CHICAGO -- I know a few of you thought Chip and I were crazy for picking the Chicago Bears to beat the Vikings on Monday night. My reasoning for the pick was based on the fact that not only had the Vikings put on awful performances in their recent prime-time losses at Arizona and Carolina but this also seemed to me to be a team that had lost its confidence.

Even as the Vikings rallied from a 17-point deficit against the Bears on Monday to force overtime -- they eventually lost 36-30 -- I never had the definite feeling that the Vikings were going to pull this one out. That, of course, should have been the feeling. The Vikings appeared to be a superior team to the Bears on Nov. 29 when they crushed them 36-10 at the Metrodome and considering Chicago was 5-9 entering Monday it appeared the Bears had little reason for which to play.

The Vikings (11-4) had every reason to play hard and try to put away the Bears early based on the fact that Minnesota was still alive in the race for the top seed in the NFC -- the Saints have now clinched that spot -- and are fighting for at least the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the playoffs. But the Vikings came out flat and as a result right now the Eagles own the second seed because they have the tie-breaker over the Vikings.

"I really don't know, I can't tell you," linebacker Ben Leber said when asked why the Vikings looked so poor for the first 30 minutes. "I don't know what we need to do. I feel like we're doing all the right things. We're getting great work during the week, having productive meetings. I think everybody has to look at themselves, analyze how they get themselves mentally prepared and come out stronger."

The real issue as the Vikings prepare to play the Giants on Sunday is whether they can turn this thing around and get their confidence back. It's not a given that will happen and honestly with the way the defense is playing maybe this team is right to doubt itself.

The Vikings have not been great in recent seasons against pass catching tight ends. But with E.J. Henderson lost for the season because of a broken leg, it's now simply too easy for a guy like Jay Cutler to sit back and find Desmond Clark or Greg Olsen time-and-time again. Those two combined for eight catches and two touchdowns on Monday. The Vikings liked Jasper Brinkley when they took him in the fifth round of the draft last April, but even defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier admitted last week that the team is asking a lot from the rookie.

Maybe, they are simply asking too much.

It's certainly not fair to focus on just Brinkley either. Safeties Tyrell Johnson and Madieu Williams need to show more consistency, especially when it comes to tackling. Pro Bowl cornerback Antoine Winfield is clearly playing on an injured foot. No way, a healthy Winfield gives up the plays he has been the past two weeks, including the winning 39-yard touchdown pass to Devin Aromashodu in overtime.

Ray Edwards and Brian Robison sacked Cutler on Monday but the consistent pressure just didn't seem to be there. Jared Allen had two sacks in his first game against the Bears but none on Monday. He now has one sack in his past four games.

And what about the special teams? A unit that had played so well for much of the season but Monday gave up two long kickoff returns to Danieal Manning that set up second-half scores. Then there is the issue of Adrian Peterson's fumbling, a problem that everyone predicted would eventually cost the Vikings in a big way. Monday night, that's exactly what happened.

Coach Brad Childress did his best to remain cool, calm and collected at his postgame news conference but it would be foolish to think his mind isn't racing. Childress helped bring Favre to Minnesota because he wanted to win now. And until Dec. 6, when the Vikings visited Arizona, it appeared that was very possible.

Now, Childress' grand plan seems to be coming apart at an alarmingly quick pace and everyone can see that.

"I know we have to play better than we did tonight and really the last few weeks or we'll be home fairly quickly," Favre said. "I'm just being as honest as I can be. We have to play better. I think we all know that. If not, then we're fooling ourselves. So it is what it is. We have to find a way to correct it or we'll be home sooner than we would like."