Turnovers doom Mitchell Trubisky, Bears in first NFL start

In an NFC North matchup on Monday Night Football, the Minnesota Vikings went into Chicago and pulled out a victory against the Bears.

The Chicago Bears welcomed the Minnesota Vikings to Soldier Field on Monday night, in a game that most Bears fans will remember for a long time. While the Bears lost to the Vikings, Mitchell Trubisky made his first NFL start, and he nearly pulled off a huge come from behind win. Turnovers would seal his fate, but Bears fans have to be happy with what they saw from him.

Chicago got on the board first, as they sacked Sam Bradford in the end zone for a safety. Bradford was trying to gut this one out, but had to be replaced by Case Keenum before the half. The veteran signal-caller is clearly still injured, and he could not do much with the team offensively when he was in there. The Vikings did strip Trubisky late in the second, setting up a field goal, as the teams went into the locker room with the score looking more like a Twins-White Sox game at 3-2.

After the break, the game started to get interesting, and the scoring included a fake punt for a touchdown, and an option back to the quarterback for a two-point conversion. A Keenum to Kyle Rudolph got the scoring started, giving the Vikings a 10-2 lead. Then, the Bears scored their first touchdown of the night when punter Pat O’Donnell hit Bennie Cunningham for a touchdown on a fake punt.

Minnesota responded in a big way, as Jerick McKinnon rumbled for 58 yards to bring the deficit back to eight points at 17-9 heading into the fourth quarter. Trubisky threw the first touchdown pass of his NFL career to begin the fourth, hitting Zach Miller for 20 yards. He then took an option pitch from Miller to convert the two-point try, tying the game at 17-17.

Chicago had a chance to win the game, setting the stage for an incredible ending to Trubisky’s first start. Instead, Vikings defensive back Harrison Smith came up with a huge interception, giving Minnesota the ball deep in Chicago territory. The Bears forced a field goal, which Kai Forbath drilled for a 20-17 win.

Highlights

Three stars

1. Jerick McKinnon, Minnesota Vikings

Coming into the game as the backup to Latavius Murray, Jerick McKinnon made his presence felt in this one. With most of the offense struggling, McKinnon did his part to keep his team in the game, and even reeled off a 58-yard touchdown run. He finished the game with nearly 100 yards on the ground and also led the team in receiving yards with 51.

2. Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago Bears

Playing in your first NFL game is hard enough, and Mitchell Trubisky had to do it against one of the best defenses in the league. While he had two big turnovers in the game, he fired up this Bears team and has breathed new life into the franchise. He is going to be a good one, and we got a small glimpse of it on Monday night.

3. Case Keenum, Minnesota Vikings

We could have went Vikings defense here, but lets give the nod to Case Keenum. Sam Bradford got the start under center for Minnesota, but he was clearly too injured to play. Keenum came in before the half and took control of the game, throwing for 140 yards and a touchdown while completing 17 of his 21 passes.

Betting odds

The Minnesota Vikings were three-point road favorites in this game, as the Bears were going with a rookie under center. Minnesota did not cover the spread, only winning by three. The over/under for this game was set at 40 points, and the lack of offense early led to this game going under. All odds can be found by checking out Sportsbook Review throughout the week.

Next: NFL NFL Primetime: Rise of a football empireNext week

The Minnesota Vikings will head home in Week 6, as they face division rival Green Bay inside U.S. Bank Stadium. Mitchell Trubisky will make his first road start of his NFL career, as the Chicago Bears travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens next weekend.