EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — The flight from Minneapolis to Chicago is pretty quick.
So is Jerick "Jet" McKinnon, who at last, has landed in the end zone for the first time.
The Vikings capitalized on the second-year pro's speed and smoothness in the passing game in Sunday's 38-17 win over the Bears, which was McKinnon's 25th game.
Minnesota worked McKinnon into the mix during its first possession. He extended the drive on third-and-4 by executing a shallow crossing route, catching the ball midway between the line of scrimmage and the yard-line to gain, turned up field and took off after breaking a tackle attempt by Chris Prosinski at the 41.
The play gained 25 yards on a drive that covered 93 yards over the course of 13 plays and 6:22 before Stefon Diggs caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Teddy Bridgewater.
The Vikings went back to McKinnon on their second series, setting up a screen. McKinnon avoided a diving defender behind the line of scrimmage, then hit the juice, picking up a block down field by Joe Berger that led to an additional 17 yards to help set up a 53-yard field goal by Blair Walsh.
"I feel like any time you run a screen there's a chance it can be a big play if you catch the defense off-guard," McKinnon said. "In my mind, I was trying to be patient and stick with it. Teddy found me, and I had some daylight ahead of me.
"I wouldn't say [the defense was] off-guard," McKinnon amended. "I think as an offense we do a lot of things well. We know how well we can execute and make plays, and we found a lot of different ways to make plays."
McKinnon closed the half with two more receptions after Adrian Peterson was sidelined with an ankle injury. The first gained 4 on a quick pass, and the second turned a third-and-7 into a 17-yard touchdown (his first career score, which prompted a **photo finish** at the end of the day).
He ran a quick out and caught the ball at the line of scrimmage, burst through tackles by Shea McClellin at the 8, Prosinski at the 5 and Will Sutton on the way to the goal line.
McKinnon's ability to come through in the clutch has resulted in his selection for the Bridgestone Performance of the Week.
