Kirk Cousins threw two touchdowns to Adam Thielen while Justin Jefferson had 135 receiving yards as the Vikings defeated their NFC North rivals 19-13 at Solider Field.
It was a first win on Monday Night Football for Vikings QB Cousins in his 10th career start in such games, while the Bears are concerned over a late injury to starting signal-caller Nick Foles.
The Vikings moved to 4-5 on the season after a third straight win.
They had made a miserable start to 2020, dropping to 1-5 with a 40-23 home loss to the Atlanta Falcons a month ago.
Seemingly in rebuild mode, the Vikings traded pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue to the Baltimore Ravens, stripping their struggling defense of one of its main talents.
However, they have responded impressively, the run of victories kicked off by a shock 28-22 win at the Green Bay Packers.
Another divisional triumph came when they beat the Detroit Lions 34-20 before their latest arrived against the Bears.
Per Stats Perform data, the Vikings are the only NFL team since the merger to have a record that is at least four games under .500 and then proceed to beat every other team in their division in consecutive games.
Asked about ending his MNF streak, Cousins said: "It was great to get a win, needed that, but also I have got a hole to climb out of now – I have got a few more wins to get on Monday night.
"Great win, a big team win, great to go back home now with three straight. We were strong on third down. This is a really good [Bears] defense on third down and in the red zone.
"We weren't running the ball as consistently as we were earlier in the year but we were able to make enough plays and the defense really stood up all game long.
"Yards were tough to come by, points were tough to come by, they were able to contain our run game for the most part, and that is why it was so important to have success in the passing game and third downs."
While Dalvin Cook was not at his brilliant best, the running back's 96 yards against the Bears took him back to the top of the NFL rushing standings with 954 in eight games.
He also is best in the league for rushing yards per game (119.3) and touchdowns on the ground (12).
The wideout Minnesota traded away in the offseason, Stefon Diggs, leads the NFL in receiving yards with the Buffalo Bills, but impressive rookie Jefferson has gone some way to filling the void.
His 762 receiving yards put him seventh in the league and his 18.1 yards per reception figure is tied with Seattle Seahawks standout DK Metcalf for the fourth-best mark.
Jefferson has caught 42 of his 54 targets and averages a fantastic 6.9 yards after the catch per reception.
Per the NFL's NextGen stats, that YAC metric is 2.7 yards per play above expectation, second only to A.J. Brown among receivers with at least 30 catches this season.
The Vikings are now close behind the 5-5 Bears in the NFC North and, due to the expanded playoffs, a Wild Card spot remains a possibility.
With a home stretch against three teams with a losing record - the Dallas Cowboys, Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars - to come next, a season that once looked lost is now one with opportunities.
Starting quarterback Kirk Cousins and backups Kellen Mond and Nate Stanley had to sit out the evening workout, leaving Jake Browning to take all of the reps under center. Offensive lineman Wyatt Davis, who played center Friday, also missed Saturday's practice.
The Vikings released a statement prior to the workout that read: "Due to the NFL-NFLPA COVID-19 protocols, multiple players will be held out of tonight's practice inside TCO Stadium."
Zimmer met with reporters before the workout and did not address the missing quarterbacks by name.
He did, however, make a plea to his players and everyone else.
"It’s why people should get vaccinated,’’ Zimmer said. "[If] something like this happens a day before a game that has a chance to get you to the playoffs or something like that, [it could hamper a team].
"This Delta variant is rough. You can see the cases going up every single day now. That’s why, for the sake of everybody’s health, I think it’s important. But some people don’t understand, I guess.
"I am disappointed that this happened. I’m frustrated with, not just with my football players who won’t get vaccinated, I’m frustrated with everybody [who won’t]."
It was not clear when the players who sat out Saturday's practice would be able to return.
In the meantime, Browning will be the star of the show for the Vikings.
"Jake’s really smart," Zimmer said. "He’s vaccinated. That helps to be the backup. So as we move forward here, he’s going to get a ton of reps.
"I don’t know about saying 'it’s going to go a long way' because we’ve still a lot of camp to go. But we’ll see.
"He’s out there, he’s available, that’s important. It’s important to be available when you’re playing football, a team sport."
Wide receiver Jefferson played a key role for the Vikings as they improved their record to 9-2, scoring a first-quarter touchdown among his nine receptions for 139 yards.
With six games left in the regular season, the 23-year-old also surpassed Randy Moss' NFL record for the most receiving yards of any player through their first three seasons in a career.
Two-time Pro Bowler Jefferson is second in the NFL for receiving yards this season (1093), behind only Tyreek Hill (1148).
