Published by: Bear Acuda
“And with the Benny Hill music playing in the background, this game is over.” -Joe Buck
Last night, Joe Buck & Troy Aikmen endured the most painful hours of American entertainment since “Gigli.” If you don’t get that reference, then look it up. It’s a masterpiece of disastrous portions starring Ben Affleck & J-Lo.
Joe Buck couldn’t help but to express the collective sentiment of viewers during the conclusion of the “Monday Night Football” game between the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears.
The low-scoring 12-10 outcome fell short of expectations for those living under a rock this football season. For the rest of us tuning in to watch the NFC North clash on national television, it was about par for the course.
As the game wrapped up, Buck, along with commentator Troy Aikman, appeared to be relieved it was ending. After Buck’s beautifully timed Benny Hill comment, a giggling Aikman swiftly added, “Thankfully.”
You know the kind of laugh. Like that one you manage after being so exhausted that you’re just going through the motions; you need to stay awake, so everything that normally pisses you off becomes amusing to you.
This commentary followed a chaotic final play by the Vikings involving numerous laterals but no real prospect of scoring. Vikings’ Josh Dobbs completed a short pass to wide receiver K.J. Osborn, who then lateralled the ball to another teammate, who then lateralled to another, and…..you get the point. Eventually, Dobbs seemed to make an illegal forward pass in a moment of sheer desperation (while also taking a hit that this writer is sure he will hear about from the coaching staff).
Buck, sounding unamused, had little patience left as he tried to continue being a professional:
“This looks like a forward pass and an illegal forward pass at that, but we’re going to keep playing.”
Aikman remarked, “This is entertaining, it’s not gonna count, but, hey, keep it rolling.” If you hadn’t watched any of the game, but tuned in for that last play, you could instantly tell what he was watching was the most entertaining part of the game; a game marked by a total of six turnovers between the NFC North rivals.
In the game’s pivotal moments, Bears’ Justin Fields did just enough, orchestrating a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter in an attempt to make up for his fumbles in two previous possessions. But the kid still had trouble finding the endzone. While Fields led the Bears 66 yards, including a 36-yard pass to DJ Moore, it was Cairo Santos who scored the decisive three points. Santos successfully converted a 30-yard field goal, giving the Bears a two-point lead with just 10 seconds left in the game.
You know the rest.
The victory was notable as the first NFL win of the season secured without scoring a touchdown, with teams previously having a 0-28 record in such situations.
Following this game, the Bears’ record improved to 4-8, significantly injuring the playoff aspirations of the now 6-6 Vikings. Maybe Uncle Rico was right about the Dobbs guy after all. Jury is still out.
So who would you rather have as your QB1: Dobbs or Fields?
Let me know below in the comments section or hit me up on Twitter @BearAcudaBBN
