Chicago Bears prevail on late score, improve to 3-0 in conference play

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Chicago Bears and their defense are still in charge of the NFC North for now.\nAfter a rough afternoon against a suddenly stingy Minnesota defense, Rex Grossman threw a 24-yard touchdown to Rashied Davis right after the 2-minute warning, rallying the Bears (3-0) past the Vikings 19-16 Sunday.\nAntoine Winfield returned one of Grossman's two interceptions for a fourth-quarter touchdown, and Ryan Longwell's third field goal with 7:27 remaining gave Minnesota a 16-12 edge. But Grossman came through with his first career fourth-quarter scoring pass after Chester Taylor lost a fumble with 3 1/2 minutes left, and Adewale Ogunleye recovered at the Vikings' 37-yard line.\nThis was the first win at the Metrodome since 2001 for the Bears, who committed 10 penalties for 82 yards and looked very beatable up until the end. Robbie Gould kept them in it by kicking four field goals.\nThe Vikings (2-1) got the ball back with 1:45 left, but they failed to convert a first down. Brad Johnson's heave on fourth-and-2 at his own 46, with Ogunleye in his face, was thrown well past Troy Williamson up the sideline.\nGrossman completed 23 of 41 passes for 278 yards and the late touchdown. Muhsin Muhammad caught nine balls for 118 yards, and Thomas Jones rushed 19 times for 53 yards.\nGould made a 41-yarder in the first quarter, but the Bears were forced to punt on their next three possessions. Then Dwight Smith intercepted a badly underthrown ball by Grossman, who was under pressure from Darrion Scott, and returned it from the Vikings 38 to the Chicago 32.\nGrossman brought the league's best passer rating into the game after throwing for 551 yards and five touchdowns in victories against Green Bay and Detroit. But the Packers and Lions didn't provide much resistance, and Grossman didn't look ready for Minnesota's persistent rush.\nHe threw six straight incompletions during a stretch just before he was picked off by Smith, and almost every time he connected with one of his receivers, the target was wide open somewhere in the middle of the field. Darren Sharper dropped a sure interception early in the second quarter that likely would have turned into a touchdown.