As Jordan Addison torched Soldier Field on Sunday, one Twitter user posited that Addison was a lizard person.
His case? Addison looked dissociated on the sideline. He also has Superman-like reflexes, is friends with Elon Musk, and people have found him sleeping on a California highway.
I’m on deadline, but my preliminary research indicates Addison is a human man. However, he wore a skull cap and gaiter during the game, making him look a bit like Reptile from Mortal Kombat. Beyond that, his play on Sunday would allow a skeptical fan to question whether he’s superhuman.
“I’ve been waiting for this Addison kind of game,” said Kevin O’Connell. “And it’s the way the game kind of played out today with kind of wanting to have him majorly involved and then him going out and making a lot of plays.”
Justin Jefferson finished with two catches for 27 yards. Still, he opened things up for the rest of the offense in Minnesota’s 30-27 win.
Addison led Minnesota with eight passes for 161 yards. However, T.J. Hockenson had his best game since returning from injury, finishing with seven catches and 114 yards. Sam Darnold threw for 330 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions, and Aaron Jones had 106 yards on 22 carries.
“Jets takes coverage from us to let us be able to do our job,” said Hockenson. “We just did our jobs because they were [dedicating] coverage [to] him.”
Everyone knows to expect the unexpected at Soldier Field. Still, the Vikings appeared to have broken free from the Midway morass. After three weeks of dominating inferior teams but keeping the score close, they led 24-10 after three quarters. ESPN gave them a 96% chance to win entering the final quarter.
That’s where things got weird.
Fog started to roll in off Lake Michigan in the second half, thickening as the game went on. By the end of the game, it looked like Chicago was burning.
Ominous events occurred throughout the game. Cam Robinson and Ivan Pace Jr. left early with injuries. A player hit Brandon Powell when he was out of bounds, but the officials penalized the Vikings. However, things got worse in the final frame.
Darnold missed two plays with injury in the fourth quarter and played the rest of the game hurt. Still, the Vikings led 24-16 because Chicago went for two on their second touchdown instead of kicking the extra point. Darnold led nine of Minnesota’s 11 plays on that drive, and John Parker Romo connected on a field goal to put the Vikings up 27-16 with 1:57 to play.
“Across the board,” O’Connell said regarding Darnold, “show me somebody that had a better game at the quarterback position.”
ESPN gave the Vikings a 99.9% chance to win with 51 seconds left to play. However, Williams led the Bears on an eight-play, 40-yard drive, capping it off with a two-point conversion to Keenan Allen. Still, Minnesota led 27-24 with 22 seconds to go, and teams trailing by 10-plus points with 30 seconds of regulation are 0-1,882 since the start of the century.
NFL teams were also 2-31 recovering onside kicks. However, Cairo Santos’ onside kick went off Johnny Mundt’s foot, allowing the Bears to recover. Williams found D.J. Moore for 27 yards on the next play, and Santos converted a 48-yard field goal as time expired to send the game into overtime.
The Bears won the toss and received the ball, but Minnesota’s defense forced a three-and-out. Darnold led the Vikings on a 10-play, 68-yard drive with an ailing foot, setting Romo up with a 29-yard field goal to win.
“I ain’t saying nothing to him. [Darnold] knows what all these receivers can do when we get an opportunity,” said Addison regarding the final drive. “It was just my day, so I appreciate Sam for throwing dimes, and I’m always coming up with them.”
Nothing is ever normal at Soldier Field. The Vikings looked like they had the game won through three quarters but let things get interesting at the end. Addison went scorched earth on Chicago’s secondary, but the game only got weirder as the air thickened. The Bears scored 10 points in 22 seconds and converted an onside kick. Minnesota still won.
Is Addison a lizard person? Probably not. He also likely isn’t superhuman. Still, everyone who witnessed this game saw a 5’11”, 175 lbs. man set the world on fire. Sunday’s game was the kind of event that allows you to believe anything.