CHICAGO — Jay Cutler threw for 252 yards and a touchdown and Jordan Howard ran for 153 yards and a score as the Chicago Bears beat the Minnesota Vikings 20-10 at Soldier Field on Monday.
Cutler, who missed five straight games with a sprained thumb, was efficient and completed 20 of 31 passes for Chicago (2-6), which snapped a three-game losing streak. Cutler’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery gave the Bears a 20-3 lead with 9:52 remaining in the third quarter.
The scoring catch was the first of the season for Jeffery, who had four catches for the Bears as did Howard. Tight end Zach Miller finished with seven catches for 88 yards.
Minnesota (6-2) failed to reach the end zone until a little more than five minutes left when Sam Bradford connected with Stefon Diggs on a 25-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-6. Bradford threw for 228 yards on 23-of-37 passing in the loss.
Until the Vikings’ late scoring strike, the Bears’ defense shut the Vikings down and sacked Bradford five times as the Vikings lost for the second straight week following six straight victories.
The Bears led 13-3 at halftime behind a dominating defensive performance that forced the Vikings to punt on their first five possessions.
The defense maintained the shutout before the Vikings managed a Blair Walsh 30-yard field goal with 26 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
Minnesota’s lone first-half scoring drive was extended on a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty against the Bears after Pernell McPhee sacked Bradford, who fumbled on the play. Minnesota receiver Adam Thielen recovered Bradford’s fumble, which allowed the Vikings’ offense to remain on the field due to the penalty.
The Vikings drove inside Chicago’s 10-yard line before the defense shut Minnesota down and sacked Bradford for a 10-yard loss before Walsh connected on the field goal.
Panthers coach backs
Newton in complaints
Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera backed up quarterback Cam Newton’s criticism of NFL officials for failing to call illegal hits against him.
Newton went off on officials after a 30-20 triumph over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. He was particularly incensed about a below-the-knees hit by Cardinals tackle Calais Campbell on which no foul was called.
Newton said the hit bent his leg backward and could have torn a ligament. “It’s really taking the fun out of the game for me,” Newton said. “At times I don’t even feel safe. And enough is enough.”
Rivera told reports on Monday that he agreed. “Cam is correct,” the coach said. “I support him 100 percent in this. I was disappointed it wasn’t called. But I get the benefit of looking up at the screen and seeing it on replay. It confirmed what I thought. It’s difficult. You’d like to see those calls made. I’d love to see our quarterback get those calls.”
Rivera said that he thinks Newton’s size is the reason the flags aren’t being thrown. “I think he gets a little bit of the Shaquille O’Neal treatment,” he added, a reference to the towering former NBA star.
“He’s a bigger guy for that position as opposed to some of the smaller quarterbacks of stature. When they get hit, they roll around to the ground. When he gets it, he absorbs them and it doesn’t look as bad.”
Wide receiver Johnson
retires after 14 seasons
Veteran wide receiver Andre Johnson has informed the Tennessee Titans that he is retiring from the National Football League after 14 seasons.
The 35-year-old Johnson joined the Titans on July 30 and played in eight games for the team this season, making nine catches for 85 yards and two touchdowns. He scored the game-winning touchdown in the 16-15 win over the Detroit Lions in Week Two.
A seven-time Pro Bowl player with the Houston Texans, Johnson had a backup role this season. He had not made a catch since Week Five against the Miami Dolphins.
“Going back to his days at the University of Miami, Andre was one of the most impressive wide receivers I’ve scouted,” Titans general manager Jon Robinson said in a statement on Monday.
“He had a professional approach to the game both on and off the field and in my opinion is one of the best to have played the game. I enjoyed getting to know and work with him in his time with our team.
“He certainly contributed to this team — making the game-winning catch at Detroit and his daily interaction with the young wide receivers. We wish him nothing but the best moving forward in whatever endeavors he chooses.”
Johnson spent his first 12 NFL seasons with the Texans before playing last season with the Indianapolis Colts. He had 1,012 receptions for 13,597 yards and 64 touchdowns with the Texans, all of which are franchise records.
Johnson finishes his NFL career with 1,062 catches for 14,185 yards and 70 touchdowns. He had seven 1,000-yard seasons and four seasons with at least 1,400 yards receiving.
A first-round pick (third overall) by the Texans in 2003, Johnson retires as 10th overall in career receiving yards and ninth in career receptions. Texans owner Bob McNair told the Houston Chronicle that Johnson should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“I’d love to see Andre in the Hall of Fame,” McNair told the newspaper. “That would be terrific. I think he deserves to be there. It’d be a reflection on what we have done with our franchise in that we’ve produced a player who was of that quality. Andre was a star for us.”
Johnson’s retirement came one week after former Texans star running back Arian Foster retired from the Miami Dolphins. — Agencies
