CHICAGO —Stefon Diggs opted for a black and white sport coat over a black turtleneck. Charles Johnson's bright multi-colored jacket redefined the concept of a blazer.
Despite the contrast in styles, both Vikings receivers shined in moments that mattered on Sunday.
Diggs delivered a game-tying 40-yard touchdown catch-and-run but said he thought a catch by Charles Johnson was even better.
Johnson adjusted to a pass thrown with confidence by Teddy Bridgewater and out-jumped Bears safety Antrel Rolle for a 35-yard gain to the Chicago 27 with 27 seconds left.
"He's a special player and he put that 39-inch vertical to work today," Bridgewater said. He went up down there and made a great play for us."
The Vikings followed with a 9-yard run by Adrian Peterson to set up a 36-yard game-winning field goal by Blair Walsh for a 23-20 win — Minnesota's first in Chicago since 2007.
Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer called Johnson's effort a "great catch."
"We have a lot of depth on this football team," Zimmer said. "We're trying to develop a standard here that it doesn't matter who it is or where it is, that you go and line up and play."
The 10-point surge in the final 4:55 started with a quick spin move by Diggs, a fall by Bears cornerback Sherrick McManis and a footrace. Diggs picked up downfield blocks and was assisted across the goal line by Mike Wallace.
"I didn't like my touchdown as much as CJ's catch," Diggs said. "That's one of the best catches I've ever seen, high point it as a receiver does, and he did a great job."
The two catches accounted for 75 of Bridgewater's 187 passing yards on the day, but the second-year pro stayed focused until the end.
"You just see a quarterback being a quarterback, as far as being a general and taking advantage of what's going on and having heart and courage," Diggs said. "He's just trying to play at a high level, and you feed off that energy. What he does makes you want to go the extra mile for him. Our whole room is really all love. We compete with one another each and every day and it's all love at the end of the day. We want the best for everybody."
Diggs now has 25 catches for 419 yards (16.8 per catch) in four games, but said he and Zimmer enjoyed multiple plays made by the defense.
"(Zimmer is) definitely a defensive coach because you can see the fire in his eyes when those guys make plays. I love seeing my guys make plays."
In between the catches by Diggs and Johnson, Minnesota's defense forced a three-and-punt by Chicago to get the ball back with 1:00 remaining.
Defensive end Brian Robison, who was a rookie in 2007, said it was great to see the rally.
"They played really well in the fourth quarter and were able to make some great plays," Robison said. "I can't say enough about Stefon Diggs. That kid, from day one, he's come in here and made plays. Charles Johnson showed up for us last year and is showing up for us again today. How about Teddy? You can't say enough about Teddy. No matter what happens, that kid just stays poised and he just seems to make plays."
