The Vikings’ run defense finally showed off its form at No. 2, managing two fourth-down stuffs among the many first-half stops that put the Vikings in control of a sloppy 13-0 game en route to one 30-12 retained victory at US Bank Stadium. After being beaten to 312 yards over the past two weeks, the run defense set the tone on its first possession when Jerry Tillery and Jonathan Greenard stuffed D’Andre Swift for no gain on fourth-and-1 from the Bears’ 39. That led to a field goal and a 3-0 lead. Later in the half, the line again refused to move and linebacker Brian Cashman tackled Swift again for no gain at the Vikings’ 29th, 4-1. That led to another field goal and a 13-0 lead. Another important run stop in the first half: Harrison Smith on a called QB run by speedy Caleb Williams that scored a yard on second-and-10. That led to a strip-sack takeaway by Greenard on third-and-9, which led to a 7-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson and a 10-0 lead.

The Vikings’ play-action game, one of the best in the league, caused the Bears to leave Jefferson alone in man coverage for his 7-yard touchdown catch. Instead of Jefferson diverting attention from his teammates inside the 20, it was running back Aaron Jones who helped clear Jefferson on a cross route in the back of the end zone. Safety Kevin Byard III bit to Jones on the run instead of dropping to help Jonathan Owens, who had no chance against Jefferson. The 39-yard touchdown drive began with coach Kevin O’Connell scoring three straight runs as Jones gained 13, 9 and 1 yards before KO used the play-action to create space for the passing play.

The Vikings were leading 10-0 when this old-school brain thought, “Just kick the 42-yard field goal, KO!” Why risk it on a dead Bears team that had lost seven straight games to breathe new life? The old school brain is starting to wake up to how aggressively young people like O’Connell are pushing their limits. It’s exciting. But this was such a botched possession that three points seemed like the way to go. First of all, Jefferson dropped a 30-yard touchdown at the 6-yard line (yes, flat out) when he took his eyes off the ball (yes, that actually happened). The drive ended with Darnold throwing his first pick in five games on fourth-and-3 at the Chicago 23. The Bears drove 58 yards with pep in their step, but the Vikings’ run defense recorded its second fourth-and-1 stop.

Unlike previous weeks, this was not a mass pumping game with explosives. The Vikings’ longest play was a bubble screen to Jefferson that gained 21 yards. However, Jones was explosive at running back and brave enough to help his defensive teammates keep the Bears at bay. Jones had five touches for 46 yards and two explosives (a 13-yard run and a 17-yard catch) as the Vikings led 10-0 after the first quarter. He added another explosive — a 14-yard run — and a 1-yard rushing touchdown that symbolized the life this 30-year-old former Packer has breathed into the ground game this year. Jones’ touchdown was followed by another one from Cam Akers, raising the Vikings’ total rushing touchdowns on the season to nine. They had just seven goals all of last season, tied with 1962 and 1996 for the fewest in a strikeless year in franchise history.

Watching Bears rookie Kiran Amegadjie struggle mightily in his first NFL start, you should be very happy that the Vikings were able to trade Cam Robinson when Christian Darrisaw was out for the season. However, four presnap penalties in one game? Come on, Cam! The big guy was penalized for an illegal formation and three false starts, the last of which occurred on third-and-3 and resulted in a sack and a blocked punt. He has taken 10 penalties this year, seven in seven games for the Vikings.