Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

If you like offense then you were glued to your TV on Monday Night. When the NFL made the schedule and assigned this game for Monday night on Week 16 many people thought it had the potential to determine who would win the NFC North division but that wasn’t the case. The Minnesota Vikings entered Week 16 sitting atop the division with a 12-3 record and chance to clinch a first round playoff bye while the Chicago Bears were sitting at 5-9 with only pride to play for. Despite both teams heading down different pats this game lived up to all the hype surrounding it before the start of the season.

Chicago Bears 36 vs. Minnesota Vikings 30
What was supposed to be a lopsided victory in favor of the Minnesota Vikings turned out to be the best game of the week in a true Monday Night Football showdown between the Vikings and Bears. Two of the games biggest gun slinging quarterbacks, Brett Favre and Jay Cutler, combined for 594 passing yards and six touchdowns but it was Cutler and the Bears that scored a touchdown in overtime to upend Favre and the Vikings by a score of 36-30. Right out of the gate Chicago’s offense showed signs of big things in week 16. After a three and out the Bears used a nine play drive to march down the field and convert on a 22-yard field goal by Robbie Gould. On the night, Gould knocked down three field goals and three extra points en route to having his best fantasy football game of the season. While the Vikings offense was having trouble finding it’s groove the Bears were making the most of their opportunity and on the next possession turned a Favre fumble into three point points. Leading 6-0 midway through the second quarter Cutler hit tight end Greg Olsen for a seven yard touchdown reception to give the Bears a 16-0 halftime lead. Things wouldn’t stay the same in the second half.

The Vikings used a heavy passing attack and the legs of Adrian Peterson to fight and claw their way back into this football game. On Minnesota’s second drive of the third quarter Favre hit Bernard Berrian for gains of 13 and 38 yards and the drive was finished off with a one yard Peterson touchdown run. That was the momentum the Vikings would need to get back into this football game. For every blow the Bears offense had for Minnesota Favre and the Vikings had an an answer. With 5:49 left in the fourth quarter Peterson ran wide left for another one yard touchdown run and the score was all knotted up at 23. The Bears took the ensuing 59 yards down to the 21-yard line and two plays later Cutler would hit Earl Bennett for a 20-yard touchdown reception and give the Bears a 30-23 lead with just 4:55 to play. With too much time left on the clock, Mr. Monday Night got back to work and drove his team on a 14-play, 68-yard drive to tie the football game. With 26 seconds left, facing a 4th and 6 from the Bears six yard line Favre hooked up with Sidney Rice for a game tying touchdown reception. The TD pass was Favre’s second of the day and he’d finish with 321 passing yards on 26-of-40 passing.

In overtime the Bears seemed to have pulled off the upset but a missed field goal by Gould gave Minnesota a chance to steal the victory. That wouldn’t be the case as both team proceeded to go three and out and the Vikings would take over the football with a little over 10 minutes left. On the second play from scrimmage Favre hit Peterson on a swing pass for 16 yards but Peterson coughed up the football for the sixth time this season and the Bears would take over on a short field. On the first play from scrimmage Cutler hit little known wide out Devin Aromashodu for a game winning 39-yard touchdown reception. It was Cutler’s fourth touchdown pass of the game and Aromashodu seventh reception. Cutler finished with he best fantasy performance of the season and Aromashodu had a career high 150 receiving yards and a touchdown in his first NFL season.

Week 17 Rankings:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  | DEF    (click to read)

Week 17 Start & Sit:  START ‘EM  |  SIT ‘EM    (click to read)

Week 17 Waiver Wire Advice:  PICK THEM UP  |  CUT THEM LOOSE    (click to read)

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