Bears and Vikings Live Blog

Instant analysis and reporting on Monday night's Week 12 game between the Bears and Vikings as the Bears try to end a 12-game divisional losing streak.

Fourth Quarter

• Finally after a million laterals Josh Blackwell falls on the fumbled return. An illegal forward lateral occurred too but it doesn't matter. The Bears have won a divisional game. Ending a 12-game losing streak in the North.
• Bears allow a return to the 34. They only need about 20 yards and an out-of-bounds throw to kick a field goal. But 

• Santos makes the 30-yard field goal and the Bears have a 12-10 lead with 10 seconds left.
• Vikings use their last timeout with 51 seconds left and the Bears at the 8-yard line.

• Finally  a Vikings penalty for 12 men on the field. 
• Fields steps up and drills it to DJ Moore in range of the field goal for 36 yards to the 13. Moore could have gone down actually instead of fighting and risking a fumble.

• Knowing he can't afford a sack and trapped with a three-man rush somehow, Fields almost is sacked before he throws it away. Then he throws it away on second down too. Third-and-10.

• Two Fields runs move it to the Vikings 49. First down.

• Fields had them on the ball with 2:05 left and let the clock run down. Now they have no timeouts and no way to stop the clock. It's the usual last-minute Bears train wreck. Two-minute warning sounds and the Bears lose their minds.

2:00

• Fields to Moore to the 38 throwing on the run over the middle and for some reason a team losing by a point gets up to the ball and lets the clock run down to two minutes. TWO-MINUTE WARNING!!!
• One last attempt by the fumbler.
• Vikings punting rather than try a 61-yard field goal. After a delay of game the Vikings punt from the 48. A lousy punt, a shank really. and Bears take over at the 22.
• ompletion to Powell lost a yard and was just out of DeMarcus Walker's reach. So Vikings face fourth-and-10 with 2:36 left and the Bears are out of timeouts. 
• Vikings looking at third-and-9 at the Bears 42.
• Justin the fumbler.
• Fields fumbles it away trying to scramble for the first down. Penalty flag is on the Bears, not the Vikings, of course. Vikings ball at the Bears 43,
• Moore for 5 on first down catch but the next play is a throw behind the line to Mooney and he is smeared for a 3-yard loss.

• They get the first down as Herbert gains 3 off right guard.
• Khalil Herbert RPO run for 8 off tackle.
• Vikings one penalty for 14 yards. Bears seven for 76. This happens every week. Eberflus needs to learn how to get in the face of the officials like a man.

5:54: Vikings 10, Bears 9

• Hockenson beats Eddie Jackson on the inside for the TD. They were in two deep and Hockenson went at Jackson and Hicks didn't get over to help. Bears losing a game they should be dominating. Vikings 10, Bears 9
• Gordon is back on the field for the Bears.
• Elijah Hicks will be in for Brisker at least a play. Brisker got up after the injury. 
• Dobbs to Hockenson at the 18 and now Brisker is injured on the play. Green almost had Dobbs for a sack but he stepped up.

• Addison definitely used the ground to help preserve the catch but he had the hand under it and control and the only view of it looks more like a catch. That's not going to be changed and Eberflus just wasted a challenge.
• Dobbs to Addison for the first down at the Bears 38. They'll look for a challenge by Eberflus but it looks like the hand was under the ball. 
• Addison got downfield wide open spinning around as Kyler Gordon was injured on the pass route. But Addison caught it without any feet in bounds.
• Gordon blows coverage on Brandon Powell, beaten straight off the ball. A first down completion at midfield.
• Vikings in third-and-2 situation after an 8-yard Dobbs scramble on second down.

• Still one penalty walked off on Vikings
• This is one of Fields' greatest faults. He is not careful with the ball. He hasn't improved at it either. He's a fumbler. Michael Vick was a fumbler, one of the highest percentages in NFL history for fumbles per times with the ball. Fields is like that.

• Fields fumbles away the ball on a strip-sack. Vikings ball at the 23. The Bears were close to getting a field goal to take a two-score lead. Instead, nothing out of another takeaway.

• Darnell Mooney surfaces for a 10-yard catch going to the turf over the middle. Bears at the 22.  

• Bears face third-and-4 at the Vikings 33

• Johnson fumbled and replays are inconclusive if Lucas Patrick recovered it. Apparently he did.

