Chicago Bears Score and Recap (Week 1): Vikings 27, Bears 24 – 4th Quarter Meltdown Leads to Loss
The Bears began the Ben Johnson era at Soldier Field against the rival Vikings on Monday Night Football. Chicago played well through most of the game before suffering a meltdown very similar to the ones that plagued them throughout 2024 and suffered a painful loss.
Caleb Williams had his team flying out of the gate leading the Bears on an impressive 61-yard drive that ended with the young quarterback running in a touchdown from 9-yards out. Minnesota’s youthful signal caller J.J. McCarthy was under constant harassment early but the road team kicked a field goal to make it 7-3 in the second quarter.
Chicago stalled out offensively after the opening drive success but Cairo Santos managed to hit a 42-yard field goal with 24 seconds left in the half. McCarthy hooked up with Jalen Nailor on a 28-yard completion that set up a 59-yard boot by Will Reichard to make it 10-6 at the half.
The Bears made a huge defensive play in the third quarter when backup cornerback Nahshon Wright intercepted a pass intended for Justin Jefferson and brought it back 74 yards for a pick six that increased the advantage to 17-6. Things were looking pretty good entering the fourth quarter when everything suddenly went sideways.
Vikings took over with excellent field position after Santos missed a long field goal and moved right down the field with McCarthy hitting Jefferson for a 13-yard TD pass that cut the deficit to 17-12 after a failed two point conversion. Chicago, continuing to have trouble moving the ball, quickly punted back to Minnesota with all the momentum heading towards the road team.
Aaron Jones snuck out of the backfield to catch a 27-yard go-ahead touchdown pass and the Bears were behind 20-17 in the blink of an eye. The comedy of errors continued when the Vikings partially blocked Tory Taylor‘s punt and McCarthy ran in a touchdown on the ensuing drive to build the margin to 27-17 with four minutes left in the contest.
Williams hit Rome Odunze for a short TD right before the two minute warning but Chicago ran out of time and would lose by a score of 27-24. (Box score)
Why the Bears Lost
They did not take full advantage of the Vikings early struggles and let them hang around until McCarthy could get settled in. The offense just did not do enough for most of the night.
Key Moment
The Bears had a first and 10 at Minnesota’s 24 yard line with a 17-6 lead in the fourth quarter. A holding and intentional grounding penalty completely derailed the drive and forced a 50-yard field goal attempt. The kick was no good and the Vikings took over at the 40 yard line and quickly marched downfield for a touchdown.
Stats That Matter
- Williams threw for 210 yards with a running and a passing touchdown but almost all of his work came in the first drive and the last drive with very little in between.
- D.J. Moore was the Bears leading receiver with 58 yards and stayed in the game after a scary hit in the fourth quarter.
Bottom Line
Ben Johnson has a lot of work to do with this team which demonstrated many of the same flaws they had in 2024. The biggest thing that needs to change for the Bears is their tendency to completely unravel when faced with adversity. It happened numerous times last season and it happened again Monday night. Williams showed flashes but he still has a ways to go, hopefully he will continue to improve as he learns the new system. This is not going to be a quick turnaround at Halas Hall.
Next Up
Chicago heads on the road to face another division opponent Week 2 when they face the Lions Sunday at 12:00pm CT on FOX.
