“And then he said, ‘Stop asking,’” O’Connell said.
The quarterback found Addison for 9 yards with a pass rusher in his face, then hit Hockenson for 34 on a third-and-12, after a Brandon Powell offensive pass interference penalty nullified a touchdown throw to Justin Jefferson. The Vikings kicked a field goal that it turned out they would need in the final outcome.
“Show me somebody that had a better game at the quarterback position,” O’Connell said. “Maybe the guy on the other sideline, to be honest. He played his tail off.
“But that kind of game, on the road in the NFC North where at any point in time there could have been a moment where we gave up the lead [and said], ‘Maybe today is not our day.’ Not only Sam, but our whole team. These guys are a really, really tough group. They’re so totally connected and just relentless.”
Indeed, the Vikings had to sweat because of Williams, the No. 1 overall pick whose bid to beat an NFC North rival at home fell short because of a field goal for the second straight week. Williams finished with 340 yards on 32-for-47 passing, threading a 40-yarder to Keenan Allen just beyond Andrew Van Ginkel’s outstretched dive and rolling away from Van Ginkel before lofting a 30-yard pass for D’Andre Swift between two defenders before Blake Cashman could hit him.
On a fourth-and-4 in the fourth quarter, Williams dodged Dallas Turner, leaped over a pile and scrambled 7 yards for a first down, two plays before hitting D.J. Moore for a 10-yard touchdown pass that pulled Chicago to within eight.