The Battle of Wounded Knee quickly turned into the Battle of Pulled Hamstring. Finally, with one play left in the game, it became the Battle of Broken Arm.
Oh, yeah, the Bears also lost the war big time, bowing ungracefully to the Minnesota Vikings 31-7 Sunday in their worst Soldier Field loss since 1975.
As butt-kickings go, this one was particularly humiliating because the Vikings thumped the Bears up and down on their own turf with the mastery and bravado of your most despicable neighborhood bully.
Vikings quarterback Tommy Kramer threw for 258 yards and three touchdowns, completing 15 of 25 passes as Minnesota improved its record to 2-1 and pulled into a first-place tie with the Bears in the NFC Central Division. ”It`s not like the Olympics. We don`t have to wait four years to get another shot,” said Bears defensive end Richard Dent, who is looking ahead to the regular-season finale, at Minnesota on Dec. 19.
The absence of Darrin Nelson (injured ankle), the Vikings` most effective running back, seemed to inspire Kramer and fill-in Allen Rice, who rushed 16 times for 64 yards and caught five passes for 75. The Vikings beat the Bears at their own game, controlling the ball for 34 minutes 55 seconds and amassing 376 total yards.
”It was our day. It was a Viking day,” said Minnesota coach Jerry Burns, whose club prevailed over the Bears for the first time since 1986 and only the second time in the last 10 meetings.
Quarterback Jim McMahon, the Bears` offensive catalyst, was the first casualty to check out Sunday, suffering a bruised left knee. He will be reexamined Monday to determine the severity of his injury. McMahon was replaced late in the second quarter and stayed out the rest of the game as Mike Tomczak and Jim Harbaugh resembled quarterbacks seeing their first game action of the regular season.
Veteran tight end Emery Moorehead suffered a pulled hamstring to deplete an already thin position for the Bears. Rookie James Thornton is the only healthy tight end. Cap Boso is on injured reserve with a pinched nerve.
The worst injury was suffered by defensive end William Perry, whose left arm was broken on the next-to-last play of the game. He is scheduled to be operated on Monday and could be out for the season. Al Harris likely will take Perry`s place.
In addition, wide receiver Ron Morris dislocated the ring finger on his right hand, and his status is uncertain. Fullback Matt Suhey ”had his bell rung,” according to Bears public relations director Ken Valdiserri, when he was tackled head-on by Henry Thomas in the third quarter and had to leave the game.
”We`re going to be hurtin` out there, but that`s life,” said coach Mike Ditka, who will try to regroup his platoon for next Sunday`s engagement in Green Bay.
”Football kind of mirrors life. We`re down, but I don`t think we`ll stay down. We`ll fight back. Whether we can be all that we want to be this year, I don`t know. You (media) guys have a right to crow now,” said Ditka, who had criticized the media after the Bears` victory over Miami in the season opener. A blowing rain in the fourth quarter provided a fitting ending to a depressing afternoon for the Bears and 63,990 soggy witnesses.
”They totally outplayed us,” Ditka said. ”We had some injuries in the game, and I didn`t think it was worth risking Jim (McMahon). He said his knee was really sore, and the way we were pass-protecting, he would have gotten killed back there.”
McMahon completed 9 of 15 passes for 116 yards and one touchdown, with one interception. The Vikings continued to put the pressure on Tomczak, who was 3 of 12 for 28 yards and two interceptions, and Harbaugh, who was 4 of 9 for 38 yards.
Minnesota went ahead 7-0 with 5:27 left in the first quarter when Kramer hooked up with Anthony Carter on a 40-yard touchdown pass. It capped an 80-yard drive that featured three completions by Kramer, including a 23-yarder to tight end Steve Jordan.
”They were textbook. They did a real good job of dissecting us,” said Bears defensive tackle Dan Hampton. ”Tommy Kramer, when he`s hot, he just bursts into flames.”
It took the Bears just 43 seconds to respond to the Vikings` score with a 71-yard drive. McMahon hit wide receiver Glen Kozlowski on a short crossing pattern and he took off for a 50-yard gain to the Vikings` 21. When safety Joey Browner was assessed a personal foul for hitting Kozlowski late, the Bears had a first down on the 10. McMahon, on a rollout, then connected with Morris in the front right corner of the end zone to tie the game 7-7.
As McMahon dropped back to pass early in the second period, defensive end Chris Doleman hit him and forced a fumble that Viking tackle Keith Millard recovered on the Bears` 31.
”My knee is very sore right now,” said McMahon. ”I told Mike (Ditka) I could play. But he said to stay out for now and see what happens. You saw what happened. We just didn`t block very well, didn`t execute.”
Asked if he thought he would be able to play next Sunday, McMahon said,
”I can`t tell you that right now.” But he added that he would have played in the second half if Ditka had sent him in.
McMahon said he was hit late at least twice after throwing passes, ”but that guy (referee Gene Barth) has never called a late hit for me yet.”
Kramer connected on successive eight-yard passes to Rice and Jim Gustafson before finding Hassan Jones over the middle for a 19-yard TD over free safety Maurice Douglass.
”We didn`t get as good a jam as we should have sometimes on their receivers,” said Bears linebacker Ron Rivera. ”When they started passing to their backs, it kind of stretched out our defense. They had so many receivers in the pattern that we weren`t able to use our safeties as effectively as we wanted to. Kramer has hurt us in the past, and he hurt us today.”
The Bears failed on a fourth-and-6 gamble from Minnesota`s 38 when McMahon`s pass was intercepted by linebacker Jesse Solomon. Then the Vikings marched 41 yards before settling for a 37-yard field goal by Chuck Nelson for a 17-7 lead with 2:14 left in the half.
Tomczak threw an interception on the Bears` second offensive play of the second half. Safety John Harris picked off the pass and returned it to the Bears` 40.
The defense dug in and stopped Minnesota. But when Dennis McKinnon fielded Bucky Scribner`s punt at the Bears` 9, he fumbled into the end zone when tackled by Rick Fenney and watched helplessly as Chris Martin pounced on the loose ball for another Viking touchdown with 12:46 to go in the third period.
The Vikings heaped more grief on the Bears when Kramer spotted Carter in the right corner of the end zone for a 16-yard TD and a 31-7 lead. Rice had runs of 8 and 24 yards and a reception of 21 yards to highlight that drive.
”The Vikings did everything we expected,” said Rivera. ”They were true to form, but they executed very well. If having Darrin Nelson is the key to their offense, then maybe he shouldn`t show up.”
BEARS TURNOVERS
Coming into Sunday`s 31-7 loss to the Vikings, the Bears had committed one turnover in the first two games.
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