Vikings blow a late fourth-quarter lead but beat the Bears in overtime 30-27

CHICAGO — The Vikings had won four straight games at Soldier Field before Sunday. Some of their wins had even come in relatively normal fashion. In other words, they had tempted fate for too long.

They led by 14 points in the second half against the Bears, and then by 11 points with two minutes left. Two major special teams gaffes aided a Bears rally to send the game to overtime.

But the Vikings forced a punt, and they rebounded from a first-down sack that put them at second-and-17 from their own 14. Parker Romo hit a 29-yard field goal to win it 30-27 in overtime and improve the Vikings’ record to 9-2.

It was the fifth straight win for the Vikings in a building that had previously been a house of horrors for them for most of the 21st century. Sunday’s game had moments of calamity for the Vikings — especially when they lost Ivan Pace Jr. to a hamstring injury, left tackle Cam Robinson to a foot injury and saw Sam Darnold hobble off the field for two plays with a foot injury — but they built a 14-point lead and survived the Bears’ late comeback.

Darnold threw for 90 yards on the Vikings’ field-goal drive to end the game. He finished with 330 yards passing, the second most in Vikings history by a quarterback at Soldier Field.

Why it happened: The Vikings got the fifth 100-yard rushing performance in Kevin O’Connell’s 46 games as coach. Aaron Jones fumbled at the Bears 1 after former teammate Jonathan Owens stripped him of the ball, but Jones set up the drive with the Vikings’ longest run of the year (41 yards) and helped them sustain another drive when Darnold left the game with a 14-yard catch of a pass from Nick Mullens on third down and an 11-yard run on the next play. Jordan Addison also thrived on a day in which the Bears focused on containing Justin Jefferson, and the Vikings kept the Bears’ running game in check after Chicago rushed for 179 yards last week.

What it means: The Vikings won all three games on their road trip and come home with a 9-2 record. They will play four of their final six regular-season games at U.S. Bank Stadium, and they remain just a game back of the Detroit Lions in the NFC North. They will have some injuries to monitor this week — with Darnold’s left leg at the top of the list — but their fifth win in six road games has them in prime playoff position as they head into December.

Play of the game: On the opening play of the second half, Darnold showed great anticipation on a throw to Addison off a deep over route, and Addison kept his feet in bounds while turning the corner toward the Bears’ end zone. The Bears unsuccessfully challenged that Addison had stepped out of bounds, and the 69-yard gain gave the Vikings first and goal at the Bears 8.

Turning point: With the Vikings up 27-16, the Bears drove for a touchdown with the help of a 55-yard kickoff return from DeAndre Carter. They hit a two-point conversion to make it 27-24 with 22 seconds left. Then, the Bears’ onside kick went off Johnny Mundt’s foot and the Bears’ Tarvarius Moore recovered the ball, setting Cairo Santos up for a game-tying field goal when Caleb Williams hit D.J. Moore for 27 yards.

Up next: The Vikings return home for the first time since Nov. 3, facing the Arizona Cardinals in a noon game that could be a preview of a playoff matchup.

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