What started off as a slow Week 1 edition of Monday Night Football turned around in a thrilling fourth quarter as the Vikings traveled to Chicago to take on the Bears.

Minnesota scored 21 points in the fourth quarter thanks to two touchdown passes and a rushing score from J.J. McCarthy in his debut. The Vikings jumped out to a 10-point lead before the Bears made things interesting with a touchdown pass from Caleb Williams to Rome Odunze just two seconds before the two-minute warning.

On the ensuing kickoff, Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell and return man Ty Chandler helped seal the win with an incredibly smart, but subtle move. As Chandler fielded the kick from Bears kicker Cairo Santos, he looked to O'Connell on the sideline for direction. The savvy coach wisely waved Chandler out to return the kick to get the game under the two-minute warning, because the Bears had just one timeout remaining.

The play triggered the two-minute warning and Minnesota was able to run the clock to just 16 seconds before they punted the ball back to Chicago. It's also a questionable decision from the Bears, who could have kicked the ball out of bounds to not waste any time or even kicked the ball short of the landing zone which is treated like a kick out of bounds based on the NFL's dynamic kickoff rule.

O'Connell's coaching helped his team secure a 27-24 win in McCarthy's debut. The Michigan product completed 13 of his 20 passing attempts for 143 yards and two touchdowns, although he did throw a rough pick-six. He rushed for 25 yards and another score on a 14-yard scamper which served as Minnesota's last points of the game.

Football is certainly a chess match, and O'Connell was one step ahead this time.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Vikings Seal Win vs. Bears With Help of Smart, Subtle Play on Kickoff Return.