and deserves far more praise than he has received.

"This kid is a winner," Zimmer said. "It's not perfect all the time, but he is a winner."

Bridgewater has stepped his game up in recent weeks, and, as Adam Patrick of Vikings Territory notes, he has put together an impressive resume of statistics for those who evaluate on box scores alone:

"

Teddy on 🔥 in the #Vikings last 2 games 75 comp pct. - 566 pass yds - 6 total TDs

— Adam Patrick (@Str8_Cash_Homey) December 20, 2015"

His last two performances against Chicago and Arizona have caught the eye of Adrian Peterson as well:

"Man, [he did an] outstanding job," Peterson said. "The fight that this kid has, determination and willpower, I've been talking about it all year. These past two weeks I've seen a different look in his eyes."

It appears as though Pernell McPhee is the only one who wasn't impressed with Bridgewater on Sunday.

Sharrif Floyd, Brian Robison: Defensive Line Depth

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Speaking of outstanding performances, the Vikings defensive line continued to play at an extremely high level against Chicago despite nose tackle Linval Joseph being inactive once again due to injury.

"Everybody got guns," Sharrif Floyd said after the game (Vikings.com). "You just got to know how to use them."

Mike Zimmer certainly appears to know how to use his "guns." The Vikings starting front four of Everson Griffen, Brian Robison, Tom Johnson and Floyd all played exceptional against the Bears. From a statistical perspective, this group totaled nine tackles, four sacks, two tackles for loss, a batted pass, three quarterback hits, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery on Sunday.

What may be more impressive, however, is the play of Minnesota's rotational players. Johnson, who is filling the void left by Floyd while he fills in at nose tackle for Joseph, normally represents the finest of this group, but rookie Danielle Hunter appears ready to challenge him for this denomination.

Hunter totaled five tackles, 1.5 sacks, a tackle for loss, two quarterback hits and a number of pressures on Sunday while receiving a larger role in the offense due to Griffen playing with an injury. Hunter wasn't the only "reserve" defensive lineman who yielded a game-changing performance, as Justin Trattou recorded his second interception of the season to set up a Vikings touchdown.

"I guess you could make an argument that it is [the deepest line I've played on]," Robison said after the game (Vikings.com). "We have had some really good defensive lines here. Back when we had Jared [Allen], Kevin [Williams], Pat [Williams], Ray [Edwards] and some of those guys. Now with us here, I think you could definitely make an argument for that."

Minnesota has a history of strong defensive lines, dating all the way back to the days of Hall of Famer Alan Page. The "Williams Wall," as Robison noted, which also featured quarterback nightmare Jared Allen and Ray Edwards on the outside for a portion of the time, is likely the strongest front four in Minnesota's recent history. With that said, the depth of the 2015 Vikings defensive line appears to far exceed that of any recent groups.

As Robison noted, it is certainly an arguable statement to suggest that this is the deepest unit of defensive linemen in recent history. With players such as Johnson and Hunter ideally being used in a rotational role when the unit is completely healthy, however, this argument has plenty of merit.

Outside of the reserve players who played an impact role on Sunday, the Vikings defensive line has also received good to above-average contributions from Scott Crichton (now on injured reserve), Shamar Stephen (injured) and the recently signed Kenrick Ellis.

Due to Crichton's injury, the Vikings will also likely see what they have in defensive end Zach Moore sooner rather than later.

Regardless of whether this is in fact the deepest line Robison has ever played on, it definitively is one of the better units in the NFL and one that has willed the Vikings defense to the top of its class.

All statistics courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted.

For more Vikings news, discussion and hot takes, find me on Twitter @RobertReidellBT.