The Chicago Bears were defeated by the Minnesota Vikings, 29-22, on Sunday, falling to 2-3 ahead of a Week 6 prime-time matchup against the Washington Commanders.
Following a brutal first-half showing by both the offense and defense, the Bears overcame an 18-point deficit to take a 22-21 fourth-quarter lead. Unfortunately, another fumble cost Chicago a chance at victory.
But, in many ways, this loss feels like a win. Especially in a season where winning isn’t a priority, it’s development.
We’re breaking down the Bears’ loss to the Vikings and what it means looking ahead.
First Down: Justin Fields takes a step forward
A loss is easier to deal with when quarterback Justin Fields is taking a step forward in his development. Fields had his best game of the season against a talented Vikings team, completing 15-of-21 passes (71%) for 208 yards with one touchdown, no interceptions and a 118.8 passer rating. He added eight carries for 47 yards on the ground.
But more than the stats, Fields looked the most comfortable he’s looked all season, and he admitted as much. He flashed his playmaking ability with both his arm and legs, leading the team in both passing and rushing. That included a play that technically never happened, when Fields rushed for a 52-yard touchdown that was negated by a questionable illegal block penalty.
Fields was confident, comfortable and poised against a good defense. A big reason for that was the play of the offensive line, which gave Fields a clean pocket. Sure, he took a couple of sacks, but the offensive line fared better is pass protection than last week’s brutal outing. This is the kind of game that Fields can build upon. After all, this season isn’t about winning, it’s about development.
Second Down: Another last-minute fumble dooms the Bears
Let’s hope this isn’t becoming a trend. But for the second straight game, a fumble prevented the Bears from a potential victory. Last week, it was rookie Velus Jones Jr. muffing a punt. This week, it was former Viking Ihmir Smith-Marsette.
With Chicago driving for the potential game-tying or game-winning touchdown, Smith-Marsette caught a first-down pass from Justin Fields. But instead of going out of bounds, Smith-Marsette turned up field to try and get extra yardage. That’s when Cameron Dantzler ripped the ball out of Smith-Marsette’s hands to end any hope of a comeback fly the Bears.
After the game, Smith-Marsette said he should’ve gone out of bounds. It was a disappointing way for that game to end, especially considering everyone was curious to see whether Fields would be able to lead them to victory (or overtime).
Third Down: A tale of two halves for the defense
There’s no doubt that the Bears are a second-half team under Matt Eberflus, and that was blatantly obvious against the Vikings. The offense and defense struggled in the first half and made the kind of halftime adjustments that allowed them to get back in the game. But, for the sake of this segment, let’s focus specifically on the defense.
It was an ominous start for Chicago’s defense, who had no answer for Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook and Justin Jefferson in the first half. Minnesota scored touchdowns on their first three possessions, and they could’ve done whatever they wanted against this defense. They certainly didn’t benefit from the absence of Jaylon Johnson, who missed his third game with a quad injury.
But the second half was a different story. The Bears defense tightened up and was able to hold the Vikings scoreless for the four possessions that came after those three touchdown drives. Young players like Kindle Vildor and Kyler Gordon stepped up, and Minnesota’s offense was limited. Unfortunately, they reverted back to their first-half form on the Vikings’ final possession, which was a 17-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to take the lead. But the second half was more encouraging for this young defense.
Fourth Down: Getting Darnell Mooney, Cole Kmet involved
The Bears passing game took a step forward in Sunday’s loss to the Vikings. A big reason for that was the involvement of top playmakers Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet, who combined for six catches for 97 yards. It wasn’t particularly flashy numbers, but it was more than we’ve seen all season. Especially when you consider what Matt Eberflus said about the offense not being able to thrive without getting both of those guys going.
Mooney had just two catches for 52 yards, but his OBJ-esque, one-handed 39-yard reception lit a spark in the offense at the end of the first half. There was a missed opportunity in the end zone, but Mooney remains the lone dependable option at receiver for Fields. Kmet saw his most action in the passing game this season with four receptions for 45 yards, which included some clutch catches that he was able to pick up some extra yardage. We’ll see off the Bears continue to feature the most-talented playmakers heading into a short turnaround against the Commanders.
Extra Point: Matt Eberflus gets aggressive
Through the first four games of his head coaching career, Matt Eberflus had garnered a reputation for being conservative. Case in point, the fact that the Bears had only gone for it once on fourth down through four games. Heading into Sunday’s game, they were the only team not to have converted on fourth down. But that all changed against the Vikings, where Eberflus took an aggressive approach.
Eberflus elected to go for it on fourth-and-4 from the Minnesota 37, and Fields picked up seven yards with his legs to convert. Unfortunately, the drive didn’t end in a touchdown. But it did make Cairo Santos’ field goal a little easier. But Eberflus’ boldest move came after Chicago’s opening touchdown drive of the second half. He elected to attempt an onside kick, and it nearly worked. Eberflus used analytics and some aggressiveness to make the decision, and he had full confidence in his defense to hold the Vikings if it didn’t work. And that’s exactly what the defense did, forcing a missed Minnesota field goal. Not going to lie, hopefully we haven’t seen the last of this aggressive Eberflus.
