Chicago Bears 20, Minnesota Vikings 10

In the lead-up to this week's game, yours truly was convinced that the Mike Zimmer-led Minnesota Vikings couldn't put up a second consecutive stinker following their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7.

Boy, was yours truly ever incorrect.

For the second week in a row, the Vikings looked completely unprepared, unmotivated, and unworthy of their high standing in the NFC, as they got beaten up and down Soldier Field by the Chicago Bears on Halloween night to the tune of 20-10.

Chicago got on the board first, courtesy of a 30-yard field goal by Connor Barth that was set up by a big 69-yard run by Jordan Howard. That gave the Bears a 3-0 lead, and they added to that lead early in the second quarter thanks to a 28-yard field goal by Barth. The game's first touchdown was also put up by the Bears, as they got a two-yard run from Howard to put themselves up by a score of 13-0 midway through the second quarter.

Minnesota finally got on the board at the end of the first half, as Blair Walsh knocked home a 30-yard field goal attempt to cut the score to 13-3. Minnesota had first-and-goal from the 2 on that drive, but Sam Bradford was sacked for a big loss on third down that necessitated the field goal attempt.

Chicago extended their lead in the third quarter, as Jay Cutler found Alshon Jeffery for a 11-yard touchdown pass to make the score 20-3. Minnesota finally got into the end zone in the fourth quarter, thanks to a 25-yard connection from Bradford to Stefon Diggs to make the score a little more respectable at 20-10. Chicago pretty much milked the final six minutes off of the clock, and that's the way it ended.

Much like they did against the Eagles in Week 7, the Vikings' offense didn't do anything until it was too late to matter. Sam Bradford's stat line says he went 23-of-37 for 228 yards and a touchdown, but a lot of that came after the Vikings were already down by three scores. The Vikings' running game, once again, did next to nothing, as Matt Asiata and Ronnie Hillman combined for just 57 yards on 18 carries. Stefon Diggs helped the people that own him in fantasy football, catching eight passes for 76 yards and a touchdown.

The Bears' offense, on the other hand, had no such issues. . .which is bad for the Vikings, considering that they were starting a rookie at center and were without both of their starting guards. Jordan Howard was the big star for Chicago, as he ran the ball 26 times for 153 yards and a touchdown, as he just thrashed the Minnesota defense. Jay Cutler wasn't great on Monday night, but he didn't have to be. He completed 20-of-31 passes for 252 yards and a touchdown. Zach Miller led the Bears in receiving, as he caught seven passes for 88 yards.

The Vikings drop their second straight game after winning their first five, and will return to U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday afternoon for another NFC North matchup, this one against the Detroit Lions. The Bears increase their record to 2-6 on the season, and will take next week off with their bye week.

I'm sure we'll talk significantly more about this one over the next day or two, but for now just know that the Vikings lost ugly on Halloween night, falling to their NFC North rivals from Chicago by a final score of 20-10. Thank you to everyone that got their coverage of this week's game right here at The Daily Norseman!