Bear Rookies Grossman, Tillman Sting the Vikings

Chicago Bear quarterback Rex Grossman got a victory in his NFL debut. Fellow rookie and teammate Charles Tillman got the save.

Tillman ripped the ball out of Randy Moss’ hands in the corner of the end zone for an interception with 1:02 left Sunday, helping to preserve Chicago’s 13-10 victory over Minnesota. The Vikings (8-6) dropped into a tie for first place in the NFC North.

“Charles just wanted the ball more than Randy did,” Grossman said after several of his teammates, including Tillman, mobbed him on the field after the win.

Viking quarterback Daunte Culpepper drove the Vikings from their 11-yard line to the Chicago eight in the closing minutes with two passes to Moss and a 37-yard pass to Moe Williams. Two plays later, he lofted the ball to the corner and the 6-foot-2 Tillman went up with the 6-4 Moss and came down with the ball.

The Bears (6-8) then ran out the clock, thanks to a 23-yard run by Anthony Thomas.

Grossman, a first-round pick who spent the season watching veterans Kordell Stewart and Chris Chandler, settled in after a shaky start. He completed 13 of 30 passes for 157 yards. He was sacked once.

“I felt like I was going to be a lot more nervous than I was,” said Grossman, who heaved a long pass on the first scrimmage play of the game, watching as the Vikings were called for pass interference.

“To start off with about a 40-yard penalty to put us in field-goal range made me feel a lot more comfortable.”

Grossman missed on four of his first five passes, but on Chicago’s third series, the former Florida star fueled a 10-play, 75-yard drive that Thomas capped with a one-yard touchdown run. It put Chicago ahead, 10-0.

“I thought he [Grossman] played smart,” Minnesota defensive tackle Chris Hovan said. “But I think he was really trying to rely on his receivers to make plays more than himself. He was throwing the ball up and having them try to make plays. He’s going to be good.”

The Vikings lost despite having a 393-232 advantage in yards and a nearly 15-minute edge in time of possession.