Bears-Vikings: Top Three Reasons Minnesota Destroyed the Bears

There have been quite a few games this season where the Chicago Bears just couldn't get it done within the final minutes of the game. 

This week, the game ended a lot sooner. 

Through the first few series, it looked like the Bears were doing well; Hester hauled in the longest throw of Kyle Orton's career, the defense was looking a lot like the defense we saw last week at St. Louis. 

A goal-line stand by the Vikings defense, a 99-yard pass to Bernard Berrian just one play later, and all the momentum for Chicago was gone.

So, what or who's to blame? What happened? Here's the top three reasons the Bears are no longer at the top of the NFC North. 

3. Jerry Angelo.

Some of you are already questioning this one; let me explain. Jerry Angelo, in my opinion, is one of the worst general managers in football. His first-round draft pick didn't start playing until a couple of weeks ago, and it's taken him seven years to find a decent running back (and it's still a little early to assume that Angelo won't find a way to screw up Forte). 

He let the most dangerous return man in the game of football play a position he had never played before in his life, and has probably ruined his career. 

Being specific to this season, he got rid of all of our decent wide receivers. Last year, I would have thought there couldn't be any way that in Week 13 of the '08 season Bernard Berrian would be hauling in a 99-yard touchdown pass in a purple jersey.

I would have thought, well, he was the reason that anything good happened in '07, they gotta resign him, right?

No, and I blame Jerry Angelo, and that's why he makes my list.

2. Inconsistency from our overpaid defense.

Three weeks ago, while Rex was blowing it for the offense, everyone was getting it done on offense. The defense allowed an average of 0.7 yards per rush. Despite the loss, there was some great defense.

Then the Bears went to Green Bay, and things changed a little. The Bears' defense was shoved all over by Ryan Grant and the rest of the Green Bay running game. The bears gave up an average of over 6 yards per rush that week.

St. Louis, they got it back. 0.7 yards per rush. 

Is this just going to be an on again off again thing? This kind of ties into my No. 1 reason the Bears lost control of the NFC North.

1. No. 28: Adrian Peterson

Let me tell you, it's embarrassing to watch Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher, and Tommie Harris all getting pushed around by someone who's about half their size. The only way the Bears could take Peterson down was if there was about 20 guys going to tackle him, and even then, you can't tell for sure. 

I understand he's one of the best, if not the best offensive player in the NFL. But there's a reason Urlacher, Harris, and Briggs get paid the big bucks (besides Jerry Angelo being an idiot, see No. 3).

"The Monsters of the Midway" certainly never earn that title whenever they're matched up against Adrian Peterson. 

*Honorable mentions*

John St. Claire: What a joke of an offensive lineman.

Lovie Smith: Halftime interview- "I think we played real well in the first half..." If giving up 99 yards on one play is playing great, well... Never mind.

Oh, and Lovie, here's an idea, Kreutz is a huge center, quit handing the ball off to Forte and McKie on those one-yard pickup situations. Just let Orton duck under center and keep it just once. 

Charles "Peanut" Tillman: 'Nuff said.

Devin Hester: Yeah, that was a great touchdown catch, but what about the one that hit you square in the chest that you weren't looking for?

Kyle Orton: 205 attempts without an interception, and then what happens? Just because your streak was broken doesn't mean that you can start throwing it up for the defense. 

As Lovie Smith will tell us tomorrow in his interview from Halas Hall, we've still got four games, we're now about to enter into the fourth quarter of the season. With the way they played in tonight's fourth quarter, I don't know that I have much hope for the playoffs this year.