"People forget sometimes it's still only year three," O'Connell told reporters. "He's learning so much each and every week but the talent and the competitive drive that he has just makes him a very special player."
Jefferson played a key part in Adam Thielen's game-winning touchdown with a double-team contested catch for a 36-yard gain. Thielen scored on the next play from a Kirk Cousins' pass, with Jefferson double teamed.
"He was double teamed a lot tonight," O'Connell said. "Had some success against double team looks. When he got single coverage Kirk found him a few times, got a great double move there to set up Adam's go-head touchdown.
"He's a special player. He means a whole heck of a lot to our offense, to our team, it was a big night for Justin. Quite frankly, I'm just so proud of the way he battles, the grit, the determination, and the preparation that he's put into this."
Cousins also earned praise from O'Connell, with the win coming after a blowout 40-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday where the QB completed only 12-of-23 passes for 105 yards.
"Kirk Cousins was phenomenal tonight, getting us in and out of the plays he did, standing back there and making some big, big throws," O'Connell said.
"I can't say enough about the protection as well. It's not easy against that defensive structure, so I give our guys credit."
Cousins will be required to isolate for at least five days before being allowed to rejoin the team at training camp, provided he tests negative.
The 2021 Pro Bowl selection missed Thursday's practice and was sent home from camp with what the Vikings initially termed an illness.
O'Connell did not reveal who will start under center Sunday, but did say both veteran Sean Mannion and second-year pro Kellen Mond will see extensive action.
"No matter who starts, they'll both play a ton," O'Connell remarked.
Cousins was in the NFL's protocols for unvaccinated players last season and missed the Vikings' Week 17 game at Green Bay on January 2 following a positive diagnosis. Mannion started in his place and threw for 189 yards and a touchdown in a 37-10 Minnesota loss to the Packers.
The NFL has lifted coronavirus protocols for this season, though all players must adhere to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines if they test positive.
The Vikings had led 29-0 midway through the third quarter before Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger led a remarkable fightback that included three final quarter touchdowns but they left it too late to slump to a 6-6-1 record with only one win in their past five games.
Trailing 36-28 with three seconds on the clock, Roethlisberger threw for Pat Freiermuth in the end-zone but the tight end could not hold the pass under pressure from Vikings safety Harrison Smith despite getting two hands to the ball.
The Vikings had jumped the Steelers with three first-half touchdowns, as Kirk Cousins found Justin Jefferson wide open, before running back Dalvin Cook crossed twice in the second period.
Back-to-back Greg Joseph field goals extended their lead to 29 points in the third quarter before the Steelers responded with Roethlisberger finding Najee Harris in the corner for a TD.
Rookie Harris scored his sixth rushing touchdown of the season early in the last quarter, before Roethlisberger found James Washington down the middle to make it 29-20 with 12 minutes to play.
Minnesota immediately responded with KJ Osborn scoring in a 62-yard play from Cousins, who made 14 of 31 attempts for 216 and two touchdowns, only for Freiermuth to narrow the gap again, with Diontae Johnson completing the two-point conversion to make it a one-play game.
Pittsburgh almost completed a remarkable comeback as Freiermuth could not grasp the last-ditch throw from Roethlisberger who completed 28 of 40 attempts for 308 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.
Cousins has tested positive for coronavirus and has been placed on the Vikings' reserve/COVID-19 list.
As Cousins is unvaccinated, he will have to isolate for 10 days in line with the NFL's protocols, meaning he could also be a doubt for the Week 18 clash with the Chicago Bears on January 9.
Minnesota (7-8) are second behind the Packers (12-3) in the NFC North and head into Week 17 as the eighth seed in the NFC, one spot off the playoffs.
However, backup QB Sean Mannion previously tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, meaning rookie Kellen Mond looks set to start against Green Bay, with Kyle Sloter the alternative.
Cousins has passed for 3,971 yards and 30 touchdowns this season and looked on course to at least match the respective totals from 2020 (4,265 and 35).
He ranks eighth out of the league's quarterbacks for passing yards this season and tied seventh for touchdowns, while only five players to have made 10 appearances or more have less interceptions than Cousins' seven.
The Vikings are looking to win three straight games against the Packers for the second time this century (also a three-game streak from 2008 to 2009), while a third consecutive victory in Green Bay for the first time since 1993 is also in the offing, though they lost to the Los Angeles Rams in their last outing.
Minnesota are the only team this season without a double-digit loss, and have an average margin of defeat of 4.4 points, the smallest in the NFL.
However, Green Bay have won their last two games by a combined total of three points.
The Packers are 5-1 this season in games decided by a field goal or less – those five wins are tied with the Tennessee Titans for the most in the NFL this season.
