After a rough loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the Minnesota Vikings were looking for their first home win of the J.J. McCarthy era and a chance to get back to .500. Despite a sturdy performance from the defense against an especially elusive Caleb Williams, the Vikings’ sputtering offense was a liability for much of the afternoon, and a special teams collapse saw the Vikings chances of another improbable comeback against Chicago slip away from them as the Bears won, 19-17.
A Will Reichard field goal helped them get out to an early lead, which they would mostly struggle to get back all day after a Chicago touchdown put the Bears up, 7-3. They would double down on the Vikings’ misery, forcing an interception to get the ball back in favorable field position, but the defense kept it to 10-3.
After moving the ball in the two-minute drill, McCarthy threw yet another interception, this one in the end zone to Nahshon Wright, to kill any chance of points before the half.
The Bears extended their lead 16-3 into the fourth quarter until a strong punt return and an offensive push helped Jordan Mason make it a one-score game.
Another Bears missed kick bailed out the Vikings. With just over three minutes left, McCarthy put together his best drive of the day, going 85 yards to make it a 17-16 with 50 seconds left. But that brief flicker of optimism was snuffed out almost immediately by a long kickoff return that put the Bears right on the edge of field goal range, and a 48-yarder from Cairo Santos as time expired sealed the Vikings’ fate.
8:25
Chicago’s offense possessed the ball for 8:25 on its first touchdown drive. Before this drive, Minnesota’s defense had forced multiple three-and-outs and had managed to make the Bears struggle for any sort of yardage.
However, the Bears adjusted and relied on the ground game to possess the ball and meticulously grind Minnesota’s defense down. While Caleb Williams struggled, Ben Johnson and Co. allowed the running game to take over and force Minnesota’s defense to out-physical them.
They gave their defense some much-needed rest while also forcing the Vikings defense to stay on the field and wear themselves down. In a game where both quarterbacks looked too amped up early, the Bears calmed down through the run game.
9
After the Detroit Lions win, McCarthy told the press his alter ego on game days was “Nine,” a reference to his jersey number. However, it’s also the exact number of turnovers he has produced so far this season.
The best chance for Vikings success in this game would be to maintain control of the ball. While Chicago’s defense has led the NFL in turnovers created, they have been middle-of-the-pack in most stats.
Minnesota’s turnover woes continued to plague them. In the second quarter, McCarthy threw an ill-advised pass under pressure that was snagged by Kevin Byard, compounding the negative momentum and setting up an already hot Bears offense in Vikings territory.
The defense held Chicago to 3 points. However, McCarthy and the offense again turned the ball over with a golden chance to put points on the board, throwing an interception in the end zone during the two-minute drill.
If the Vikings want any form of success this season and McCarthy wants to be a long-term starting quarterback in the NFL, he needs to stop giving the ball away at a high volume.
7
Minnesota’s offense has been held without a touchdown in the first half of seven games this season.
Last season, the offense was praised for its fast starts and for allowing the defense to take chances and force opponents to play from behind. However, whether it’s been Carson Wentz or McCarthy under center this year, they just haven’t been able to score in the first half.
While in most of these games the defense has been able to do enough to keep them in contention, the offense has been unable to hold up its end of the bargain, either with poor red-zone performances or back-breaking turnovers.
If this team wants to even hope to challenge for a playoff spot, they need to figure out how to shed these slow starts.
2
Minnesota’s defense whiffed on two sacks this week. With Jonathan Greenard out, most fans knew that manufacturing pressure would be difficult. This week presented a unique challenge for Caleb Williams, a quarterback known for his ability to escape the pocket, as the Vikings defense saw firsthand in Week 1. Williams has only been sacked on 14 of 119 snaps this season, an 11.8% sack-to-pressure rate — this after taking 68 sacks in his rookie season, the third-most in NFL history.
Williams continued to be slippery this week, escaping two clear would-be sacks. The first came when Jay Ward came off the edge and looked to get Williams down behind the line on first down. Williams somehow managed to evade that and turn a would-be drive-killer into a positive play.
Williams was able to do this again late in the half when he somehow managed to get out of Dallas Turner’s grasp and turn a would-be 10-yard sack into an harmless incompletion.
While the defense has been asked to do a Herculean task this season, they need to get better at bringing quarterbacks down when they have them in their hands.
0
JJ McCarthy still has zero wins at home in three starts. In the NFL, there are few advantages as significant as the home field. The fans, the ability to communicate, the familiar setting, and more all provide a unique advantage that teams should capitalize on.
The Vikings have been able to do none of that this season, going 1-4 at U.S. Bank. Until the fourth quarter, the offense was largely inept, with poor passes, drops, and interceptions halting any momentum they managed to build.
The most egregious moment came at the end of the game. After finally clawing their way back into a winning position, the Vikings gave up a monstrous return that allowed the Bears’ offense to run the ball three straight times, not even requiring Williams, who was a bit off today, to make a throw.
Even if the Vikings win their remaining three games at home, a .500 record in your own stadium is not the mark of a good team.
