vikings/nfl
Dan Wiederer began covering the Vikings in 2011, enthusiastically delivering insight on the team across the Star Tribune's print and digital products. Prior to joining the Access Vikings team, he spent seven seasons covering ACC basketball at The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer. He also covered the Chicago Bears in 2003 and 2004. Follow him on Twitter @StribDW.
Mark Craig has covered football and the NFL the past 20 years, including the Browns from 1991-95 and the Vikings and the NFL since 2003. Since 2008, Craig has served as one of the 44 Pro Football Hall of Fame selectors. He can be followed on Twitter at @markcraignfl.
Will Bears retaliate against Allen?
Posted by: Chris Miller under Vikings, Bears, NFC, Antoine Winfield, Jared Allen Updated: December 5, 2012 - 3:51 PM
The Bears and Vikings meet Sunday for the second time in three weeks, and you can be sure that Jared Allen’s season-ending block on Chicago guard Lance Louis might be on some players’ minds. Allen hit Lewis high while Antoine Winfield of the Vikings was returning an interception, and Lewis suffered a torn knee ligament when his left leg got caught in the grass. No penalty was called, but Allen was fined $21,000.
“I think I’ve talked on it a few times,” said Bears quarterback Jay Cutler during a conference call with Twin Cities reporters today. “It was unfortunate that Lance tore his ACL, I don’t think Jared is that type of player, I don’t think he was out intentionally to hurt anyone. I wish he would have hit him a little lower, but it happened.”
Allen had a conference call with Chicago media and said: "There is nothing to retaliate. It wasn't malicious. It wasn't done out of ill will. We had an interception. A guy was running towards our guy to make a tackle and I threw a block. Again, like I said, my condolences are to him. The intent is never to hurt anybody. You never want to hurt anybody. Unfortunately, that's part of our game and it happened. But you don't go into a game wandering what if."
The Bears, meanwhile, will also play Sunday without All-Pro middle linebacker Brian Urlacher (hamstring).
“You know what you are going to get out of Brian,” said Cutler. “Everything kind of runs through him [on defense], he gets them lined up, he makes the checks, and it’s a tough loss. But that defense has been together for a long time and they have some guys that know it just as well as Brian does, so they’ve got to step up for us.”
Bears coach Lovie Smith, whose team is tied for first in the NFC North with Green Bay at 8-4, thinks the real season begins now.
“Before the fourth quarter of the season, you just get in position,” Smith said. “You don’t want to be out of it, and what you do this last quarter of the season is going to dictate everything. There’s been disappointment, there’s been highs before, it’s just about what you do from here on out. In our division, of course, with everyone still in it we need to play our best ball right now.”
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| Seattle | 5 | Bottom 4th Inning |
| Cleveland | 5 |
| Tampa Bay | 1 | Top 2nd Inning |
| Toronto | 2 |
| NY Yankees - C. Sabathia | 6:05 PM |
| Baltimore - F. Garcia |
| Cincinnati - J. Cueto | 6:10 PM |
| NY Mets - S. Marcum |
| Philadelphia - C. Hamels | 6:10 PM |
| Miami - A. Sanabia |
| Minnesota - K. Correia | 6:10 PM |
| Atlanta - J. Teheran |
| Oakland - B. Colon | 7:05 PM |
| Texas - J. Lindblom |
| Los Angeles - C. Kershaw | 7:10 PM |
| Milwaukee - Y. Gallardo |
| Boston - J. Lester | 7:10 PM |
| Chicago WSox - D. Axelrod |
| Kansas City - J. Guthrie | 7:10 PM |
| Houston - D. Keuchel |
| Arizona - P. Corbin | 7:40 PM |
| Colorado - J. Garland |
| St. Louis - S. Miller | 9:10 PM |
| San Diego - J. Marquis |
| Washington - Z. Duke | 9:15 PM |
| San Francisco - R. Vogelsong |
| Chicago | 6:30 PM |
| Detroit |
| Date/Opponent | Time | W | L | Score |
| 2013 preseason | ||||
| Aug 9 - vs. Houston | 7 pm | |||
| Aug 16 - at Buffalo | 6 pm | |||
| Aug 25 - at San Francisco | 7 pm | |||
| Aug 29 - vs. Tennessee | 7 pm | |||
| 2013 regular season | ||||
| Sep 8 - at Detroit | Noon | |||
| Sep 15 - at Chicago | Noon | |||
| Sep 22 - vs. Cleveland | Noon | |||
| Sep 29 - vs. Pittsburgh (in London) | Noon | |||
| Oct 6 - Bye | ||||
| Oct 13 - vs. Carolina | Noon | |||
| Oct 21 - at. NY Giants | 7:40 pm | |||
| Oct 27 - vs. Green Bay | 7:30 pm | |||
| Nov 3 - at Dallas | Noon | |||
| Nov 7 - vs. Washington | 7:25 pm | |||
| Nov 17 - at Seattle | 3:25 pm | |||
| Nov. 24 - at Green Bay | Noon | |||
| Dec 1 - vs. Chicago | Noon | |||
| Dec 8 - at Baltimore | Noon | |||
| Dec 15 - vs. Philadelphia | Noon | |||
| Dec 22 - at Cincinnati | Noon | |||
| Dec 29 - vs. Detroit | Noon |
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