Minnesota’s ‘Purple Rain’ Falls on Bears, 23-7

The Minnesota Vikings took a chapter out of the Chicago Bears’ book Sunday.

“We were outrageous today,” said Minnesota rookie defensive end Gerald Robinson, whose 2 1/2 sacks helped the Vikings shock the Chicago Bears, 23-7, the first loss of the year for the defending Super Bowl champions. “Today, we were like maniacs. We were crazy out there.”

Without quarterback Jim McMahon, Mr. Outrageousness himself, who was out with shoulder and back injuries, the Bears were never in the game.

Two first-quarter touchdown passes by Viking quarterback Tommy Kramer helped stake Minnesota to an early 13-0 lead.

“Once we got ahead, the defense had the confidence to be reckless,” said defensive tackle Keith Millard, who had 1 1/2 of Minnesota’s 7 sacks of McMahon’s replacement, Steve Fuller. “The ‘Purple Rain’ came down today when we needed it.”

Chicago Coach Mike Ditka had no excuses.

“We were whipped soundly,” he said. “They played very good and they made us look very bad. They beat us up physically and they beat us the way you’re supposed to to win football games.”

Viking Coach Jerry Burns said he occasionally looked to the Chicago sideline to make sure McMahon wasn’t warming up.

“I was happy when I saw him sitting on his helmet,” he said. “They’re hurting without McMahon at quarterback.”

Kramer, who was hurting with a shoulder injury of his own, completed 12 of 18 passes for 239 yards and also scored a touchdown as the Vikings (5-2) snapped a six-game losing streak to Chicago.

The Bears (6-1) lost for only the second time since the 1984 NFC championship game. They had won nine straight regular-season games and have won 21 straight games that McMahon has started.

The game was a complete reversal of the Oct. 5 meeting in Chicago, which the Bears won, 23-0, by sacking Kramer seven times and by getting a superb performance from McMahon.

“Two weeks must make a big difference,” said Ditka, who came out right after the game and said Fuller would start next week against Detroit.

“I guess he’s writing me off,” McMahon said.

Robinson, the Vikings’ No. 1 draft choice, consistently beat Jim Covert, the Bears’ All-Pro tackle, to flush Fuller out of the pocket. The seven sacks of Fuller represented one more than Chicago quarterbacks had suffered all season prior to Sunday.

On the fifth play of the game, Kramer hit Alfred Anderson with a screen pass at the Chicago 25-yard line. Anderson broke Otis Wilson’s arm tackle and raced down the right sideline to complete a 37-yard scoring play.

Kramer, who was 6 for 6 for 134 yards in the first quarter, then hit Anthony Carter with a 10-yard slant pass. Carter turned the play into a touchdown when he sliced between Reggie Phillips and Mike Richardson and raced 60 yards to make it 13-0.

The Vikings led, 16-0, at halftime after Chuck Nelson’s 29-yard field goal, and went ahead 23-0 in the third quarter when Kramer’s five-yard run for a touchdown capped a 15-play, 85-yard drive that consumed 8:53. Kramer left the game after the touchdown with a sore shoulder and was replaced by Wade Wilson.

Fuller finally got the Bears on the scoreboard with a 50-yard pass to Willie Gault 1:30 into the fourth quarter.

Fuller completed 13 of 22 passes for 181 yards but only had 45 yards in the first half, when Minnesota outgained the Bears, 263-56, in total yardage and outpassed them, 179-22, as a Metrodome-record crowd of 62,851 watched.

The Bears could not get their running game going, either, as all-time NFL rushing leader Walter Payton was held to 28 yards in 9 carries--his lowest rushing total ever against the Vikings.