Editor: Joe Bryant. Game Recap Contributors: Mike Anderson, Michael Brown, Chris Burtt, J.D. Caldwell, David Dodds, Jim Enochs, Joel Faulhaber, Michael Flynn, Kevin Goldblum, Clayton Gray, Bob Harris, Fred Hebert, Jesse Hilsenrad, Drew Kendall, Jeff Lewis, Joey Matusek, Justin Oliver, Steve Prosapio, David Shick, Cody Smith, Scott Smith, Jeffrey Stout. Minnesota 23 at Chicago 27 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Minnesota Vikings: The "Randy Ratio" held true for the first week - Minnesota lined up for 35 pass plays (including penalties, sacks, and fumbles), and they threw to WR Randy Moss 14 times, a ratio of exactly 40%. Despite the concentrated effort to get Moss the ball, Moss finished with just 58 yards and a TD. The much-discussed double-tight-end offense was not seen much after TE Bryon Chamberlain left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury. The Vikings lined up in the shotgun for most of their red zone plays, spreading the field for short passes or for draws by QB Daunte Culpepper. Culpepper appears to be goal-line runner of choice. Though WR D'Wayne Bates is still officially the Vikings' #2 wideout, WR Derrick Alexander got plenty of playing time in 3 WR and shotgun sets. Neither Bates nor Alexander made a compelling case to be the #2 WR. RB Michael Bennett did not see the field for two drives in the second half after fumbling once and later having a near-fumble ruled down by contact, but the benching may have been a function of the weather - the heat and humidity was brutal, and players on both sides struggled with cramps and the slick artificial playing surface. Chicago Bears: WR Marty Booker was the best player on the field today, has clearly emerged as Chicago's #1 receiver, and could have actually had close to 250 yards if he caught the two balls he dropped. QB Jim Miller locked in on him on most passing plays. Chicago's offensive line had a horrendous first half, turning RB Anthony Thomas into a non-factor. The line improved run and pass blocking after halftime - Thomas salvaged what could have been a worthless game with a few solid gains and a red zone TD in the second half. The Bears defense consistently gave up yardage on off-tackle runs, and took a few bad penalties that kept drives alive, but came up with two big interceptions in the second half that made their comeback possible. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Minnesota Vikings QB Daunte Culpepper was uneven. At his best, Culpepper scored on a QB draw, and hit a double-covered Moss in stride on a post pattern for a TD. At his worst, he threw an illegal forward pass on third and goal (with possibly enough running room to score), and overthrew Alexander badly for an INT that set up the winning score for Chicago. WR: Randy Moss was the featured player in the offense - lining up all over the field. Chicago committed to taking away the deep ball, so with the exception of his 33-yard TD grab, his catches were on short routes with running room. Moss's numbers were hindered by two catches negated by penalties, including a great 25-yarder down the sideline while closely covered. WR D'Wayne Bates was on the field on most plays, but was rarely a factor. He did pull down a deep ball for a 46-yard gain early, and drew a pass interference penalty, but finished with just two catches. WR Derrick Alexander saw more playing time in the second half after Chamberlain's injury, but caught just one ball for 11 yards. His near-highlight of the day came in the third quarter, when he burned his man badly and was wide open for a TD, but Culpepper underthrew him for an interception. TE: Bryon Chamberlain's day ended shortly after following a spectacular 61-yard catch and run in the second quarter for the longest gain of the day. Mike Brown knocked him out of bounds at the 1 on the play, and Chamberlain left the game a play later with a knee injury. TE Jim Kleinsasser caught five passes, most of them short routes under soft coverage in the second half. Kleinsasser's greatest impact was on the running game, repeatedly sealing off DE's and opening outside running lanes. Kleinsasser nearly pulled down a 30-yard pass in traffic - the ball fell incomplete, but LB Warrick Holdman was called for taunting, giving Minnesota a first down on the play. RB: Michael Bennett continues to be dependent on his