Cris Carter gets his first TD of the season, and lays a key block on Robert Smith's long touchdown run. (AP)

There wasn't much time for reflection after the game, but this was the guy to make the most out of a little time. Smith said he has spoken with Foreman briefly a few times, but that they didn't really know each other. Smith, who has battled injuries through his eighth seasons, has 5,954 yards. That's 105 more than Foreman.

Smith has played 83 games for the Vikings. Foreman played 93.

"He was one of the only players in Vikings history that I even knew about when I came to Minnesota," said Smith, who arrived from Ohio State as the 21st-overall draft choice in 1993. "I had never been a huge football fan. Definitely, I never followed Minnesota. So when I came to Minnesota, I knew Fran Tarkenton and I knew Chuck Foreman."

And just as foreheads were scratched over Vikings coach Dennis Green drafting quarterback Daunte Culpepper in the first round, Smith said he can relate to the situation.

"It's funny," he said. "Looking back, when I was drafted in the first round back in '93, I think a lot of people were second-guessing what Denny had to say about that. Just like they've second-guessed a lot of things Denny has said. He stuck with me through all the injuries I've had. I just thank him for that."

Smith turned the momentum of the game after Chicago took a 9-0 lead with a field goal in the second quarter. On the next play from scrimmage, Smith went off tackle, put a move on a linebacker and took off for the touchdown. That made the score 9-7 and took some pressure off Minnesota, one of two undefeated teams remaining in the NFL, along with St. Louis.

"We ran into a formation where they had an unblocked player, and Robert made him miss," tackle Todd Steussie said. "It's just another plus for Robert and the way he made that run."

It did not go unnoticed during the touchdown run that Randy Moss and Cris Carter, the star receivers who garner most of the attention in the Vikings' offense, threw blocks.

"Once again, there they were, stride for stride," Smith said. "Every time I break one, it's one of the wideouts down there. That time it was both of them."

After the game, Steussie, who could be headed back to the Pro Bowl, seemed as happy as anyone for Smith.

"Robert deserves everything he gets," Steussie said. "It's not like he's had the easiest career in the world. He's had to fight through some adversity. No one ever talks about him being one of the top running backs in the league, but I'd have a hard time not putting him in my top five.

"He had to sneak in the back door to get into the Pro Bowl two years ago. We had the top offense in the league and he was going off. People just always look at him as a long-strider, maybe sometimes a game-breaker. But unless you're a guy in a 4-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust offense, you're not considered a premier running back. Robert can break it better than any running back in the league, and that puts him in an elite class by itself."

Once again, decaying Soldier Field proved an embarrassment, and not just because of the team wearing the home uniforms. After the game, the ceiling in the Vikings' locker room briefly leaked water like a shower onto a table that had food and players' belongings. That inspired hoots of laughter and derision from Vikings such as Moss, plus one shouted warning about water and electricity.

Otherwise, Soldier Field was downright welcoming to the Vikings. Thousands of their fans were in the stands, apparently having purchased tickets from disgruntled Bears fans. In the visiting owner's box, adjacent to the press box, Vikings owner Red McCombs could be seen pointing, waving and raising both arms to acknowledge gestures from his team's fans.

Bears fans seeing the situation made some of their own gestures to McCombs. But that doesn't mean they weren't angry about their own team's 1-6 record.

"Mc-Nown sucks!" fans chanted as quarterback Cade McNown left the field after the game.

On the other side of the field, an unusually large throng of Vikings fans gathered near their team's tunnel. They had a different chant: "Six-and-0!"

Smith was left with his hot dog, chips, a home game against Buffalo next Sunday -- and a new record.

"It's something I'll appreciate a lot more down the road than I do right now," he said. "Obviously, when people think of a Minnesota running back, they're going to think of Chuck Foreman. That's not going to change anytime soon, and I don't have any problem with that. I've got playing time left, and I'm trying to concentrate on that. It's a great feeling, but there's a lot of work to do."