Yet quarterback Kyle Orton left his fingerprints all over Chicago's ugly 34-14 loss at the Metrodome.

Orton, who had not thrown an interception in 206 pass attempts spanning seven games, threw three costly ones that directly led to 17 Minnesota points as the Bears (6-6) coughed up first place in the NFC North Division.

After hitting Devin Hester for a 65-yard strike to give Chicago an early 7-0 lead, Orton lost his rhythm as the Vikings' front four relentlessly pressured him and their secondary disrupted his receivers' timing.

"It's tough to win games when you throw three picks," said Orton, who completed 11 of 29 passes for 153 yards and finished with a ghastly 39.1 passer rating. "We need to step it up as an offense, and I need to step it up. I put it on myself to put this behind me and try to get better."

The Vikings, who had only eight interceptions in 11 previous games, love to feast on Orton, who now has been picked off five times in five games against Minnesota.

Jared Allen was in Orton's face most of the night, sacking him three times and hurrying him on four other occasions. The Vikings also knocked down eight of his passes.

"We played tight trying to disrupt their receivers' rhythm and let the front four get pressure on him," Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield said. "He's a good quarterback -- when he gets time."

The timing of Orton's first two gaffes was crucial.

After cutting Minnesota's lead to 17-14 with a 2-yard touchdown toss to Matt Forte early in the third quarter, Orton threw his initial interception on the first play of the Bears' next possession.

Orton underthrew Brandon Lloyd along the near sideline. Darren Sharper stepped in to pick it off and push the Vikings into Chicago territory. That set up Chester Taylor's 21-yard touchdown run.

Later in the fourth, with the Bears still trailing by 10 and near midfield, Ben Leber poached Orton's pass to Hester, and his 28-yard return led to Adrian Peterson's backbreaking score.

"First one was a poor read," Orton said. "I haven't made too many of those in a while. I pride myself on making good reads. The two others ... that happens."

The Bears were poised to pad their 7-3 second-quarter lead after Benny Sapp's foolish unnecessary roughness penalty turned fourth down into first and 10 at the Minnesota 27-yard line.

Forte promptly ran 26 yards to the 1, and Chicago had the Vikings backpedaling until Minnesota's vaunted run stoppers dug in for a goal-line stand for the ages.

Orton threw incomplete to tight end Greg Olsen before coach Lovie Smith called three straight running plays that culminated with Allen and Pat Williams scissoring through the Bears' offensive line to haul down Forte short of the end zone.

On the next play, Gus Frerotte hit former Bear Bernard Berrian for a franchise-record 99-yard touchdown pass that broke Chicago's will.

"It's amazing what a shift in momentum can do," Smith lamented.

The Bears were looking to sweep the season series with Minnesota for the second time in three years after losing both games in 2007. Instead, they lost their sixth game in the past seven at the Metrodome and a potential playoff tiebreaker with the first-place Vikings.

"The next four games, we need to win them all, and hopefully we'll get some help," Orton said.