(Audacy) The Chicago Bears defense brought the Josh Dobbs magic in Minnesota to a screeching halt Monday night.
Dobbs had done a fine job keeping the Vikings offense afloat since taking over for injured quarterback Kirk Cousins, but the Bears stymied him in picking him off four times while earning a 12-10 win at U.S. Bank Stadium.
While the Vikings offense isn’t exactly among the NFL’s elite — and they were missing star receiver Justin Jefferson — it nevertheless was a solid showing by the Bears defense. Chicago held Minnesota to just 242 total yards and forced a pivotal three-and-out late in the fourth that helped set up the game-winning drive.
Bears safety Jaquan Brisker, who had an interception in the win, told Bernstein & Holmes Show that the defense is really beginning to jell.
"Really just sticking to the game plan (made Dobbs' life difficult)," Brisker said.
"Sticking to the game plan and being balanced. Sometimes sending pressure, sometimes just playing straight up man. That's what we haven't really been doing lately was just playing straight up man. That was the huge difference, we turned up our coverage and then also we were mixing up our coverages and playing with a lot of energy.
“You can tell the chemistry on the defense is growing and guys are playing together. Guys are hungry for turnovers, so it's a different kind of vibe."