Monday night’s game between the Vikings and Bears was a microcosm of what both teams’ seasons have been so far. Minnesota made the necessary plays to win the game while playing complementary football. The Bears showed flashes of their potential, but it was overshadowed by too many self-inflicted wounds.
Minnesota’s 30-12 win was the byproduct of a dominant performance by its defense. The Vikings scored their first 10 points off of Chicago turnovers and took a 13-0 halftime lead after the Vikings stopped the Bears on fourth down for a second time in the game’s first 30 minutes.
Chicago finally strung together some scoring drives in the second half, but they were immediately answered by Vikings touchdowns. Sam Darnold threw for 231 yards, including his first-half touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson. Aaron Jones had 106 total yards that was punctuated by his back-breaking touchdown late in the third quarter.
Down 27-6, a blocked punt by Chicago’s special teams set up a late touchdown pass from Caleb Williams to Keenan Allen. But the score proved to be too little, too late, as the Vikings responded with Will Reichard’s third field goal of the night.
Williams and the offense struggled all night on possession downs. The Bears were 1-for-11 on third down and 1 of 3 on fourth down. Chicago’s first third-down conversion didn’t come until the first minute of the fourth quarter.
Here’s a closer look at how the Vikings improved to 12-2 and into a three-team tie with the Lions and Eagles atop the NFC.
Why the Vikings won
As noted above, the Minnesota defense took control of this game from the onset. To be more specific, Jonathan Greenard dominated the proceedings while winning his matchup against Bears rookie Kiran Amegadjie, who was making his first career start. Greenard and teammate Jerry Tillery combined to stuff D’Andre Swift for no gain on fourth down on the game’s first drive. His strip sack of Williams on the Bears’ next drive set up Darnold’s touchdown pass to Jefferson, extending Minnesota’s lead to 10-0.
The offense wasn’t perfect. Darnold in particular was not at his best as there were several throws he’d surely like to have back, especially his misfire to Jefferson late in the first half that proceeded his interception that ended the drive. But Darnold made plenty of big plays that included his laser to Jefferson that set up Jones’ short touchdown that made it a 20-6 game late in the third quarter.
The Vikings also got a standout performance from kicker Will Reichard, who made all three of his field goal attempts and each of his three point-after attempts.
Why the Bears lost
The Bears entered the night with the NFL’s 31st-ranked third-down offense, and the unit lived up to that on Monday night. The Bears did not convert their first third down until Allen made a balletic grab on the sideline for 20 yards (on a third-and-3 play) with 14:26 left.
Chicago’s defense tried to keep them in the game. Tyrique Stevenson’s pick late in the first half ended a promising drive by the Vikings while giving the offense a chance to cut into their deficit. But Chicago was unable to parlay the turnover into points as Swift was tackled by Blake Cashman for no gain on fourth-and-1 on Minnesota’s 29-yard-line.
Williams had his moments, but the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft continues to struggle making the routine plays. An example of this was when Williams was unable to hit an open Allen on the Bears’ first third down of the second half.
The Bears did receive a solid game from Allen, who caught six passes for 82 yards and his touchdown that ironically enough came on a fourth-down play. Swift also ran hard for 79 yards on 19 carries.
Turning point
Down 13-0, the Bears appeared to make it a one-score game after Swift scored from a yard out with 8:23 left in the third quarter. But the score was waived off after Bears lineman Doug Kramer Jr. was penalized for failing to report as an eligible receiver. Amegadjie was flagged for holding two plays later, and the Bears had to settle for a field goal and a 13-3 deficit.
The Vikings scored a touchdown on their next drive, and the Bears never got close to getting to within one score for the remainder of the contest.
Play of the game
Greenard’s strip sack exemplified the type of year he’s had so far. Greenard, who recorded a career-high 12.5 sacks in 2023, now has 11 sacks and four forced fumbles this year.
Quotable
Up next
The Vikings will travel to Seattle to face the Seahawks, who fell to 8-6 after losing to the Packers on Sunday night. The Bears will host the Lions, who fell to 12-2 after losing a shootout at home against the Bills in Week 15.
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