The Minnesota Vikings picked up their 13th win of the regular season on Sunday, downing the Chicago Bears by the score of 29-13. It was the perfect way to cap off a fantastic regular season, but the win was extra sweet for one Viking.
Cornerback Duke Shelley played an instrumental part in Minnesota’s defense down the stretch. However, he couldn’t have dreamed of a better ending to his fourth regular season in the NFL.
Drafted by the Bears in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Shelley spent his first three seasons in the Windy City. That all came to an end when general manager Ryan Poles took over, waiving him at the end of training camp.
As fate would have it, Shelley brought down his first career interception to seal the deal against his former team. To make it even sweeter, Shelley picked off Bears QB Tim Boyle on the team’s final drive of the season, giving his former employers something to remember heading into the off-season.
#Vikings CB Duke Shelley has gotten better every single week.
— Ron Johnson (@3RonJohnson) January 8, 2023
You can see the excitement in getting his 1st #NFL INT vs the team that didn’t believe he could get it done. Well @DukeSaysGo is getting it done.
He has earned the right to be a solid playoff contributor. pic.twitter.com/qnPks16V0C
Shelley took to Twitter to express his excitement, summing up his emotions beautifully.
First INT of my career vs the team that didn’t believe in me wow thank you god
— Ocho 8⃣ (@DukeSaysGo) January 8, 2023
Duke Shelley got his first career interception and no one was more excited than his big bro Patrick Peterson. Cool moment. pic.twitter.com/onReJbfXpI
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) January 8, 2023
Unlike Chicago, Shelley’s focus now turns to the postseason. With Daniel Jones and the New York Giants coming to town, Shelley and the Vikings secondary must continue to be opportune in order to the team’s Super Bowl dream alive.
Featured image via Daniel Bartel – USA TODAY Sports
