Vikings survive in OT, take down Bears in chaotic fashion at Soldier Field

The Vikings blew an 11-point lead in the final minute and still found a way to win their fourth straight game.

Nov 24, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) catches a touchdown pass against Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens (36) during the second quarter at Soldier Field. / Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

Well, that was the complete experience of Vikings chaos at Soldier Field.

In one of the craziest games of the season, the Vikings blew an 11-point lead with less than two minutes to play and still found a way to survive and escape Chicago with a 30-27 overtime victory over the Bears on Sunday.

With 1:56 left in regulation, the Vikings were up 27-16 and seemed to be well on their way to their fourth consecutive victory. That's when things got weird. The Bears used a long kickoff return to spark a touchdown drive, cutting the deficit to three points when they converted a two-point try with 22 seconds left.

Still, the Vikings just needed to recover an onside kick to seal the win. But the ball hit Johnny Mundt's foot and the Bears fell on the ball. One big passing play later, they kicked a field goal to improbably send the game to overtime.

The Bears won the toss and got the ball to start OT, but the Vikings came up with a stop and then put together a clutch 68-yard drive to set up John Parker Romo for a 29-yard game-winner.

And Vikings fans everywhere can exhale.

It was a lot more difficult than they would've liked, but the Vikings continue to do what good teams do, which is win the games they're supposed to win. After three straight victories over AFC South teams, they extended their streak to four in bizarre fashion on Sunday.

Sam Darnold threw two touchdown passes and led the game-winning drive, Jordan Addison had a huge game and Aaron Jones ran for a score for the Vikings, who mostly played solid football in all three phases and took advantage of some mistakes by the home team. The Bears had a field goal blocked, muffed a punt, turned the ball over on downs and committed seven penalties in their fifth consecutive loss, falling to 4-7 on the season.

The Vikings improved to 9-2, remaining one game back of the 10-1 Detroit Lions in the NFC North. Since dropping consecutive games to the Lions and Los Angeles Rams, Kevin O'Connell's team has handled business as favorites in each of the last four weeks. None of the wins have been overly dominant, but in the NFL, finding ways to win is all that really matters.

Addison's huge performance led the way for Minnesota. The second-year receiver, who has been fairly quiet this season, broke out in a big way with eight catches, 162 yards and a touchdown. He caught passes of 45 and 69 yards, opened the scoring for the Vikings with his fourth TD of the year, and had a key reception in OT. The yardage is easily a career best for Addison, topping his 123 yards against the San Francisco 49ers last season.

Jones also had a big day against a poor run defense, racking up 104 yards and a TD on 21 carries. Between Addison, Jones, and T.J. Hockenson (114 yards, including several key catches late in the game), the Vikings were able to have a solid day on offense despite Justin Jefferson having just two receptions. Darnold topped a 100 passer rating for the ninth time in 11 games this season, going 22 of 34 for 330 yards. Crucially, he didn't commit a single turnover.

Notably, left tackle Cam Robinson and linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. left the game with injuries in the first quarter and were unable to return.

The vibes fluctuated from good to bad several times for the Vikings early in the game. Their opening offensive possession included a season-long 41-yard run by Jones, but he fumbled near the goal line two plays later for Minnesota's latest red-zone turnover. The Bears took the lead with an impressive drive late in the first quarter, but the Vikings responded with a bomb to Addison and a three-play touchdown drive. The Bears were then threatening again when a Keenan Allen catch in the red zone was overturned, and the Vikings blocked the ensuing field goal, setting up another touchdown drive to take the lead.

The Vikings came out of the halftime break leading 14-10 and looking to add on. Darnold threw a beauty to Addison, who managed to stay in bounds and race up the sideline for what ended up as a 69-yard gain. But they lost 14 yards on the two plays that followed and had to settle for a field goal. They added on late in the third quarter with Jones' first rushing TD in the red zone since the first game of the season.

The fourth quarter is when things got wacky for the Vikings, who needed overtime to survive.

Having won all three games on this road trip, the Vikings will return home next week to take on the Arizona Cardinals.