Vikings, Bears hobbled by injuries; Dalton Risner finally makes debut on offensive line

CHICAGO – Edge rusher Danielle Hunter and the defense tied a season high with five sacks while harassing Bears quarterbacks Justin Fields and Tyson Bagent in the Vikings' 19-13 victory Sunday.

But those plays cost both sides.

Edge rusher Marcus Davenport suffered a left ankle injury — separate from the right ankle injury that sidelined him for most of three weeks — when Fields was sacked in the second quarter by defensive tackle Harrison Phillips. Davenport was carted toward the X-ray room and did not return to the game. He will undergo further evaluation on Monday, coach Kevin O'Connell said.

Fields injured his right throwing hand in the third quarter while trying to flip a pass out of bounds during Hunter's second sack. X-rays were negative, but Fields "couldn't grip the ball," Bears coach Matt Eberflus said.

Bagent, an undrafted rookie from Division II Shepherd University, replaced Fields. On Bagent's third play, safety Josh Metellus got the Vikings' fifth sack and stripped the ball, leading to linebacker Jordan Hicks' 42-yard scoop and score.

"Regardless of the circumstances, they just never flinched," O'Connell said of the defense.

Hunter had two sacks, giving him a team-high eight through six games. He also delivered the hit on Fields that produced a fly-ball interception for Hicks, the 31-year-old team captain who has three of the Vikings' six takeaways this season. Hicks' touchdown was also his first since he was a 23-year-old NFL rookie in 2015.

"It's been a while," Hicks said. "It feels good."

Hunter has 79 sacks in his career, meaning he's only one away from passing former teammate Everson Griffen (79½) for seventh on the Vikings' career list.

"Oh, really?" Hunter said. "That means a lot. Over the years of just grinding and having discipline and focusing on my technique, having my teammates help me out."

Vikings left guard Ezra Cleveland left the game in the fourth quarter because of a foot injury. Cleveland, who started his 45th consecutive regular-season game Sunday, said he thinks he will be all right after X-rays were negative. But O'Connell said Cleveland will also undergo further testing Monday.

"It's a foot, midfoot kind of thing, whether it's a sprain or bruise," O'Connell said.

Guard Dalton Risner made his debut in the Vikings offense a month after signing a one-year deal worth up to $4 million. Risner had started 62 games in the past four seasons for the Denver Broncos, and said he's grateful for the opportunity while adjusting to being a reserve.

"That's not a role I'm used to," Risner said. "But I was really thankful to get out there."

Bears right guard Nate Davis suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter and did not return.

A couple Vikings players were humming the tune to Creed's 1999 hit song "Higher" in the postgame locker room. Quarterback Kirk Cousins said the team is taking a page out of the Texas Rangers' songbook. The ALCS participants have used Creed as their postseason soundtrack, and Cousins said the Vikings have embraced the band, too.

"And they're rolling in the playoffs," Cousins said. "We've been listening to it in the lifts a little bit here and there. … We thought we'd mix up the genre a little bit [in the postgame locker room]. Get some Creed in there. Garrett [Bradbury] made sure it happened, and it was well-received."

Kicker Greg Joseph's run at perfection fell short in game No. 6. He made his first 20 kicks — both field-goal and extra-point attempts — before Bears defensive end Rasheem Green found daylight between Christian Darrisaw and Blake Brandel on the protection team and blocked an extra-point try in the second quarter.

Joseph made his first two field goals from 51 and 53 yards, but missed wide right on a 57-yard try. He has now made six of seven field goals (85.7%) and 15 of 16 extra points (93.8%) this season.

• The 49ers are up next on "Monday Night Football," and word spread around the visiting locker room at Soldier Field about two key injuries to the Vikings' next opponent. Running back Christian McCaffery and receiver Deebo Samuel did not finish San Francisco's 19-17 loss at Cleveland.

• Safety Lewis Cine, the 2022 first-round pick, was a healthy scratch for the first time in his NFL career. He missed two games because of a hamstring strain, but he was a full participant in practices last week and had no gameday injury designation.

• Former Vikings cornerback Joejuan Williams, who was signed by the Bears off the Vikings practice squad on Sept. 27, helped his old team with a holding penalty that negated a 53-yard kickoff return in the third quarter.