Chicago Bears Score and Recap (Week 15): Vikings 30, Bears 12 – Minnesota White Out Buries Bears
For a second consecutive week, the Bears were on the wrong end of a lopsided road defeat Monday night. This time, it was the division rival Vikings that throttled interim head coach Thomas Brown‘s squad in a victory that could’ve been even worse than the 30-12 score indicated.
Minnesota was able to stop Chicago on a fourth down attempt on their own 40 yard line during the opening drive and turned it into a field goal to go ahead 3-0. Caleb Williams was strip-sacked on the Bears second position of the night and Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold hit All-Pro Justin Jefferson on a touchdown pass in the ensuing series to make it 10-0.
Kicker Will Reichard booted another field goal as time expired in the second quarter to increase the Vikes lead to 13-0 at the half. The Bears finally got on the board halfway through the third quarter when Cairo Santos knocked in a short FG.
Minnesota put the game out of reach when Aaron Jones ran in a touchdown late in the third quarter to widen the deficit to 20-3. Chicago kicked another field goal and the Vikings answered again with a short touchdown run by Cam Akers and the rout was on.
The Bears were able to block a punt in the fourth quarter and Williams hit Keenan Allen for their only touchdown on the evening. That was just window dressing of course as the Vikings prevailed easily. (Box score)
Why the Bears Lost
The offense was just unable to get into the end zone until it was much too late. At the same time, the Vikings were able to repeatedly convert 3rd and longs that were absolute backbreakers.
Key Moment
The Bears attempted to convert two fourth downs early in the contest and were stuffed both times. Being aggressive as an underdog was the right idea but the execution on the plays was lacking and the Vikings pulled away.
Stats That Matter
- It’s just hard to figure out exactly how well Williams is playing when the offensive line in front of him is in shambles. He had 191 yards passing and a touchdown on Monday night and was running for his life most of the game.
- D’Andre Swift found some traction out of the backfield at a couple points during the game. Unfortunately, he couldn’t sustain it and finished with 79 yards on 19 carries.
- Allen had 82 yards and a touchdown Monday, one of his better performances in a disappointing year.
Bottom Line
The Bears have been outscored 68-25 in the two losses since Matt Eberflus was fired. Thomas Brown was of course never going to be a long-term solution but it seems like the players did not respond at all to the coaching shake up. The pressure is definitely increasing on general manager Ryan Poles as Chicago continues its late season implosion. While these games don’t matter at all in the standings, not even being competitive leaves a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. It makes a total housecleaning seem more necessary and that is definitely the way things are trending right now.
Next Up
The Bears head back to Chicago to face the mighty Lions in a rematch of the Thanksgiving debacle this Sunday, December 22 at 12:00pm CT on FOX.