14:15: Bears 9, Vikings 3

• DeMarcus Walker nearly a sack and then Justin Jones tips pass that is picked by Gordon at the Vikings 38. Bears fourth interception.
• First Vikings third-down conversion on a 6-yard completion to Addison.
• Incomplete to Moore and Santos trying a long kick. Santos drills it from 55 yards. Ties his career long. Bears 9, Vikings 3

• Roschon Johnson tackled for loss on second down and Bears face third-and-8.

Third Quarter

• No gain on second-down run as they ran it right into Jones and Billings and Kyler Gordon.

• Jaylon Jones in for Smith.

• Smith, who was out practically half the season with mono, has a leg injury or cramps and is sitting on the field after a 6-yard Vikings completion.

• Kmet catches it as quarter ends and is going sideways for some reason. Should have turned it upfield. So he only gains 3 yards. QUARTER ENDS.
• First-down pickup on throw to DJ Moore at Vikings 39.
• Fields around left end for a first down and then a 6-yard Roshcon Johnson run up the middle. The running is inconsistent, though and Johnson gets stopped for a yard on second down.
• Edwards with the interception, his second of the year, on the deflection as Vikings get a break. If it fell to the ground incomplete on Johnson's pass breakup, the Bears would have had it at their own 43. Instead, it's picked and the Bears ball at the 31. Three picks now. Two fourth-down gambles by O'Connell at midfield and two failures thanks to the Bears coverage from cornerbacks.
• TJ Edwards hauls down Chandler in the open field for a short gain and Vikings go for it on fourth-and-3.
• Vikings face third-and-6 after a couple big hits by the Bears defense one an incompletion and the other a short pass to Addison.
• Incomplete throw, breakup by Terell Smith and Jaylon Johnson penalized away from the play on the other side of the field for a hold on Osborn.  Lousy call by officials. There was no hold. He used his hands within 5 yards and never held.
• Sheem breaks up a screen. Now it's third-and-9

• Gervon Dexter ends that running stuff with a 1-yard gain. Wrapped up Mattison so he couldn't go anywhere.
• Brisker overruns the tackle and Mattison gets 11 more.
• A 7-yard run by Mattison on first down has to feel like a huge win for the Vikings.

• Bears with 24:55 to 13:06 for Vikings, 192 yards to 106, two takeaways and no turnovers.

6:49: Bears 6, Vikings 3

• Third-and-2 pass to Moore at the line ont he other side. Another screen and Robert Tonyan and Mooney failed to block anyone. So they have a 39-yard field goal try by Santos and he doesn't miss this one. Bears 6, Vikings 3
• Double pump side armer from Fields on a WR screen to Moore because the pass rush off the edge was in the way again. 
• Bears possession time piling up again here with ball at 27.
• Fields himself behind Teven Jenkins, who has returned to the lineup, and gets a big hole on a double team from Braxton Jones and Jenkins for the first down at the 29.
• Again on a nice run up the middle on second down for 5 by Johnson but now they face third-and-5 at the Vikings 39.

• Spread the formation and the defense split out, with good blocking up front and Johnson gets the first down with a 4-yard gain up the middle. Rare up the middle yards for the Bears.
• Roschon Johnson with the sweep right for 7 on second down after Fields threw it away and Bears face another big third-and-3.
• Stupid risk by Kevin O'Connell in a tied game, goes for it on fourth down and 7 from his own 49 and Kyler Gordon wraps up TJ Hockenson after a 6-yard catch and won't let him stretch the ball out for the stick until he's already out of bounds. Bears ball at their own 45.
• Vikings facing third-and-11 after a Sweat sack.
• First play a run to Mattison breaks for 21 after the Bears had the run bottled up in the first half. If they're going to let Minnesota run, it's over now.

Second Quarter

• Six Bears flags walked off for 71 yards. One on the Vikings for 14. 
• Bears have 158-76 yardage edge, 19:47 to 10:13 possession time. Two takeaways and another play that should have been a pick-6. They don't even lead.  Terrible.
• A 34-yard field goal ends the half. 3-3.
• Vikings drive dies after the intentional grounding and they'll try a short field goal with four seconds remaining.

• Intentional ground call on Dobbs and a hold on the Vikings and Kevin O'Connell is whining but they had the call right. Finally a Vikings penalty. Back at the Bears 27.

