Broken play fixes it all up

The game-winning touchdown was a botched play.

"A little communication error is what it was," said Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, whose 8-yard touchdown run with 10 minutes, 56 seconds left beat the Chicago Bears 20-13 at the Metrodome on Monday night.

"Adrian and I were supposed to go left, but we went right," said fullback Tony Richardson. "Or at least I went right, and Adrian followed me because that's what he supposed to do."

In the end, the Keystone Kops routine didn't matter. The fact Peterson ran into quarterback Brooks Bollinger on the exchange didn't matter.

"Hey," Bollinger said, "How many quarterbacks can make that handoff without fumbling? Huh?"

Somehow, Bollinger got the ball in Peterson's hands. The rest was up to Peterson and, probably, the higher power that created his football skills.

Peterson headed up the middle, where he saw middle linebacker Brian Urlacher.

"He was sitting right there," Peterson said, "and I gave him a little shake. We were able to make something out of nothing."

Urlacher froze, unsure which way Peterson would run. Peterson chose left, where he got a nice block from tackle Bryant McKinnie. A hole opened and safety Brandon McGowan appeared in time to plug it. But he whiffed, and Peterson went untouched the rest of the way, giving the Vikings a five-game winning streak, an 8-6 record and control of their playoff run.

"That's what happens in football; plays break down," said Bollinger, who temporarily replaced starter Tarvaris Jackson, who left because of cramps. "Plays don't always go as expected, or how you draw them up on paper. But great players like Adrian make great plays that win games."

The last time the Bears faced the Vikings, Peterson's 224 yards rushing were the most in Vikings history, and the most against the Bears in their history. His 361 combined net yards also set a team record and were the third most in NFL history.

Monday, Peterson was "held" to 78 yards on 20 carries. He had only 22 yards on eight first-half carries (2.8) as the Bears stacked up to nine defenders near the line of scrimmage and used cornerbacks and safeties charging hard off the corners,. It was similar in some cases to what the 49ers did in holding Peterson to 3 yards rushing a week ago.

Peterson had only one carry longer than 8 yards (16) when the Bears pinned the Vikings at their 2-yard line with a punt at the 7:23 mark of the fourth quarter. But, on first down, Peterson helped seal the game with a 28-yard burst over right tackle.

"You can say the Bears held him to 78 yards, but remember, the Bears went to the Super Bowl last season," Richardson said. "We aren't going to rush for over 300 yards, and Adrian get 224 against them every time we play. They're a good team that played the run well tonight.

"But Adrian was still able to make some key plays. He's a rare breed. We're lucky to have him in this locker room."