Bear Necessities: The Morning After…the Bears’ Week 15 loss vs. Vikings
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The Chicago Bears suffered a frustrating 17-9 defeat to the Minnesota Vikings, which marked Chicago’s eighth loss in the last nine games and officially eliminated them from postseason contention.
While the expectation was that the Bears would get blown out by the Vikings, as Chicago’s entire starting secondary was sidelined with COVID-19, that wasn’t the case as the Bears defense had a valiant effort and limited Minnesota’s offense.
But, shocker, Chicago’s offense stumbled, managing just three points for the first 59:59 of the game before a last-second touchdown made the score look closer than it was.
There was plenty to digest from Monday’s defeat. Our Bears Wire staff is sharing their immediate reactions to Chicago’s loss against Minnesota:
Alyssa Barbieri
While I expected the Bears to lose this game, I didn’t expect it to happen the way it did. Then again, that’s this season in a nutshell. Expected disappointment and new lows along the way.
With Chicago missing their entire starting secondary, I expected a blowout and to win my fantasy football game thanks to a massive outing by Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson. Instead, the Bears defense showed up ready to compete and held Minnesota to 193 total yards of offense and 17 points.
Akiem Hicks made sure to give Bears fans something to remember him by as he appears to be playing in his final games in Chicago as he’s poised to hit free agency. Robert Quinn, newly named to the Pro Bowl, had another two sacks and is now 1.5 sacks away from tying Richard Dent’s single-season record. Rookie Thomas Graham Jr. is clearly the second-best cornerback on the team, and he’s been stashed on the practice squad for 14 weeks, another indictment on the coaching staff.
The Bears offense was able to move the ball against the Vikings, but they collapsed in the red zone, leaving several touchdowns on the field, which ultimately cost them. With the exception of a last-minute touchdown from Justin Fields to Jesper Horsted, Chicago scored just three points against a Minnesota defense that was primed for the taking.
Now that Chicago’s season is officially over — after they were eliminated from playoff contention — the time has come for the Bears to finally part ways with head coach Matt Nagy and start looking to the future. Will it happen? Probably not. But there’s no better time then now.
Brendan Sugrue
I’m giving the Chicago Bears defense so much credit for their performance in this game. Though a few costly penalties resulted in points for the Minnesota Vikings, they shut their offense down with literal practice squad players starting in their secondary. You saw a ton of fight from this unit, holding them to just 17 points and under 200 yards of total offense. If the offense could have managed even an average level of production, we’re talking about a rare victory.
The Bears were actually able to move the ball somewhat effectively all night. Poorly timed turnovers, a blocked field goal, and drops in the passing game on fourth downs killed any momentum the Bears were able to capture. But that’s par for the course, right?
Matt Nagy gave us some of his classic questionable play calls after he took over duties with Bill Lazor out due to COVID-19 protocols but showed more fire on the sidelines than we have seen in well over a year. It doesn’t mean anything in the end, but at least his players still haven’t completely quit on him.
Hopefully we continue to see the rookies continue to get ample playing time over these next few games. Seeing what guys like Thomas Graham Jr. and Dazz Newsome, as well as the obvious players like Justin Fields and Teven Jenkins, is important for the future of this team. Other than that, we’re only three weeks away from another necessary Black Monday in Chicago.
Ryan Fedrau
The Bears’ season is officially over, that’s something we all expected weeks ago. At 4-10, there’s nothing to gain, outside of seeing what these young players can do.
I was impressed with the heart Matt Nagy showed, but it’s too little too late. The wins and losses matter more. He cares about his team, but it’s too late to salvage his job.
The defense played well. It was a poor-coached game offensively, with many decisions, like passing up on three field goals, cost Chicago the game. This team has grit though. Even being down 17-3, Fields wanted to get in the end zone. On the final play of the game, he did.
> Studs and duds from Bears’ prime-time loss to Vikings
> Instant analysis of Bears’ frustrating 17-9 loss to Vikings in prime time
> Bears vs. Vikings: Everything we know about Chicago’s Week 15 loss
> NFL refs put on blast after Bears’ Teez Tabor was penalized for playing defense
> Bears fans are wondering what the heck took so long for Thomas Graham Jr. to see playing time
> Bears officially eliminated from playoff contention following loss to Vikings
> Bears’ Justin Fields appreciated Teven Jenkins sticking up for him following sideline hit
> Bears OLB Robert Quinn, WR Jakeem Grant named to 2022 Pro Bowl
> Packers rookie CB Eric Stokes turns in impressive performance against Ravens. Read more on Packers Wire.
> Vikings coach Mike Zimmer on the last-second touchdown: ‘It didn’t matter at that point.’ Read more on Vikings Wire.
> Jared Goff placed on reserve/COVID-19 list among several Lions roster moves. Read more on Lions Wire.
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