A defensive battle has broken out in Chicago.
The Vikings lead 7-6 at halftime.
The Vikings have 164 yards to the Bears’ 117.
For the Vikings, Eric Wilson has four tackles, a sack and two quarterback hits; Harrison Smith has an interception and a pass breakup; and Armon Watts and Anthony Harris each have three tackles.
For the Bears, Roquan Smith has five tackles, including two for loss; Danny Trevathan has a forced fumble; Tashaun Gipson Sr. recovered the fumble; and Khalil Mack has an interception.
The Vikings’ only points came on their second possession when Kirk Cousins threw a 17-yard strike to Adam Thielen on third down. Thielen was tightly covered by Buster Skrine, who even had Thielen’s right arm pinned. Thielen made the catch anyway, a one-handed grab with his left hand.
The Bears’ points came on Cairo Santos field goals of 23 and 42 yards. His first field goal capped a 14-play, 70-yard drive that ended unsatisfactorily after the Bears had first-and-goal from the Minnesota 7. They gained only 2 yards on the next three plays before settling for Santos’ kick. Santos’ second field goal followed Mack’s 33-yard interception return on a ball Thielen should have caught.
The Bears have held Dalvin Cook to 32 yards on 14 carries and his three catches have gone for only 8 yards. Cousins has completed 14 of 16 passes for 132 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Rookie Justin Jefferson has four catches for 46 yards.
Nick Foles is 10-of-16 for 91 yards and an interception. Allen Robinson has four catches for 44 yards.