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Tough day for former Vikings receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette

john shipley, pioneer press
·2 min read
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Ihmir Smith-Marsette’s first pass reception for the Chicago Bears went for 15 yards at crunch time, but the former Vikings wide receiver wasn’t celebrating on Sunday.

Down 29-22 with two minutes remaining, the Bears were driving down the field for a potential tying touchdown when Smith-Marsette caught a pass from quarterback Justin Fields and ran all the way to the Vikings’ 39-yard line. That’s where Minnesota cornerback Cameron Dantzler stripped the ball for a game-sealing fumble.

“Just got to be smarter in that situation,” Smith-Marsette told Chicago reporters in the visiting locker room at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Dantzler turned and began running toward the Bears’ end zone before sliding to stop the clock at 1 minute, 2 seconds. From there, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins took two knees to seal the team’s fourth victory in five games.

Smith-Marsette was at the right sideline but trying to gain some extra yardage when he was tackled and fumbled.

“You’ve just gotta get out of bounds in that situation. Just gotta be smarter,” he told ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. “It’s not about me, it’s about the team. Right there, that was a selfish move. I’ve just got to be about the team.”

Smith-Marsette, 23, was a 2021 fifth-round draft pick for the Vikings out of Iowa and played one season in Minnesota, catching five passes on six targets for 116 yards and two touchdowns — one in a season-ending 35-17 victory over the Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium. He was released on Aug. 31 to make roster space for receiver Jalen Reagor, who scored on a shovel pass from Kirk Cousins on Sunday, his first touchdown for his new team.

The Bears claimed Smith-Marsette off waivers on Sept. 1. The rally-killing fumble wasn’t his only conspicuous mistake on Sunday.

With 12:08 remaining, Fields scrambled 52 yards for a touchdown that appeared to put the Bears up 25-21. But Smith-Marsette was penalized for blocking Dantzler in the back, nullifying the score. The Bears settled for a 51-yard field goal from Cairo Santos and a 22-21 lead.

But Smith-Marsette’s reception, his first in five games for Chicago, and subsequent fumble are what left an indelible image.

“A tough night, man. Emotional game for him, just playing against his brothers when he was once here,” Vikings defensive lineman D.J. Wonnum said. “But Cam made a play.”

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