CHICAGO — Greeted by early boos from their fans, the Chicago Bears managed to end a three-game losing streak and win for the first time at home all season on Sunday.

But even they realized the eventual, 21-13 victory over the Minnesota Vikings hardly meant that they had turned their season around. It was the seventh consecutive win at Soldier Field for the Bears over the Vikings.

“We’ve got to keep winning, keep playing better,” said quarterback Jay Cutler, who threw for three touchdowns while completing 31 of 43 passes for 330 yards.

“We haven’t performed the way the fans think we should perform. We haven’t performed the way the players think we should perform,” Cutler said.

Whether it was due to snow flurries that lasted through the first half, the freezing temperature or the 3-6 record coming into the game, there were about 7,000 empty seats at Soldier Field for Cutler’s first victory at home in more than a year

“We’ve got to play better,” Cutler conceded. “As soon as we start playing better, they’ll start becoming better fans.”

Chicago dominated the game but trailed early, 10-0, and didn’t assure itself of victory until an end zone interception by safety Ryan Mundy with 42 seconds to go. The Bears had a 17-minute advantage in time of possession, outgained the Vikings nearly 2-to-1 and ran off 28 more offensive plays, but the difference in the game was the three touchdown passes, all of them scored on one-on-one coverage battles that Cutler’s wideouts won.

Brandon Marshall caught two of the touchdown passes, including a nifty 44-yarder in the second quarter, and Alshon Jeffery, who finished with 11 receptions for 135 yards, caught the other.

Trestman’s aggressive play-calling also figured into the victory for the Bears, who converted a pair of fourth down plays on their third touchdown drive.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, whose team would seem to have bigger issues than the scoreboard clock at Soldier Field — which malfunctioned repeatedly throughout the game — complained afterward that “The clocks here are bulls—.”

What the Bears said:

“Call it ‘rallying around each other’ or whatever, but I think the sense of urgency was there. You can only get beat up so many times before you fight back.” — defensive end Jared Allen.

What the Vikings said:

“They hit some deep balls. Reality is that’s just part of the game. Guys have to step up and make plays. It’s the rush to cover guys up front and get the quarterback so he doesn’t get the deeper route.” — linebacker Chad Greenway.

What we learned about the Bears

1. Even on his good days, quarterback Jay Cutler manages to throw up some head-scratching passes, particularly the off-the-back-foot, retreating interception he threw late in the third quarter.

2. Matt Forte is clearly one of the most underrated backs in the NFL. He’s hard to tackle and he’s efficient both as a runner and receiver. In this game, he had 117 yards rushing on 26 carries and caught six passes for 58 yards. It’s a head-scratcher why the Bears didn’t use him at the goal line on the fourth-and-1 play when Cutler was stopped.

–Quarterback Jay Cutler went through a game without being sacked for the first time in 21 games, since the 2013 season opener against Cincinnati. His 31 completions and 43 attempts were both his second highest totals of the year but he also threw two interceptions in a game for the fourth time this season.

–Matt Forte’s 117 yards rushing was his second highest total of the year, exceeded only by 122 yards against Green Bay. His 175 total yards from scrimmage were his highest total of the year. Forte leads the Bears with 733 yards rushing and 67 receptions (for 575 yards).

–Safety Ryan Mundy’s game-clinching interception was just the ninth interception and 14th takeaway of the season for the Bears.

What we learned about the Vikings:

1. They don’t have a lot of trust in rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. In the fourth quarter, when the Vikings were fighting the clock and an 11-point deficit, he threw the ball reasonably well until the final interception. But in the first half, when the Bears were stumbling and vulnerable, Minnesota ran the ball on half its plays.

2. This team can’t wait to get running back Adrian Peterson back in the lineup, if it can. A 48-yard run on a fake punt accounted for fully half the Vikings’ rushing yardage against a Chicago defense that had allowed the most points in the league.

–Rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater’s first-quarter touchdown pass to Rhett Ellison was just Bridgewater’s fourth touchdown pass of the season.

–Place-kicker Blair Walsh is 18-of-21 on field goal attempts after making a pair, including a 50-yarder. He is 4-of-5 from 50 yards and beyond.

–Wide receiver Greg Jennings, the team’s leading receiver and the team’s only player with more than one touchdown catch this year, was limited to one catch for 4 yards before leaving the game with a rib injury.