Final Score: Vikings 30 Bears 27
The Bears fell to the Vikings 30-27 in unusually fashion this week. Caleb Williams led the offense- which was faced with a daunting challenge in the Minnesota defense- to an unlikely comeback in the waning moments of the 4th quarter, forcing overtime but ultimately falling to a John Parker Romo game-winning 29-yard field goal.
After Williams found WR DJ Moore in the endzone to cut the Minnesota lead to 3 points with only 22 seconds remaining, Chicago’s only hope was to recover an onside kick. Against all odds, the Bears managed to become the first team to successfully do so under the new kickoff rules. After Caleb found DJ Moore for a quick 27 yards and Cairo Santos nailed a 48-yarder to send the game to overtime, things felt a little too good to be true (and they were). Surprisingly, this seemingly heartbreaking loss didn’t hit hard at all. Williams looked fantastic and continues to put the team in position to win. The 2025 season is promising.
Glaring Issues
Special Teams Has Lost Two Straight Games
The glaring issue surrounding Halas Hall this week is the downfall of the Bears special teams unit. This group has basically cost the team the game in two concecutive weeks. Kicker Cairo Santos saw his game-winning field goal attempt blocked against the Packers in week 11, and punt returner De’Andre Carter’s muffed punt this week was devastating to the comeback the Bears were making. Caleb Williams and the offense were set to take the field, down 7 points. Instead, Carter’s muff gave the Vikings the ball on the 15 yard line. Running back Aaron Jones managed to punch it in and extend the lead to 14. Credit to the team for overcoming this and forcing overtime, but was still a devastating mistake.
In addition to Carter’s snafu, the field goal unit allowed another field goal attempt to be blocked. This is the second week in a row in which an opponent has managed to deflect a kick. Clearly, the book is out on how to penetrate Chicago’s line on these plays.
Bright Spots
Offense Was Productive Against Stellar Vikings Defense
On the bright side, the offense was consistently productive against a phenomenal Vikings defense. Faced with exotic schemes and pressure packages, Caleb Williams managed to keep his composure and operate new playcaller Thomas Brown’s offense.
I love what Brown did to attack Minnesota. He emphasized quick, short passes. This negated their elite-level pass rush while also ensuring the ball found its way into Chicago’s best playmakers’ hands. Each WR Keenan Allen, WR DJ Moore, and TE Cole Kmet were peppered with targets on Sunday. Then, after quick game on early downs, Brown let Caleb be Caleb on third down. Williams made several fantastic throws this week, including perhaps the best of his career thus far.
In short, the offense was more than functional against a top-3 defense in the NFL, which is extremely encouraging for the future of the unit.
Offensive Line Held Up
Another major positive to take from this game was the performance of the offensive line. This group has been very up and down this season, which can mainly be attributed to injuries. A good o-line needs to work together as one. This is extremely difficult to do when players are constantly being swapped out. With all the starters back healthy this week, they fell right into the swing of things.
The unit only allowed one sack (Minnesota racked up 3 in total, but 2 were attributed to the quarterback) and 14 pressures. Left guard Tevin Jenkins and left tackle Braxton Jones especially shined, each grading out very well on PFF. PFF ranked them 5th and 22nd respectively in individual pass block grade this week (among all lineman, regardless of position). As long as it can stay mostly healthy, this o-line group is solid.
Standout Performers
Caleb Williams
Williams turned in the best game of his rookie season this week. He technically racked up more yards and touchdowns in London against the Jaguars, but the Minnesota Vikings posed an entirely different challenge. To throw for 340 yards and 2 TDs, run for 33 yards, and give up zero turnovers against that defense is incredible from a rookie quarterback. Add in the fact that he led a miraculous comeback in the final minutes of the 4th quarter and it just keeps getting better.
In order to achieve this statline, Williams made some insane throws this Sunday. His off-script 30-yard heave to D’Andre Swift was classic college-Caleb-Williams. Meanwhile, his laser to Keenan Allen in the second half that led to a 40-yard gain was unbelievable. The abnormal talent is there, and we’re starting to see it more frequently.
Keenan Allen
Veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen also had his best game of the season this week. He posted 86 receiving yards on a whopping 9 catches. Allen also added a touchdown with 22 seconds left, bringing the Bears within 2 points of Minnesota. He served as Caleb Williams’ go-to target. It was encouraging to see that ‘vintage Keenan Allen’ is still in there.
Key Drive of the Game
The most pivotal drive of the game had to be Chicago’s touchdown drive at the beginning of the 4th quarter. The Bears took over possession down by 14 points and all the momentum with the Vikings. The offense managed to drive the ball 64 yards down the field and find the endzone on a DJ Moore touchdown reception, cutting the lead to 8. This put Chicago back in the game and allowed them to take the ball next drive with the chance to send the game to overtime.