Fourteen was the total number of points the Minnesota Vikings scored on Monday night and it is the number of kickoff and punt return TDs that Chicago Bears Devin Hester has accumulated during his storied career.
The previous record, set by Brian Mitchell, is a major milestone because it requires both explosiveness and longevity. Hester was all over the frozen tundra of TCF Bank Stadium. Specifically, his punt return of 64 yards in the third quarter was an omen for things to come for the former purple people eaters.
With this said, no play was more indicative of the disparity between the quality of play between the two teams than a run near the goal line in the third quarter when Matt Forte dragged would be tacklers for around eight yards before he was finally brought down before reaching pay dirt.
By Patrick Herbert
Brett Favre attempted to come off of the “out” list to glory to no avail. He was not even listed as questionable or doubtful earlier in the weekend, but memories of past Monday night glory must have stoked the fires one last time to make him want to suit up and take the field. It didn’t last long though because he was promptly knocked out of the game after a quarter and change. It included a touchdown to speed demon Percy Harvin and an interception to Chicago Bears defensive lineman Julius Peppers. The latter proved to be quite salty for Vikings fans.
Just a shade over forty thousand braved the elements on the University of Minnesota campus to watch the ragtag bunch of characters get trounced. The one bright spot is that they didn’t have to see the Bears parading around the field in their NFC North Champion garb because they had already filed for the exits due to the temperature and lack of a competitive score late in the game.
The Vikings organization took notes from Bill Belichick by not playing running back Adrian Peterson and placing Favre into the line-up. Toby Gerhart, Heisman finalist from a year ago, filled in admirably by gaining nearly five yards per carry on sixteen attempts. The absence of the game’s best running back was apparent, however, when plays called for quick cuts and big time lateral movement. Gerhart also did put the ball on the ground one time.
The remainder of the schedule will be a challenge for the Vikings. They don’t know what to expect from the running back, quarterback, or head coaching positions.
They obviously are not even sure of their stadium scenario. The roof at Mall of America Field has more leaks in it than a sieve. Part of being a professional, however, is putting all of that to the side as a player and focusing solely on preparing for the next week. That means that attention turns to the Philadelphia Eagles and Michael Vick on Sunday night. He, along with Tom Brady, is a frontrunner so far for the top quarterback in the league and presents a tall order for the defensive front to contain.