Caleb Williams had just left the field after being chased all over the backfield by Minnesota’s Jonathan Greenard on another failed third down for Chicago when he dropped to the bench and rolled his head back ‘exhaustion.
After taking a hard, clean hit over the middle from Jihad Ward just before releasing the ball on that miss early in the fourth quarter, Williams leaned to his left as if he were. I’m looking for a place to lie down in what seemed like a mixture of fatigue, pain and frustration.
The Vikings can have that effect on a young quarterback.
“We were really disciplined, but it was explosive, guys were flying,” coach Kevin O’Connell said after Monday night’s 30-12 win over the Bears. “When this thing moves, it’s like it’s relentless.”
Although the Vikings only recorded two sacks, they had Williams on their tail all night. The No. 1 overall draft pick used his exceptional athleticism to escape some of the pressure, but he often began to struggle earlier than necessary and several of his throws were way off target. Williams had only three completions of 15+ yards, all in the second half, while the Bears trailed by two or more scores.
Williams finished 18 of 31 for 191 yards and a touchdown for an 86.9 passer rating, his worst in six weeks. His streak without an interception extended to eight consecutive games and 286 consecutive passes, an NFL rookie record, but the Vikings delivered the type of dominant defensive performance they had lacked recently en route to a seventh straight victory and a record by 12-2. to tie Detroit for first place in the NFC North. Greenard’s sack in the first quarter forced a fumble to set up their first touchdown. Dallas Turner’s sack in the fourth quarter forced a punt.
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Three weeks ago in Chicago, Williams rushed for 340 yards and two touchdowns in Minnesota’s 30-27 overtime victory.
“We watched the film last time and he looked like a magician, so today we were like, ‘Let’s not let him look like that this time,'” safety Cam Bynum said. “He still escaped a few times and made it difficult for us at the back, but they were still chasing him up front.”
Aaron Jones and Cam Akers scored to give the Vikings two rushing touchdowns in a game for the first time in 2024, and the Vikings turned 27.6% of their rushing attempts into first downs, according to Sportradar, their third-most rate. highest of the season.
Sam Darnold was only sacked twice in a career-high 42 losses, but he felt a lot of strain in the pocket against the Bears. His yards per pass attempt average (5.78) was his second lowest of the season.
Turner is becoming a regular presence despite limited playing time behind standout edge rushers Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel. The rookie recorded his first sack Monday night since the start of the season with a rapid movement on Bears right tackle Darnell Wright.
“I think you saw a little bit of everything: the speed, the burst, the turn,” O’Connell said.
Left tackle Cam Robinson, who has otherwise been an excellent emergency replacement for the injured Christian Darrisaw, was assessed four penalties Monday: three false starts and an illegal formation.
Right tackle Brian O’Neill played 63 of 77 snaps despite a right knee injury — caused by a Bears defensive lineman rolling on the back of his leg in the first quarter — that he aggravated afterwards. With one less day to recover, his status for Sunday in Seattle will be in question, but no structural damage was noted, only soreness.
Cornerback Stephon Gilmore, after being sidelined with a hamstring strain the last two games, will be on track to return against the Seahawks. Two key replacements, cornerback Fabian Moreau (hip) and defensive lineman Jalen Redmond (concussion), will be evaluated as the week progresses.
28 — The Vikings are tied for second in the NFL in takeaways, with 20 interceptions and eight opposing fumbles recovered. With at least one forced turnover in all 14 games this season, the Vikings are the only team in the league to do so. They are enjoying their longest streak since 1992, when they had at least one in all 16 games.
The Vikings have lost five straight games at Lumen Field in Seattle since their only victory at the 23-year-old venue in 2006. After three straight games in the comfort of US Bank Stadium, the Vikings are scheduled to play in one of the most difficult in the league. environments for visiting teams under the cantilevered upper deck which amplifies crowd noise. The Seahawks (8-6) just saw their four-game winning streak stopped by Green Bay.
Next, the Vikings host the Packers and play the Lions in what could be a division title game. If they win, they will be the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a first-round bye. However, just one more loss could put them in fifth place and potentially keep them on the road for the entire playoffs.