offensive line to be successful. When the blocks were there, Bennett hit the hole for 5-8 yard gains. When the Bears penetrated, he got stuffed for no gain. Expect this pattern to continue this season, as Bennett has yet to show the ability to make pro tacklers miss. Bennett was not a factor in the red zone offense. Keep an eye on how Bennett and the coaching staff respond to Bennett's fumbles today - he did not fumble last season. RB Moe Williams did well in relief duty - 48 yards on just 7 carries, running the same off-tackle and cutback plays called for Bennett. Williams's playing time may increase if Bennett does not show more elusiveness, or if today's fumbles were not a function of the weather. Vikings Pass Defense: the secondary was bailed out by Miller's inaccuracy in the first half, and CBs Eric Kelly and Corey Chavous never found a solution for containing Booker. Kelly tipped a ball in the first quarter he should have caught, and Booker grabbed it for a long gain. SS Willie Offord's INT was thrown right at him in deep zone coverage. The DL rushed the passer well in the first half (mostly thanks to DT Chris Hovan), but disappeared in the fourth quarter. Vikings Rush Defense: exceeded expectations, shutting down Thomas in the first half. Most of Thomas's yards came after Biekert left the game with an injury. Hovan was especially disruptive. Vikings Special Teams: K Doug Brien's job is safe for now. He was 3-for-3 on field goals, and sent three kickoffs to the goal line. The punting, coverage, and return units made no big mistakes, but made no big plays. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Chicago Bears QB: Jim Miller struggled in the first half, and was saved from an INT when Booker grabbed a tipped ball away from CB Eric Kelly for a 30-yard gain. At times, he looked bad. Miller had more time to throw in the second half, but had trouble delivering the ball to any receiver besides Booker. Although that was enough. Wasn't pretty, but still rolled up 297 yards and 2 TDs. WR: Marty Booker was the star of the game - 8 catches, 198 yards, and a TD. He was the first option on nearly every passing play, and looked particularly impressive on intermediate routes. He also turned a hitch pattern into a 25-yard gain. Booker dropped two balls, including one inside the 10 that he might have scored on, but this did not affect anyone's confidence in him. WR Dez White was the #2 WR, but Chicago used 3- and 4-WR sets most of the time. White had one very nice catch downfield thanks to a great play-fake by Miller. WR David Terrell was invisible until he caught the winning TD. WR Marcus Robinson was a non-factor. RB: Anthony Thomas had no running room in the first half, and had negative rushing yards at halftime. He was able to move the pile a few times in the second half, and broke a couple of 8-10 yard gains late. Thomas appeared to score on an 8-yard run in the fourth quarter (he was ruled down inside the 1), but rather than challenge the call, the Bears just lined up in their goal-line set and sent Thomas up the gut for the TD on the next play. Thomas is clearly the goal-line runner of choice. RB Leon Johnson looked average in spot duty at RB (the extreme heat caused both teams to substitute a lot), but had a couple of decent punt returns. TE: The Bears' tight ends were used almost exclusively as blockers. Bears Pass Defense: did a nice job keeping containing Moss, at the expense of giving up passes underneath to the tight ends. CB Reggie Austin played well in relief of R.W. McQuarters (injured in second quarter), particularly while covering D'Wayne Bates. The Bears did not generate much of a pass rush, but intercepted two passes in the second half - one (Austin) inside their own two-yard line, and the other (S Mike Brown) with 2:32 left to set up the game-winning drive. Bears Rush Defense: unimpressive. The Bears surrendered some run support to spy Culpepper, usually with LB Brian Urlacher. They did not give up a run longer than 12 yards, but gave up several in the 5-8 yard range. Bears Special Teams: K Paul Edinger hit two 49-yard FGs, both with plenty of distance. He missed a 43-yarder wide right by inches - a big letdown for a drive that started at their own 1. The kick coverage teams were average, with the exception of downing a punt at the 2 that set up field position for their first TD.