Neal: Vikings' best is required the rest of the way, and we didn’t see it against the Bears

Sam Darnold did not play like an MVP candidate Monday. And the Vikings didn’t play like a two-loss team.

Yet you take the wins any way they come in the NFL. There always are teams lamenting the play or two that lead to one-score losses. There is something to be said about coming through when you are not at your best.

But the Vikings' 30-12 win over the woebegone Chicago Bears included aggravating moments and things that need to be cleaned up. They were coming off a laugher against the Falcons, are chugging through the final third of the regular season and should be surging.

Instead, there was a surge of bad decisions, penalties and missed opportunities to finish off Chicago early in the game. The Bears offense was dysfunctional behind a terrible offensive line, a rookie quarterback frequently fleeing the pass rush and a couple of untimely dropped balls. The final score doesn’t reflect how much of a slog it was over the first 2½ quarters. The Purple won by 18 points, but it didn’t feel like a laugher until late.

The suits at ESPN hopefully realize that maybe they shouldn’t put these two teams on Monday night. Last year, the Bears came here and won 12-10 on a Monday night in a game that was even harder to watch than this year’s. These matchups are what noon Sunday is for.

Not everything about Darnold’s night was terrible. In the first half, he completed third-down passes of 17, 10 and 15 yards, getting a first down each time. But he made an ill-advised fourth-down throw while being chased that was picked off by Tyrique Stevenson in the third quarter. Later in the quarter, a third-down throw to Justin Jefferson, who was double-teamed, shouldn’t have been attempted. And he missed open receivers.

Darnold was 24-for-40 for 231 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His passer rating was 74.1. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams outdid Darnold in that area, with a rating of 86.9. The Vikings committed 10 penalties for 56 yards. A few too many things to correct at this time of the year. And a team other than the 4-10, abysmal Bears would have made things interesting.

The Vikings defense was excellent Monday, holding the Bears to 284 net yards. Jonathan Greenard, taking advantage of rookie left tackle Kiran Amegadgie, rounded him for a strip sack of Williams that was recovered by Blake Cashman and eventually led to a touchdown toss to Jefferson.

The mostly white-clad audience — the Vikings asked for an ice-out on Monday — couldn’t feel comfortable until late in the third quarter, when the Vikings pulled away. Perhaps the halftime performance by Vanilia Ice was the key. We were forced to listen as he took us back to the days of hip-hop and high-top fades.

Vikings fans then waited for their team to light up the stage and wax the Bears like a candle. It finally happened with 17 points in the second half.

So Week 15 fell in place perfectly for the Vikings. An injury-riddled Lions club lost at home to real MVP candidate Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. The week could have been better had the Packers lost in Seattle, but Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith suffered a knee injury during the game. If he’s not able to play against the Vikings, Sam Howell will start instead, and he was terrible when he came off the bench for Smith.

They clearly are on a path to a Week 18 showdown game at Detroit.

The Vikings should understand what awaits them over the final weeks of the season. They clinched a playoff berth Sunday. They travel to Seattle next week to face a Seahawks team that will either use an injured quarterback or start a backup quarterback. Then they are home for the latest installment of their rivalry against Green Bay. Then the Lions.

A chance to win the division. A chance to host a playoff game. A chance to make a run.

So, yes, the Vikings took care of business Monday. They took down a team against which they are clearly better, even if their self-inflicted damage kept them from making more of a statement in the first half.

I’m not nitpicking here in expecting the Vikings to play cleaner football and make better decisions. Plenty of teams in the league aren’t in the Vikings’ position. There are great games approaching. Their best is required.