Skip to main content
Advertising

ChicagoBears.com | The Official Website of the Chicago Bears

Rapid Recap: Vikings defeat Bears on Monday Night Football

dj-recap-2024-week-15

MINNEAPOLIS – The Bears lost to the Vikings 30-12 Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Here's what transpired in the game:

First half

On the game's first possession, the Bears turned the ball over on downs at their own 39 when D'Andre Swift was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-1.

The Bears defense held the Vikings without a first down, but Minnesota took a 3-0 lead on Will Reichard's 52-yard field goal with 12:04 left in the first quarter.

The Bears reached the Vikings' 29 after a pair of 9-yard rushes on jet sweeps on back-to-back plays by DJ Moore and Caleb Williams' 10-yard passes to Swift and Rome Odunze.

But on third-and-nine, outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard's blindside sack of Williams resulted in a fumble that linebacker Blake Cashman returned 17 yards to the Bears' 39.

The Vikings converted the turnover into Sam Darnold's 7-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson, extending their lead to 10-0 with 5:04 to play in the first period.

In the second quarter, Tyrique Stevenson thwarted a Vikings drive by intercepting a Darnold pass at the Chicago 15.

Reichard's 31-yard field goal widened the margin to 13-0 with :04 left in the first half.

Check out the action as the Bears battle the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Second half

Cairo Santos' 29-yard field goal cut the deficit to 13-3 with 7:03 left in the third quarter. The kick came after Swift's apparent 1-yard TD run was nullified by an illegal substitution penalty.

The Vikings increased their lead to 20-3 on Aaron Jones' 1-yard TD run late in the third period.

Santos' 39-yard field goal made it 20-6 early in the fourth quarter. It came after Keenan Allen's sensational 20-yard reception from a scrambling Williams on third-and-3 from the Vikings' 36. Allen extended out of bounds to catch the ball while keeping both feet inbounds.

The Vikings widened the margin to 27-6 on running back Cam Akers' 1-yard TD run with 10:14 remaining in the fourth period.

Defensive lineman Dominique Robinson charged up the middle and blocked Ryan Wright's punt, which bounced out of bounds at the Vikings' 27.

The blocked punt set up Williams' 16-yard TD strike to Allen on fourth-and-10 with 5:19 to play in regulation, cutting the deficit to 27-12. After a Vikings penalty on the extra point, the Bears chose to go for the two-point conversion from the 1 but failed on the attempt.

Reichard's 46-yard field goal with 1:12 remaining extended the Vikings' lead to 30-12 and completed the scoring.

The Bears will be back in action Sunday against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field.

Statistically speaking

Williams completed 18 of 31 passes for 191 yards with one TD and an 86.9 passer rating. He extended his streak without an interception to 286 pass attempts, the longest streak in Bears history and the longest by a rookie in NFL history.

Williams also set a Bears record with his eighth straight game without an interception. He shared the mark with Jim McMahon, who went seven consecutive games in 1984. It's also the longest streak by an NFL rookie since at least 1950.

Allen had six receptions for 82 yards and the touchdown. Moore caught eight passes for 46 yards. Odunze had two catches for 39 yards.

Swift rushed for 79 yards on 19 carries.

Related Content

Advertising