• Kyler Gordon called for interferring with Hockenson at the Bears 10.  Eight flags, six walked off. 
• Vikings had more yards on last two plays than all their other plays of the half.
• Brandon Powell catches a throw back shoulder on Gordon at the Vikings 49, then they go hurry-up and K.J. Osborn catches one against the Bears zone. They're in field goal range now.
• Excellent run defense by Sweat and Justin Jones limits a toss to a yard. Jones pursued and Sweat turned it back in.
• Gill punts into the end zone. He's been doing that lately. 
• The Bears came out with an excellent first 15 and as usual, their ability to adjust and get into the flow of the game is lacking. They can't counter punch. If not for their defense tonight they'd be getting blown out.
• Fields scrambles and doesn't get the first down after taking forever with the ball and no one coming open. Bears will punt again. TWO-MINUTE WARNING!!!
• Vikings stop Moore behind the line on another short pass and then try some cheap garbage after the tackle that gets Moore angry. He never gets upset. 
• Then they try it again and Fields doesn't even look as DJ Wonnum is right there and drops a pick 6.
• DJ breaks a WR screen for 22 yards. EQ hammering Vikings at the point of attack, as well as Mooney.
• Jaylon Johnson has a second dropped pick-6 in two weeks. Actually, he dropped another pass last week as well but not a pick-6. The Vikings have to punt after the poor pass choice by Dobbs across the formation weakly to a covered receiver.
• Smith's tackle was better than it appeared. A replay assist shows Addison's knee hit the ground so it was only a 4-yard gain. Third-and-6. Quite a difference. Why didn't officials see that with the naked eye. They're getting paid for it.

• Terell Smith missed a tackle on a short gain and it ended up breaking for 17. That's how you lose on artificial turf in a dome. Let the other team run around.
• Bears 132 yards to 20 right now.
• The Bears need to start focusing on getting Khalil Herbert in there and running the ball. Johnson is only in there most of the plays to block but at some point they need to start attacking instead of back pedaling as they've been doing all game.

• Bears punt coverage is last in the league and they looked like it trying to covera the punt, which was returned 15 yards by Powell. Vikings at their own 31.
• Cody Whitehair replaced Teven Jenkins at left guard. The Vikings blitzed on third down and Fields quickly threw it wildly out of bounds incomplete when he actually had time to throw it more accruately.
• Moore with a first down on a short pass he broke up the field, possibly a lateral.
• On the interception, no one touched Brisker and he returned it and officials blew it dead. ???? What's up with that. College rules?
• Drive starting at the Bears 35 after deflected interception. The Bears have six takeaways and one giveaway in the last two games and no wins to show for it.

• Five penalties for 45 yards walked off against the Bears and no penalties walked off on Vikings. The Bears have not had fewer penalties than an opponent since Week 2.

• Jaquan Brisker with the interception on a deflection. First one he had since the win over New England last year. Right off Addison's hands. That's the time when zone coverage works great.

• Officials missed a blatant hold on a run outside against the Vikings.

• Bears secondary is showing the Vikings secondary isn't the only one that can hit in this game. Smith and Jackson with bigger hits.
• Another penalty for the Bears on a third-down incompletion. Both Eddie Jackson and Terell Smith with penalties in coverage. 

• Jaylon Johnson playing like he's showing off for the whole league, which he is as a free agent after this year. Tackle at the line on first down completion, then Terell Smith with a big hit on a short completion on second down.
• Dexter called for roughing the QB. Of course, it's another Bears penalty. Terrible call.
• Jaylon has three picks this year, all off backup quarterbacks. Actually, two were off third-stringer QBs.
• Officials actually could have called that unsportsmanlike because the hit came down around the ankle and foot of Trenton Gill, but they're not doing this.
• Running into the kicker on the punt declined by the Bears because it wouldn't have been close to a first down. 
• Fields misses wide open Darnell Mooney scrambling out of the pocket and throwing. Bears waste the opportunity and punt.

• Fourth penalty, a false start on Darnell Wright. 

• Bears ineligible downfield was Nate Davis.  Declined. Bears three penalties, Vikings zero. As the great Walter Sobchak said, "nothing changes."
• Gordon's facemask came off when grabbed. And he was penalized for taking the helmet off. Bears at their own 48.
• remaine Edmunds TFL after initial Vikings first down. Then the deep ball burns the Vikings as Jaylon Johnson intercepted it and returned it but an unsportsnmanlike penalty on Kyler Gordon for taking his helmet off pushes it back to midfield.
• Vikings quick up to the line. Not too smart when you haven''t been possessing the ball long enough.
• Yannick Ngakoue let Dobbs go scott free outside on a bootleg. He can't do that. Fortunately for the Bears it only gained 5. 
• Teven Jenkins injured blocking on the field goal. The guy can't stay healthy.

