Instant Reactions: Bears miraculous effort not enough in crucial loss to Vikings

Unbelievable. Miracles exist, just not for the Chicago Bears.

With all hope lost after the Vikings extended the lead to 11 with a field goal after the two-minute warning, the Bears managed to find the endzone with :21 left on the clock. Chicago still needed an onside kick. They got it. Bears still needed to get into field goal range. They did it. Cairo Santos needed to overcome last week’s demons and nail a 48-yard yarder from the left hash. He did it.

And then Caleb Williams took an ugly 12-yard sack and the Bears punted on the first drive of overtime. Drive killer. Momentum killer. Minnesota marched down methodically before kicking a game-winning field goal to hand the Bears their fifth straight loss.

On Thursday, Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington put a clear emphasis on stopping Minnesota’s big three playmakers on offense: Sam Darnold, Aaron Jones and Justin Jefferson.

Unfortunately for Chicago’s defense, it was wide receiver Jordan Addison who gashed the Bears’ secondary all day. The second-year receiver posted 149 yards on seven catches, including one for a touchdown.

Cairo Santos had a 48-yard field goal attempt blocked in the second quarter in case Bears fans had forgotten how last week ended against the Packers.

Williams found the end zone for the first time since Week 7 in London, hitting DJ Moore and Keenan Allen in the fourth quarter. Williams also set the Bears’ rookie season record for passing yards, passing Mitchell Trubisky.

But Williams’ 340 passing yards and Allen’s 86 receiving yards weren’t enough.

Another heartbreaker, this time in overtime. Chicago falls to 4-7, with the NFL’s best Detroit Lions up next on Thanksgiving morning.

Nicholas Moreano

The Bears simply can’t get out of their own way. A week after losing on a blocked field goal, Cairo Santos had another one blocked in the game against the Vikings. DeAndre Carter also muffed a punt, which led to a Vikings touchdown drive. Caleb Williams made tight-window throws and threw his first touchdown pass since Week 7 when he found DJ Moore on a screen. He also connected with Keenan Allen for a score, but in overtime, Williams took a 12-yard sack on second-and-9 and completely killed all momentum.

The defense limited Justin Jefferson to just two receptions for 27 yards. Still, Jordan Addison created several explosive plays, and Sam Darnold looked comfortable in the pocket for most of the game, including on the 29-yard throw to T.J. Hockenson in overtime to set up the game-winning field goal. That’s five straight losses for the Bears, and now they have to prepare for a Super Bowl-contending team in the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day. Hello, darkness, my old friend.

Mark Carman

Down 27-16 in the 4th quarter, no one thought the Bears could get back in it. Because of Caleb Williams and an onside kick miracle, they somehow forced overtime in the most exciting we deserve this win because of everything that has happened this year. Got the ball in OT. Didn’t score. Couldn’t stop ’em. Major bummer. 4-7.

Greg Braggs Jr.

This is who this team is. Penalties. Poor execution. Blocked kick. Bad challenges. Muffed punt. Dropped pass. And on and on and on and on.

A particular play encapsulates it all.

Turnover on downs for the offense. Play was rushed because your team doesn’t know if your Head Coach wants to go for it.

You’ve got Cairo Santos running on the field then off late. Slowing the process. Late getting to the huddle. Last second snap. Rushed throw. Dropped pass.

Probably should’ve burned a timeout. Already burned one on a failed challenge.

You think the Lions question if Dan Campbell is going for it in that situation? The Bears question it because they don’t know their identity.

This is the execution of a Matt Eberflus team. This is what this organization continues to allow. The fans deserve better.

• I wrote all of this before Caleb Williams brought the Bears back from the dead. We all gave up. He didn’t. The team didn’t. That was Caleb’s moment. How can you not watch this QB and see just how bright the future is?

Overtime starts sloppy. A sack and a delay of game stalls what could’ve been the icing on the cake. Instead back to the same mistakes that dug them the hole they put themselves in. And round and round we go.

BUT WAIT! There’s more. The defense, which has been reeling lately, gave up a huge 3rd and 10 to the Vikings that extended the drive in OT. It was backbreaking. The defense got them in a 1st and 20 jam, and the Bears chose to play soft coverage, allowing 2 easy passes to get the first down. This team opts not to play aggressively in the most pivotal of moments. And now the Bears are on a 5-game losing streak.

This team is torture.

Patrick Norton

How many heartbreakers can this team take? The Fail Mary in Washington was the difference between 5-2 and 4-3. More than a month later, the Bears are still searching for that elusive fifth win. Chicago entered the three-game home stand with the longest active home losing streak in the NFL. 0-3 since coming back home after Arizona. Detroit next? Yeesh. Happy Thanksgiving.

Kevin Kaduk

Bad coaching, bad execution and bad luck were all at play in the Bears’ fifth straight loss. Whether it was Keenan Allen failing to get in bounds by an inch or Matt Eberflus losing yet another challenge, these 2024 Chicago Bears can’t get any more maddening. It’s hard to see any more wins on this schedule so it’s to Tankathon we go.

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