MINNEAPOLIS — The Chicago Bears didn’t score a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter and turned in yet another flat performance in a 30-12 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Bears (4-10) went scoreless in the first half and never seemed close as their losing streak reached eight games. Kicker Cairo Santos hit field goals of 29 and 39 yards for the Bears’ only points until 5 minutes, 19 seconds remained in the game.
A big special teams play set up the lone touchdown. Defensive end Dominique Robinson blocked Ryan Wright’s punt out of bounds at the Vikings 27-yard line. The short field helped the Bears get in the end zone on quarterback Caleb Williams’ 16-yard pass to wide receiver Keenan Allen.
Williams completed 18 of 31 passes for 191 yards and the touchdown. He also lost a first-quarter fumble in Vikings territory after rookie left tackle Kiran Amegadjie allowed a sack. The Bears went 1-for-11 on third down and 1-for-3 on fourth down.
Meanwhile, the Vikings (12-2) totaled 329 yards, led by quarterback Sam Darnold’s 231 passing yards and running back Aaron Jones’ 86 rushing yards.
The Bears looked to have scored their first touchdown when running back D’Andre Swift plunged across the goal line on a 1-yard run in the third quarter. But officials called an illegal substitution penalty on Doug Kramer — an offensive lineman who lined up at fullback on the play but didn’t report as an eligible receiver.
Swift then gained 5 yards on first-and-goal at the 6, but Amegadjie, making his first career start in place of the injured Braxton Jones, was called for holding on the next play. The Bears settled for Santos’ 29-yard field goal.
The Vikings responded with a 12-play, 70-yard touchdown drive, capped by Jones’ 1-yard run, for a 20-3 lead. Jones had 38 rushing yards on the drive, and Justin Jefferson had a 17-yard catch to get the Vikings to the 1.
Santos made a 39-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter on a drive that included two flags on Amegadjie in Vikings territory, the latter penalty declined. Amegadjie finished his night with three accepted penalties.
The Vikings scored on their next drive on Cam Akers’ 1-yard touchdown run. Two plays earlier, Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was called for pass interference in the end zone against Jordan Addison, a 30-yard penalty that brought the Vikings to the 1.
Will Reichard made a 46-yard field goal late in the game for the final margin.
Here’s how the game unfolded.
Inactives: D’Andre Swift active, Kiran Amegadjie to start
Bears running back D’Andre Swift will play Monday night against the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Swift dealt with a groin injury all week and was listed as questionable. But he will play despite an injury issue for the third time in four weeks.
On Saturday, the Bears declared out left tackle Braxton Jones after he self-reported concussion symptoms. They plan to give rookie offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie his first career start in place of Jones, general manager Ryan Poles said on the team’s pregame show on WMVP-AM 1000.
Veterans Larry Borom and Jake Curhan were other options to replace Jones.
The Bears also previously declared out defensive tackle Gervon Dexter (knee), running back Roschon Johnson (concussion) and offensive lineman Ryan Bates (concussion). Linebacker Noah Sewell and defensive back Ameer Speed are also inactive.
Safety Elijah Hicks is active after dealing with an ankle injury that caused him to miss three games. Safety Jonathan Owens has been starting in his place.
For the Vikings, cornerback Stephon Gilmore, quarterback Brett Rypien, defensive lineman Levi Drake Rodriguez, center Dan Feeney and offensive tackle Walter Rouse are inactive.
Halftime: Bears trail 13-0 after 2 failed scoring chances
The Bears offense’s first-half ineptitude continued Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium, and the Vikings took a 13-0 lead into halftime.
It was the third straight game and fifth time this season the Bears were shut out in the first half.
The Bears twice had the ball within field-goal range but failed to score on either possession. Quarterback Caleb Williams completed 7 of 9 passes for 60 yards with a lost fumble, and running back D’Andre Swift had 11 carries for 31 yards.
Late in the second quarter, the Bears went for it on fourth-and-1 at the Vikings 29-yard line, and Swift was stopped for no gain. It was the Bears’ second failed fourth-and-1 attempt of the half.
They also had a promising drive going in the first quarter, getting to the Vikings 29. But on third-and-9, linebacker Jonathan Greenard beat rookie left tackle Kiran Amegadjie and pummeled Williams, knocking the ball loose. Linebacker Blake Cashman recovered the ball and returned it 17 yards before running back Travis Homer took him down.
Five plays later, the Vikings scored on Sam Darnold’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson for a 10-0 lead.
The Vikings scored first on Will Reichard’s 52-yard field goal less than three minutes into the game. It was an easy 3-0 lead after the Bears turned the ball over on downs at their 39-yard line.
The Bears had third-and-2 on the opening possession, and Williams scrambled for 1 yard. Interim coach Thomas Brown opted to go for it on fourth-and-1, and Swift was stopped for no gain.
Reichard made a 31-yarder with four seconds to play in the half to put the Vikings ahead 13–0.
Darnold completed 15 of 24 passes for 145 yards and the touchdown in the half.
Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson intercepted Darnold early in the second quarter — though he could have just knocked the ball down because it was fourth down. The ensuing drive ended on the second failed fourth-and-1.
Catch up on the rest of our coverage.
5 things to watch — plus our Week 15 predictions
Can Caleb Williams build on his last performance against the Vikings? Though they ultimately didn’t get it done in overtime in the last meeting, Williams and the Bears did a good job handling the Vikings defense under coordinator Brian Flores.
Williams threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns and helped the Bears score 17 points in the fourth quarter. Now he will have the chance to face a division rival for a second time with a blueprint for what worked.
The Vikings sacked Williams three times and had four quarterback hits in the game, with one of the sacks in overtime to set back the Bears’ opening drive. Williams, who took 12 of his 56 sacks in the last two games since the Vikings outing, called the overtime sack “stupid.” While acknowledging many different factors have played into the sacks total, he said he is still learning and developing the “quick switch” he needs to make the correct decision in the moment. Read more here.
Turmoil at Halas Hall
What will happen at Halas Hall if this painful skid ticks up to eight games, nine, 10, 11?
Is Ryan Poles’ job security truly as strong as Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren emphasized last week? If so, should it be? And why? Read more here.
Coaching carousel
In a span of seven months, the Bears have gone from having the best situation a rookie No. 1 quarterback has ever walked into to being the most appealing head coaching vacancy in the upcoming hiring cycle.
Life comes at you fast. The NFL moves faster. Read more here.
An update from Arlington Heights
The Arlington Heights Village Board signed off last week on an agreement that establishes what the Bears would pay in property taxes, a significant step that clears the way for a potential new stadium in the northwest suburb, even though team officials say they remain focused on seeking a new arena in Chicago.
The board voted 8-0 to seal a deal to set the Bears’ taxes at $3.6 million per year for the former Arlington International Racecourse. The memorandum of understanding is also due to be considered later this week by the three local school districts that helped negotiate the deal with the village.
The agreement doesn’t necessarily mean the team will build a new stadium on the site, as it once proposed, but it gives the Bears what officials said they always wanted, and haven’t gotten from Chicago: tax certainty. Read more here.
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