• Bears with 119 yards, Vikings with -7

13:35: Bears 3, Vikings 0

Fields uses his head and throws it away on roll right with no one open, then on third-and-4 at the Vikings 8 Minnesota blitzes again and Fields dumps it out to Johnson in a crowd. So Santos must kick the field goal this time. A 25-yard field goal off a high snap. Bears 3, Vikings 0

First Quarter

• Toss to Roschon Johnson left for 6 on first down. Johnson running better now than he did right after he came back from a concussion.

• Facing fourth-and-10, Eberflus is against a 55-yard field goal, maybe 56 and they go for it at the 38. The Vikings threw the blitz at them but Kmet was wide open for a 24-yard gain over the middle as the quarter ends. Bears again possessing the ball all game but nothing to show for it like last week.
• They get back 7 on a pass to Kmet, who has more catches now than he did in the full game at Soldier Field against the Vikings.
• Blitz gets Fields on first down at the Vikings 38 for a loss way back at the 50, then they get flagged for having too many in the huddle. Here come the penalties again.
• Roschon Johnson on checkdown for 22 after Fields looked right first. That's something Fields needs to do more of, and Bears at Vikings 38.

• Bears at their 26, and that's one way to beat the blitz up the middle. Fields on a sweep right for the first down right away.

• Montez Sweat on third down with his second Bears sack and has 2 1/2 sacks this season of Dobbs. Had 1 1/2 in the first game of the year for Washington against Arizona when Dobbs was there. Dobbs averaging 2.92 seconds to get rid of the ball and only seven are slower this year according to NextGen Stats, so the Bears pass rush has a chance to ge there. Sweat's speed was apparent as he came up from behind.
• Eddie Jackson broke up a deep ball on the first play to Addison. Darn near an interception. Vikings fans want a challenge but that's not going to get changed. Nothing on the replay said it was caught by either player
• Fields 8 of 8 on first drive but they weren't even nickel and dime passes. More like a nickel and a penny.
• As soon as the blitz pressure came up, the Bears offense crumbled and they're forced to kick a 48-yard field goal.  Santos misses for the second time this year from 48 yards. His other miss was indoors, as well. Wide right. He didn't even get close. They had the ball for 9:08 and have nothing to show for it.

• Ivan Pace Jr. blitzes and gets Fields for  a sack after eluding a Johnson block attempt.

• Fields' next play was even more athletic. He threw on the dead run to avoid a sack on the right side to Herbert play extended. Bears at the 26.
• On third-and-3 at the Vikings 46, Fields with a pure athletic play. Rolled left, beat two sure sacks and found Roschon Johnson across the field for the first down.  Johnson almost dropped it but went down.
• Another push on third down as Cole Kmet catches a short pass and Roschon Johnson came from behind and shoved him past to the first down. Johnson the best Bears blocking back and showed why except he's supposed to be blocking Vikings and not his own guy. But, whatever works.
• Fields taking far too long with the ball on second down rolling right when no one was open. Bears face third-and-5.
•  DJ Moore already has as many catches as he had from Fields in a half and part of the third quarter in Chicago. He converts the third down for a first down.
• Bears face a third-and-2 after an 8-yard Khalil Herbert run. Actually it was a 5-yard run and a big push from behind.

• Again, Getsy's method of attacking the blitz is to take it out wide to someone who shouldn't be there catching a wide screen.

• Bears receiving after losing toss. Velus Jones Jr. with a 28-yard return but he caught it so deep he didn't even get it to the 25. Ran a long way without getting to where they want it. 

Pregame

The Bears game plan will be closely scrutinized in this game because the one they used in Chicago against the Minnesota Vikings was a complete fiasco. Brian Flores looked like he read it the night before.

The problem with tomorrows game… is everyone and their mother knows Luke Getsy’s gonna try to call the same damn scheme as he did vs the Vikings 6 weeks ago

He won’t change a damn thing#Bears

— Jake (@Jake_B30) November 27, 2023

• The Montez Sweat 39-play game has apparently caught the attention of Bears GM Ryan Poles. He told ESPN AM-1000 on the pregame show he has spoken with coach Matt Eberflus about the decision not to have Sweat on the play for part of the final scoring drive the Lions had last week. "My big thing is just in critical moments having players on the field that can impact the game," Poles said. "We've had conversations about that."

Poles gave that man talent and he squandered it like a lottery winner. https://t.co/uvzz6QFzug

— illwill (@79illwill) November 28, 2023

Adam Schefter points out the Bears have a 67% chance to land the No. 1 pick in the draft. Whether No. 1 is that important for them depends on whether they think they need to draft Marvin Harrison or a quarterback first. 

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