Vikings Don’t Miss a Beat as Moon Returns

Warren Moon has been called too old before. He has been beaten up on the field. Yet he has almost always managed to come back and do what he must for his team to win.

Back in the lineup after sitting out the previous 1 1/2 games because of arch and ankle injuries, the 39-year-old Moon passed for 239 yards Sunday and led the unbeaten Minnesota Vikings to a 20-14 victory over the Chicago Bears.

“We’re only going to go as far as he takes us. He’s the guy we’re going to lean on,” said Cris Carter, who caught a 30-yard pass from Moon to set up Scott Sisson’s tiebreaking 33-yard field goal with 7:25 to play.

“We don’t get concerned about his age. Warren is as durable as any quarterback in this league. He takes shot after shot and gets up. We know he’s going to be there.”

The first two games, Moon watched as backup Brad Johnson rallied the team to victories over Detroit and Atlanta. Some Viking fans felt Johnson, almost 12 years younger than Moon, should have stayed in the lineup.

“That’s the nature of quarterback--what have you done for me lately?” Moon said. “It doesn’t offend me. It was something you kind of expect, but our team knows who’s the guy here.”

In the hard-hitting game against the Bears (1-2), Moon went the distance and was 22 for 44.

The Vikings haven’t had a 3-0 start since 1975. They next meet Green Bay in a battle of NFC Central unbeatens.

The Vikings scored all six points of the second half on two fourth-quarter field goals by Sisson.

The Vikings’ defense, led by Derrick Alexander, threw Chicago quarterback Erik Kramer all over the field. Kramer, who played with ace bandages wrapped around his back and left leg, was 18 for 40 for 199 yards and three interceptions.

“I have not done my part so far this year,” Kramer said. “I take responsibility for that. I’ve got to play better.”

The game was tied at 14, however, when Chicago’s Carlos Huerta hit the left upright on a 44-yard field goal try.

Huerta, who has missed three of seven field-goal tries since replacing fan favorite Kevin Butler, was booed heavily. And Coach Dave Wannstedt said he will “re-evaluate” the kicking situation.

After the miss, the Vikings drove 51 yards for Sisson’s go-ahead kick.

Kramer’s five-yard touchdown pass to rookie Bobby Engram and a 14-yard scoring run by Minnesota’s Robert Smith made it 7-7.

Cornerback Donnell Woolford intercepted a pass by Moon and went 28 yards for a touchdown to put the Bears up, 14-7, midway through the second period. But Kramer was intercepted on Chicago’s next two possessions. The second interception, by Corey Fuller, set up Moon’s 29-yard touchdown pass to a leaping Jake Reed with 1:54 left in the half.