Bradford, Vikings throttle Bears in season finale

Published 9:03 am Monday, January 2, 2017

For all that went wrong for the Minnesota Vikings after their 5-0 start, they were able to crawl out from underneath the wreckage of the 2016 season with a quarterback they can count on in the coming year.

The Chicago Bears don’t have such an assurance.

Sam Bradford wrapped up his first season in Minnesota with three first-half touchdown passes and an NFL single-season record for completion percentage, leading the Vikings to a 38-10 victory over the Bears on Sunday to finish on a winning note after tumbling out of contention over the past two months.

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Bradford went 25 for 33 for 250 yards and one interception, finishing with a 71.6 percent completion rate to set the mark and beat the 71.2 rate posted by Drew Brees for New Orleans in 2011.

“You always believe that you can go out and play at a high level. Obviously this year, just in terms of the trade and showing up week one, it’s been crazy,” Bradford said. “But it’s been fun, and I’ve enjoyed being a part of this locker room.”