Five extra points: Vikings finish season with historically bad defense; Khyiris Tonga sets a defensive tone vs. Bears

Sunday's 29-13 win over a Bears team more focused on securing its first No. 1 overall draft pick since 1947 was nice, but it didn't prevent the Vikings from leaving Soldier Field with the worst defense they've had in 31 seasons of reaching the playoffs. The 13-4 team gave up 427 points in 17 games, one more than the total that helped get Mike Zimmer fired a year ago. It's the 11^th time in franchise history (most in 14- or 16-game seasons) and the third straight year the team has allowed over 400 points. The other 10 teams to do so all finished under .500. The six worst scoring defenses in franchise history: 1984 (484, 30.3), 2013 (480, 30.0), 2020 (475, 29.70, 2011 (449, 28.1), 2002 (442, 27.6) and 2022 (427, 25.1). The Bears gave up a league-worst 463 points. The Vikings gave up as many points as the 4-12-1 Colts and seven more than the 3-13-1 Texans.

All the Bears needed to roll quietly into the offseason was a little nudge at the start. The Vikings won the coin toss, deferred and had the Bears facing third-and-1 three plays later. Justin Fields wasn't playing and journeyman Nathan Peterman can't run, so, advantage Vikings. Defensive lineman Khyiris Tonga, the former Bear making his second start with the Vikings this season, blew up the interior of the Bears' offensive line, causing running back David Montgomery to hesitate long enough for linebackers Danielle Hunter and Eric Kendricks to stop him for no gain. The Bears punted, went 0-for-4 on third down in the first half and 2-for-9 for the game. They also went 0-for-3 on fourth down. Tonga had two tackles, including one for no gain in the second half. Another former Bears defender, cornerback Duke Shelley, had his first career interception in the fourth quarter.

The Vikings had first-and-goal from the 6 with 57 seconds left in the first half. Plenty of time to score. They gave Dalvin Cook three touches. He gained a yard. He lost a yard. He was stopped for no gain. His short-yardage shortcomings aren't a surprise anymore. Of his 12 touches Sunday, Cook lost yardage or was stopped for no gain four times. Cook also was stripped of the ball by former Viking Harrison Hand after a 1-yard gain. It was Cook's fourth lost fumble of the season. Meanwhile, backup Alexander Mattison again showed more of the power one needs, especially when the offensive line is beat up. Mattison gained 6 yards on second-and-5, 11 on first-and-10 and scored on second-and-goal from the 1 and third-and-goal from the 1. Say hello to the Purple's new goal-line back. That was Mattison's first multi-touchdown game.

Patrick Peterson grabbed his fifth interception of the season and 34^th of his career, matching teammate Harrison Smith's career total, which ranks 144^th in NFL history. Couple Peterson's pick with Shelley's first career INT, and the Vikings met coach Kevin O'Connell's weekly goal of two takeaways for a defense that simply can't stand toe to toe with good teams without multiple takeaways. The Vikings are 8-0 this season when they have at least two takeaways. They had four in their signature win over Buffalo. The Vikings are 5-4 when they don't get at least two takeaways. In their four ugly losses to Philly, Dallas, Detroit and Green Bay, the Vikings notched just one takeaway total, posted a minus-9 turnover differential and lost by a combined 89 points. The Vikings have 25 takeaways and are plus-2 in turnover differential. They had 24 takeaways and were plus-11 while going 8-9 last year.

Kirk Cousins needed this layup heading into the playoffs. A week after turning the ball over four times and posting a season-low 49.2 passer rating in a 41-17 beatdown at Green Bay, Cousins was turnover-free with only three incompletions and a season-high 130.2 rating before taking a seat with a 16-6 lead at halftime. Cousins went into the game with a career-high 14 interceptions, which was tied for most in the league. Houston's Davis Mills threw two in Sunday's win over the Colts, giving him the league lead with 15 with Dak Prescott. Derek Carr and Josh Allen also finished with 14. Ironically, Cousins' best year as a quarterback and team leader was an off year statistically. He had his worst passer rating (92.5) in eight years as a starter and his lowest completion percentage (.659) in five years as a Viking. So what? He's also a huge reason the Vikings are 13-4 despite giving up a whopping 427 points.

The Star Tribune did not send the writer of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, video of postgame news conferences and other material.