MINNEAPOLIS — The Chicago Bears didn’t score a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter and put together another flat performance in a 30-12 loss to the Minnesota Vikings Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Bears (4-10) went scoreless in the first half and never looked close as their losing streak reached eight games. Kicker Cairo Santos made field goals of 29 and 39 yards for the Bears’ only points until 5 minutes, 19 seconds remained in the game.
Great special teams play set up the only touchdown. Defensive end Dominique Robinson blocked Ryan Wright’s punt out of bounds at the Vikings 27-yard line. The short field helped the Bears get into the end zone on quarterback Caleb Williams’ 16-yard pass to wide receiver Keenan Allen.
Williams completed 18 of 31 passes for 191 yards and the touchdown. He also lost a fumble in the first quarter in Vikings territory after rookie left tackle Kiran Amegadjie allowed a sack. The Bears went 1 of 11 on third down and 1 of 3 on fourth down.
Meanwhile, the Vikings (12-2) totaled 329 yards, led by quarterback Sam Darnold’s 231 passing yards and running back Aaron Jones’ 86 rushing yards.
The Bears appeared to have scored their first touchdown when running back D’Andre Swift crossed the goal line on a 1-yard run in the third quarter. But officials assessed an illegal substitution penalty on Doug Kramer, an offensive lineman who lined up as a fullback on the play but did not report as an eligible receiver.
Swift then gained 5 yards on first-and-goal at the 6, but Amegadjie, making his first career start in place of the injured Braxton Jones, was called for holding on the next play. The Bears settled for Santos’ 29-yard field goal.
The Vikings responded with a 12-play, 70-yard touchdown drive, capped by Jones’ 1-yard run, for a 20-3 lead. Jones had 38 yards rushing on the drive and Justin Jefferson had a 17-yard catch to bring the Vikings within 1.
Santos kicked a 39-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter on a drive that included two flags on Amegadjie in Vikings territory, the latter penalty was disallowed. Amegadjie ended his evening with three penalties accepted.
The Vikings scored on their next drive on Cam Akers’ 1-yard touchdown run. Two plays earlier, Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was called for pass interference in the end zone, a 30-yard penalty that brought the Vikings to the 1.
Will Reichard kicked a 46-yard field goal late in the game for the final margin.
Halftime: Bears trail 13-0 after 2 missed scoring chances
The Bears’ first-half offensive ineptitude continued Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium, and the Vikings took a 13-0 halftime lead.
It was the third straight game and fifth time this season that the Bears were shut out in the first half.
The Bears had the ball within field goal range twice, but failed to score on either possession. Quarterback Caleb Williams completed 7 of 9 passes for 60 yards with one lost fumble, and running back D’Andre Swift had 11 carries for 31 yards.
Late in the second quarter, the Bears went for fourth-and-1 at the Vikings’ 29-yard line, and Swift was stopped for no gain. It was the Bears’ second failed fourth-and-1 attempt of the half.
They also had a promising drive in the first quarter, reaching the Vikings 29. But on third-and-9, linebacker Jonathan Greenard beat rookie left tackle Kiran Amegadjie and hit Williams, causing the ball to drop. Linebacker Blake Cashman recovered the ball and returned it 17 yards before running back Travis Homer brought it down.
Five plays later, the Vikings scored on Sam Darnold’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson for a 10-0 lead.
The Vikings scored first on Will Reichard’s 52-yard field goal less than three minutes into the game. It was an easy 3-0 lead after the Bears turned the ball over on downs at their 39-yard line.
The Bears had third-and-2 on the opening possession, and Williams rushed for 1 yard. Interim coach Thomas Brown elected to go for fourth and Swift was stopped for no gain.
Reichard connected on a 31-yard field goal with four seconds left in the half to put the Vikings ahead 13-0.
Darnold completed 15 of 24 passes for 145 yards and the halftime touchdown.
Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson intercepted Darnold early in the second quarter – although he could have just dropped the ball because he was on fourth down. The ensuing drive ended on second down, fourth-and-1.
Inactive: Andre Swift active, Kiran Amegadjie to start
Bears running back D’Andre Swift will play Monday night against the Vikings at US Bank Stadium.
Swift suffered a groin injury all week and was listed as questionable. But he will play despite an injury problem for the third time in four weeks.
Saturday, the Bears declared out of left tackle Braxton Jones after reporting concussion symptoms. They plan to give rookie offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie his first career start in place of Jones, general manager Ryan Poles said during the team’s pregame show on WMVP-AM 1000.
Veterans Larry Borom and Jake Curhan were other options to replace Jones.
The Bears have also already ruled out defensive tackle Gervon Dexter (knee), running back Roschon Johnson (concussion) and offensive lineman Ryan Bates (concussion). Linebacker Noah Sewell and defensive back Ameer Speed are also inactive.
Safety Elijah Hicks is active after suffering an ankle injury that caused him to miss three games. Safety Jonathan Owens started in his place.
For the Vikings, cornerback Stephon Gilmore, quarterback Brett Rypien, defensive lineman Levi Drake Rodriguez, center Dan Feeney and offensive tackle Walter Rouse are inactive.
5 things to watch – plus our Week 15 predictions
Can Caleb Williams build on his last performance against the Vikings? Even if they ultimately did not succeed in overtime during the last meeting, Williams and the Bears have done a good job managing the Vikings defense under coordinator Brian Flores.
Williams threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns and helped the Bears score 17 points in the fourth quarter. Now he’ll have the chance to face a division rival for the second time with a blueprint of what worked.
The Vikings sacked Williams three times and had four quarterback hits in the game, with one of the sacks coming in overtime to delay the Bears’ first drive. Williams, who has made 12 of his 56 sacks in the last two games since the Vikings’ exit, called the overtime sack “stupid.” While acknowledging that many different factors played into the sack totals, he said he is still learning and developing the “quick turnaround” he needs to make the right decision in the moment. Read more here.
Troubles at Halas Hall
What will happen at Halas Hall if this painful skid lasts to eight games, nine, 10, 11?
Is Ryan Poles’ job security really as strong as Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren emphasized last week? If so, should it be? And why? Read more here.
Coaching carousel
In the span of seven months, the Bears have gone from the best situation a No. 1 rookie quarterback has ever been in, to the most attractive head coaching position in the next hiring cycle.
Life happens quickly. The NFL is moving faster. Read more here.
An Arlington Heights Update
The Arlington Heights Village Board signed an agreement last week setting the amount the Bears would pay in property taxes, a significant step that paves the way for a potential new stadium in the northwest suburbs, even though team officials say they remain focused on finding a new stadium. a new arena in Chicago.
The board voted 8-0 to reach a deal to set the Bears’ taxes at $3.6 million a year for the former Arlington International Raceway. The memorandum of understanding is also scheduled to be reviewed later this week by the three local school districts that helped negotiate the deal with the village.
The deal doesn’t necessarily mean the team will build a new stadium at the site, as it once proposed, but it gives the Bears what officials said they always wanted and didn’t get. of Chicago: tax certainty. Read more here.
