Walsh, Bears Sink Vikings

The team that wasn’t supposed to be here stunned the quarterback who was supposed to go so much farther.

Steve Walsh led a precise offense with two touchdown passes Sunday and the Chicago Bears forced four turnovers in a shocking 35-18 win over Minnesota, continuing the postseason futility of the Vikings and Warren Moon.

Few people expected the Bears to reach the playoffs when the season began. After snapping its six-game losing streak to Minnesota, Chicago is off to San Francisco for a game no one will expect them to win.

“That’s nothing new to us,” said receiver Curtis Conway. “We’ve been underdogs all year. A lot of people said we couldn’t beat the Vikings. We won when we needed to win.”

The Vikings, NFC Central champions for the second time in Dennis Green’s three seasons, still haven’t won a playoff game under Green and have lost five in a row dating to 1988.

And Moon, for all of his impressive statistics, lost his fourth straight playoff game.

He offset his two touchdown passes with two interceptions, and was replaced by Sean Salisbury in the final minutes.”It’s frustrating this year, because it’s right here and right now,” said Moon, 3-6 in the playoffs during his 10 seasons in Houston. “This is a game we felt we should have won. There’s no question we’re all disappointed.”

Moon limped into the interview room on the injured left knee that kept him out of the final regularseason game last week. He showed no signs that the knee bothered him during the game.Moon’s timing was off against a fired-up Chicago defense, while Walsh confused the Vikings with a mix of long and short passes.

Forced to throw once the Bears got ahead, Moon completed 29 of 52 passes for 292 yards, setting Minnesota playoff records for pass attempts and completions.

But Walsh, a St. Paul native, was far more efficient, hitting on 15 of 23 passes for 221 yards in his best game since Chicago’s overtime loss at the Metrodome on Dec. 1.

“It was very special to come back here and win,” said Walsh, who grew up a Vikings fan across the Mississippi River. “We haven’t had much success here. To come in and play as well as we did, it’s a big statement for us.”

The win, Chicago’s first in the playoffs since 1990, was especially sweet to a team that had been taken lightly most of the year.

“We have as much right to be here as anybody,” said defensive end Trace Armstrong, who had both Chicago sacks. “We worked, we scrapped, we hustled. You can’t take it away from us.”

The Vikings couldn’t, even though the Bears tried to give it away early.

Lewis Tillman fumbled at the Chicago 6 on the Bears’ first possession, and Walsh bounced an interception off his own lineman’s helmet on the next drive. But Minnesota managed just a 3-0 lead off the turnovers, and then Walsh got hot.

With coach Dave Wannstedt ready to replace Walsh with Erik Kramer if the offense continued to sputter, Walsh was 6 of 6 on the Bears’ first TD drive, capped by Tillman’s 1-yard run. Walsh then guided a 71-yard drive which featured a 52-yard pass to Jeff Graham and ended with a 9-yard pass to Keith Jennings as the Bears took a 14-9 halftime lead.

Raymont Harris scored on a 29-yard run, the Bears’ longest run of the season, in the third quarter. Walsh threw 21 yards to Jeff Graham to put Chicago up 28-12 with 12:42 left in the game.

Bears 35, Vikings 18

Chicago 0 14 7 14 - 35

Minnesota 3 6 3 6 - 18

First quarter

Min-FG Reveiz 29, 6:59.

Second quarter

Chi-Tillman 1 run (Butler kick), 3:14.

Chi-Jennings 9 pass from S.Walsh (Butler kick), 6:57.

Min-C.Carter 4 pass from Moon (pass failed), 14:41.

Third quarter

Chi-Ra.Harris 29 run (Butler kick), 2:03.

Min-FG Reveiz 48, 14:55.

Fourth quarter

Chi-J.Graham 21 pass from S.Walsh (Butler kick), 2:18.

Min-Lee 11 pass from Moon (pass failed), 9:24.

Chi-Miniefield 48 fumble return (Butler kick), 11:55.

A-60,347.

Chi Min First downs 18 22 Rushes-yards 30-94 19-49 Passing 214 340 Punt Returns 1-1 0-0 Kickoff Returns 3-65 6-132 Interceptions Ret. 2-19 1-10 Comp-Att-Int 15-23-1 33-61-2 Sacked-Yards Lost 1-7 2-11 Punts 3-39 4-33 Fumbles-Lost 1-1 3-2 Penalties-Yards 6-30 11-85 Time of Possession 25:21 34:39

RUSHINGChicago, Ra.Harris 13-67, Tillman 11-19, S.Walsh 5-5, J.Graham 1-3. Minnesota, Allen 12-27, S.Graham 4-13, Moon 2-9, R.Smith 1-0.

PASSINGChicago, S.Walsh 15-23-1-221. Minnesota, Moon 29-52-2-292, Salisbury 4-9-0-59.

RECEIVINGChicago, J.Graham 4-108, Conway 4-56, Ra.Harris 3-20, T.Carter 1-16, Jennings 1-9, Tillman 1-7, Green 1-5. Minnesota, Lee 11-159, C.Carter 8-61, A.Jordan 4-35, Reed 3-39, Ismail 3-29, S.Jordan 2-16, Palmer 1-11, Allen 1-1. MISSED FIELD GOALSNone.