Q. Do you think Dick Jauron will be able to keep his job if the Bears finish 8-8 this season?
A. A strong showing in the final weeks certainly will not hurt his chances. The McCaskey family may be inclined to stick with Jauron with a year left on his contract, even though the Bears will miss the playoffs for the fourth time in his five-year tenure.
Q. How can the Bears’ defense look so vulnerable against the run yet emerge with a victory?
A. The Bears allowed third-string rookie running back Onterrio Smith to run for 148 yards on 27 carries. And Minnesota rushed for 178 yards as a team. Yet the Vikings managed only 10 points.
“I can’t say it was the best [defensive performance] because the run got us a little bit,” Bears defensive lineman Phillip Daniels said. “But if they want to run on three-man fronts, that’s OK. Overall, I thought we played pretty well. We played well enough to win. Guys flew around and guys made plays. Nobody has given up. Even though we’re not going to be in the playoffs, everybody is going out there with the purpose of winning the game.”
Q. The Vikings passed up a 45-yard field-goal attempt in the first quarter and went for it on fourth-and-5. Then they wound up losing by three points. Why?
A Vikings coach Mike Tice said his kicker, Aaron Elling, needed the offense to advance to the 25-yard line to have a legitimate chance of making a field goal from 42 or 43 yards. Tice added that the 6 m.p.h. wind was not a factor at either end of the stadium. It’s hard to believe that an NFL kicker can’t routinely convert a field goal from that distance. If he can’t, the Vikings should hire another kicker.
Q. The Bears seemed to enjoy great field position to start their drives most of the game, while the Vikings didn’t. Was that the biggest factor in their win?
A. It was huge. Bears punter Brad Maynard, who was chastised last week in Green Bay for sailing a few punts into the end zone, had an outstanding game. He averaged 42.4 yards on five punts, including four inside the 20.
Q. Why do the Bears play so well against teams with winning records? Teams other than the Green Bay Packers, that is.
A. The Bears upset the Broncos in Denver and now the first-place Vikings. Yet they stunk it up against lowly Detroit.
“We just know we can play with the best of them,” Daniels said.
“We’re playing for respect,” said rookie cornerback Charles Tillman, whose fourth-quarter interception preserved the victory. “If you don’t have respect for yourself, you’ve got nothing.”
Q. Daunte Culpepper had the great numbers, but Rex Grossman came away with the victory. Were the Bears just lucky?
A. Culpepper completed 24-of-34 passes for 222 yards and one touchdown. Grossman completed 13-of-30 for 157 yards and no touchdowns.
“The win, that’s the most important thing,” Grossman said.
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Have a question or an idea for Fred Mitchell? E-mail: AskFred@tribune.com
