A heartbreaker for the Chicago Bears, they fall to the Minnesota Vikings in a near comeback win. Another extremely contested game, Bears fans finally got what they were looking for from QB Justin Fields and the offense, as Fields completed 15/22 passes for a season-high 208 yards, despite the loss.
The first half was fairly ugly, as the Bears defense allowed the Vikings to get whatever they wanted and trailed 3-21 at one point. The offense struggled as well, with multiple miscues and punts. With the game seemingly out of reach, Fields marched down on their final drive of the half with a long completion to WR Darnell Mooney, who made an absurd one-handed grab, leading to a Montgomery touchdown to turn the tide.
In the second half, Fields continued on his rampage, leading the offense to a touchdown pass, the first reception and first touchdown of rookie WR Velus Jones Jr’s career. Whenever Fields got the ball back, he made play after play, whether he completed a pass or ran for a first down with his legs. The Bears offense scored on every single one of their second half drives, besides the final possession fumble.
The defense made some huge plays, stifling the Vikings from scoring until two and a half minutes left in the fourth. CB Kindle Vildor got a big interception to get the ball back for the offense, which led to a field goal.
The Bears trailed 22-29 with two minutes left in the game, with possession of the ball. Fields made some big passes to move the chains while accounting for the clock. However, on a completion to WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Smith-Marsette fumbled the ball away as he tried to get the first down and out of bounds. A tough one to swallow, but with hope for the future.
Overall Reaction: Bears lose to Vikings 29-22
As previously mentioned, Justin Fields looked extremely efficient and effective. Adjusting after a poor first quarter, Fields found Mooney on multiple occasions, including that beautiful one-handed snag. The offense looked good, with more potential to score touchdowns instead of field goals, but they look improved from previous weeks.
While the defense looked poor for the first half, they adjusted at halftime and absolutely shut down the Vikings in the second half. CB Kindle Vildor had the big play in this game, while CB Kyler Gordon was targeted many times, but held his own. Star CB Jaylon Johnson’s absence was sorely felt, but if the defense can look as dominant as they did in the second half, they should be fine.
Kicker Cairo Santos, back from his absence, was perfect once again. Rookie DE Dominique Robinson also came up big with a block, getting his hand on a Vikings field goal attempt, causing it to miss.
