CHICAGO — Receiver Adam Thielen spent only a few minutes cutting and sprinting on his sprained left ankle at Soldier Field before the team's training staff decided he would miss Monday night's game, which the Vikings won 17-9.
Thielen, listed questionable after not practicing this week, still didn't look spry in the brief workout while recovering from the sprained ankle suffered Dec. 5 in Detroit. Receiver K.J. Osborn drew another start. Osborn also handled punt return duties with Dede Westbrook on the COVID-19 list.
Receiver Justin Jefferson drew most of the attention from a replacement Bears secondary, which was missing all four starters because of positive COVID cases this week. Two Bears defensive backs lurched toward Jefferson, who ran a route from the backfield, when rookie receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette ran wide open for his first NFL touchdown on a 7-yard pass.
In an off night for quarterback Kirk Cousins, the Vikings didn't consistently take advantage of Chicago's defensive absences. But fill-in Bears safety Teez Tabor made a key error that also set up Smith-Marsette's score, with an illegal low block on right tackle Brian O'Neill that moved the chains on third and long.
Tabor started alongside safety Deon Bush and corners Kindle Vildor and Thomas Graham Jr., a rookie sixth-round pick elevated from the practice squad. Cousins completed just 12 of 24 passes for 87 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
"They played a whole bunch of umbrella coverage," head coach Mike Zimmer said. "These teams that plays these umbrella coverages against us, we're going to have to dink and dunk it a little bit."
Graham Jr., the 22-year-old rookie, capped a chippy night with trash talk on both sides by jawing with Jefferson, Thielen and Osborn on the sideline before a Bears punt return.
"Chicago's always like that," Jefferson said. "They like to talk trash, get us out of our game a little bit. That's what they do. We just play our own game, mind our own business, keep playing football."
