Dropping the Ball: Minnesota Vikings Miss Opportunity to Beat Chicago Bears at Home

The Minnesota Vikings lose to NFC North rivals the Chicago Bears to fall to 4-6 on the season.

Despite late game heroics, the Minnesota Vikings lost 17-19 to the Chicago Bears in Week 11 and fall to 4-6 on the season.

The game was veteran safety Harrison Smith’s 200th career game, and it was a great defensive effort but, ultimately, not enough to make up for all the missed offensive opportunities. That isn’t to say that the Vikings’ defense was perfect, but they limited a very effective Bears’ running game and created enough confusion in the secondary that Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams frequently needed to run. Again, the biggest problem for the Minnesota defense was that the Vikings’ offense did not sustain drives and give the defense a chance to catch their breath. As the game wore on, that exhaustion was evident.

Minnesota wanted to scheme more completions to Justin Jefferson and they did, but it is clear that quarterback JJ McCarthy and Jefferson need more reps to develop their connection. McCarthy was inaccurate at times, sailing passes over his receivers, but the receivers were also dropping accurate passes. The running game, however, was largely effective with Aaron Jones Sr. and Jordan Mason combining for 115 yards and a touchdown.

Easily the best Vikings’ offensive possession was when they drove late in the 4th quarter for 85 yards in 11 plays. McCarthy hit Jordan Addison for 5 yards to convert on 4th and 4 on that drive and, four plays later, found him on the left side of the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown and a one-point lead in the game.

But, with 56 seconds left in the game and a chance to pin Chicago deep, Minnesota’s special teams unit gave up a 56-yard return that gave the Bears the ball within field goal range. Despite missing a field goal earlier in the game, Bears’ kicker Cairo Santos knocked it in from 48 yards out for a Chicago win.

Next week the Vikings travel to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers. Will head coach Kevin O'Connell have the Vikings learn from today's loss and find a way to turn that into a win next week?

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