Vikings Lose Badly to Bears, But Ponder Shines

The Vikings lost 39-10 against the Bears on Sunday night. Here are some notes from the game:

1. Statistically, Donovan McNabb did not play that badly. He was 19/24 on pass attempts, but for only 177 yards. On one play, McNabb got tackled in the endzone for a safety, but it really looked as if he just sat down in the endzone. He could have thrown it away or ran or something, but he surrendered 2 free points to the Bears. McNabb also struggled with throwing balls too high or too low (as always).

2. The Vikings got off to a slow start. At the end of the 1st quarter, the score was 16-0 and at halftime the score was 26-3. This large deficit proved to be too much for the Vikings to recover from.

3. The Vikings defense did not play well against the Bears. Bears RB Matt Forte ran 17 carries for 87 yards. Many times during the game, the Bears completed passes everywhere. Holes were left open and the Vikings could not cover the pass well.

4. The Vikings kicked it to Devin Hester and he ran it back for a touchdown. Solution: Kick it out of bounds or squib kick it (bouncing kick) so it's harder to handle it.

5. Christian Ponder looked great! He made accurate passes and showed a great ability to run and escape pressure. The future looks bright next year with Ponder as quarterback.

Next week the Vikings have a tough game against the UNDEFEATED Packers. The Vikings have the best chance of winning with Ponder as QB. It can't hurt, as since he'll be the starter next year, the more practice he gets the better. I really believe that next year, with Ponder as quarterback, the Vikings will be very good.