Game Recap
The early goings Sunday were hallmarked by a key stop on defense and the Bears briefly giving themselves a lead before the Vikings offense found some rhythm.
After an Aaron Jones run for 41 yards inside the Chicago ten-yard line, Sam Darnold found Johnny Mundt for a seven-yard gain that brought them down to the one. Next, Jones got his fourth carry of the game, but this time Jonathan Owens met him at the line of scrimmage and stripped him of the football, leading to the Bears’ ninth fumble recovery of the season.
After trading punts over the next two drives, Chicago found pay dirt thanks to a pair of high-end throws from Williams. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner ripped a rocket through a dinner plate-sized window to Keenan Allen, who shot downfield for a 40-yard gain shortly before Williams rolled right and dropped the ball in a bucket to D’Andre Swift for a 31-yard gain. Two plays later, Roschon Johnson punched it in from one yard out and gave Chicago the lead, 7-0, with 53 seconds left in the first quarter. It was the first time all season the Bears had a lead in the first 15 minutes of the game.
Chicago’s lead was short-lived, though. Minnesota blocked a Cairo Santos field goal in between Sam Darnold connecting on a pair of touchdown passes — one to Jordan Addison, another to Jalen Nailor — which gave them a 14-7 lead after the 6:29 mark in the second quarter.
Santos and the Bears special teams unit corrected course at the end of the first half. Chicago’s most accurate kicker of all-time knocked a 49-yard field goal through the uprights as time expired in the second quarter to move the score to 14-10 in favor of the Vikings.
Minnesota tacked on a field goal after Darnold found Addison for a 69-yard catch-and-run on their first drive of the second half, and put the game further out of reach after a critical Bears blunder on special teams. Several empty drives later, Chicago’s defense forced a punt with under five minutes to go in the third quarter, but the ball hit the turf and ricocheted off Bears return man DeAndre Carter for a muffed punt.
Minnesota walked away with a free possession starting at Chicago’s 15-yard line, and five plays later, Jones crossed the goal line with a 2-yard TD run and the Vikings had a 24-10 lead.
Williams put on the Superman cape in the fourth quarter. The former USC Trojan led a touchdown drive that culminated in a 10-yard TD pass to DJ Moore with 7:22 to go in the game, but the Bears came up short on a two-point conversion that left Minnesota’s lead at 24-16.
In need of a three-and-out on their next defensive possession, Chicago couldn’t stop the Vikings on 3rd-and-12 with a little more than three and a half minutes to go. Darnold found TJ Hockenson for a 34-yard completion that set up a 26-yard field goal for John Parker Romo, who made it a 27-16 ballgame with 1:56 remaining in the fourth.
Over the final 22 seconds of regulation, Williams notched his second TD pass of the game, finding Keenan Allen in the end zone from one yard out, before the Bears recovered the first onside kick of the 2024 NFL season. Seconds later, Williams found Moore for a 27-yard completion and after a spike with four seconds on the clock, Santos hit a game-tying 48-yard field goal as time expired to send the game to overtime, tied at 27.
Keeping with their momentum, the Bears won the coin toss to decide possession in OT, but promptly stalled on offense. Williams took a sack on second down and Chicago was called for a delay of game penalty on third down, leading to a punt on 4th-and-16. Minnesota drove down the field on their lone possession in OT, with Darnold finding Hockenson again — this time for a 29-yard completion — that set up Romo for the game-winning 29-yard field goal.
Stat Pack
Moore had seven catches for 106 yards and a TD by game’s end.
Williams finished the game 32-for-47 with 340 passing yards and 2 TD passes. He also ran the ball six times for 33 yards.
Up Next
The Chicago Bears travel to Ford Field to play the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, with kickoff set for 11:30 a.m. CT.
Conclusion
Despite a strong performance from Caleb Williams, the Chicago Bears were unable to come away with a victory, falling to the Minnesota Vikings in overtime. The loss drops the Bears to 3-8 on the season, with their next match-up coming on Thanksgiving Day against the Detroit Lions.
FAQs
- What was the final score of the game?
- The final score was 27-24 in favor of the Minnesota Vikings.
- Who led the Bears in receiving yards?
- DJ Moore had seven catches for 106 yards and a TD.
- How many passing yards did Caleb Williams have?
- Williams finished the game 32-for-47 with 340 passing yards and 2 TD passes.
- What is the Bears’ record now?
- The Bears are now 3-8 on the season.
