Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier was one of the last to enter the locker room Sunday night following the Vikings' 34-14 victory over the Chicago Bears at the Metrodome.

Frazier exchanged a hug with a well-wisher. "First place, baby. First place," Frazier said before disappearing inside.

It was a moment of exhilaration rarely seen since Brad Childress took over as the Vikings coach in 2006. With four games to go in their season, the Vikings (7-5) are in sole possession of first place in the NFC North after a convincing victory over their division rival before an announced crowd of 63,722 at the Metrodome and a national television audience.

This is the latest in a season a Childress-coached team has found itself in this spot. "We control our own destiny," running back Adrian Peterson said. "Next game, that's our biggest game coming up."

Frazier's defense played a big role in making sure the Vikings broke a first-place tie with the Bears (6-6) on Sunday. The Vikings held the Bears to 228 yards, intercepted Kyle Orton three times (he hadn't thrown an interception since Sept. 28) and defensive end Jared Allen sacked the quarterback three times.

Peterson also continued to be a Bears killer, rushing for 131 yards and a touchdown, marking the third time in four games he has rushed for more than 100 yards against Chicago.

But if the Vikings are to look back at Sunday's victory as the one that helped catapult them into the playoffs, it will be a two-play sequence in the second quarter on which they can focus.

It began with the Vikings stopping Bears running back Matt Forte on fourth down from the Minnesota 1 and ended with Gus Frerotte finding receiver Bernard Berrian on a 99-yard touchdown pass. That play gave the Vikings a 10-7 lead and provided an aerial exclamation point that has been far too rare since Childress became head coach.

The Vikings, who have won four of their past five, will head into next week's game against the hapless Detroit Lions at Ford Field, one game ahead of the Bears and two games up on Green Bay, which lost at home to Carolina on Sunday.

The victory was crucial for the Vikings' playoff hopes because in addition to giving them the lead in a division that almost certainly won't have a wild-card team it also gives them a split of the season series with the Bears. A Vikings loss, in reality, would have given Chicago a two-game lead in the NFC North because it also would have owned the first tie-breaker.

"My message to them last night was, 'The first Bears game has nothing to do with this Bears game,' " Childress said, referring to a 48-41 loss on Oct. 19 at Soldier Field. "Every season has its own kind of tempo and rhythm to it and it's about improving in the areas you can improve in and growing as you go forward. We have a ton of things that we can clean up in this football game and we have a month of football to go to see if we can play more."

Childress has talked frequently this season about his team being a resilient group, and that was true Sunday. With the Vikings trailing 7-3 in the second quarter, Forte rushed 26 yards to the Vikings 1. Safety Madieu Williams pushed Forte out of bounds to save a touchdown that appeared to be inevitable.

It was especially tough for the Vikings because they had appeared to get off the field one play earlier on third-and-4 but an unnecessary-roughness penalty on nickel back Benny Sapp for punching the Bears' Rashied Davis kept the drive alive.

After an incompletion by Orton on first down, fullback Jason Davis was stuffed at the 1 on third down. The Bears decided to go for it but Forte was wrapped up by Allen, nose tackle Pat Williams and linebacker Ben Leber before he could get to the goal line.

And with that the momentum shifted.

With the ball spotted at his own 1, Frerotte dropped back and saw Berrian streaking down the left sideline all alone. Frerotte hit the receiver in stride at his own 45. Berrian sprinted to the end zone for his second touchdown against his former team this season as bedlam ensued on the Vikings sideline. It was the longest offensive play in team history.

"It's a hell of a job by our defense and great play call by [offensive coordinator] Darrell Bevell and Bernard and Gus made it happen," Childress said. "I'd be remiss in not talking about the goal-line stand. It all starts up front with that defensive line and that offensive line protecting so he has time to shape the throw out there to Bernard Berrian."

Asked if that sequence could be looked at as a season-changer, safety Darren Sharper said: "That could be something that changes the landscape of your season. Especially in a game like this. It's good to get a victory but it's not going to mean anything if we don't go to Detroit and win."

The Vikings took a 10-point halftime lead with a touchdown on their next offensive series that ended with a 1-yard sneak by Frerotte. The Bears rallied to pull within 17-14 in the third quarter, taking advantage of their fifth interception of Frerotte this season. Frerotte's third-down pass from his own 17 for Sidney Rice was tipped by the receiver and Bears safety Danieal Manning and ended up in the hands of safety Kevin Payne. Payne took the ball to the Vikings 4, and two plays later Orton hit Forte on a short TD pass with linebacker Chad Greenway in coverage.

The Vikings responded later in the quarter with a scoring drive that began when Sharper ended a 13-game drought without an interception as he picked off a pass for the first time since Dec. 17 last season against Chicago at the Dome. The Vikings took over at their own 35 and Chester Taylor capped the drive with a 21-yard scoring run, making it 24-14.

Taylor finished with 46 yards on 10 carries. Peterson's 131 yards give him an NFL-leading 1,311 rushing yards this season.