Minnesota was able to get out to an early lead as they drove 54 yards down the field on their second possession of the evening, which culminated in a 12-yard touchdown reception by Justin Jefferson.
While Chicago’s depleted secondary was a main storyline heading into this game, the unit largely made up of backups was able to hold its own against the Vikings and the pass rush was able to keep Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota offense in check.
Cousins finished with just 87 yards passing as he completed 50% o his passes for two touchdowns and an interception.
They largely played mistake-free football and simply allowed the Bears to repeatedly make self-inflicting wounds that would put them behind the eight ball.
The Vikings defense held the Bears to one touchdown in five total red-zone trips, while also creating multiple turnovers in that key area of the field.
Over that same stretch, Minnesota would build up a 10-0 lead, which was essentially all it would need to win the game.
They couldn’t get the football across the goal line when it counted and it kept them chasing the Vikings throughout the evening.
They prevented all of the major Vikings playmakers from breaking the game open, but the offense couldn’t grab the baton to keep the momentum rolling in their favor.
Momentum started to tick in the direction of the Bears after they were able to force the Vikings into a three-and-out with just over two minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Chicago seemed to have some personnel issues on the attempt as they were scrambling to line up and ultimately had no one in the backfield for the fourth-and-1 attempt.
Jefferson was able to get a step on his defender after faking going over the middle and created enough separation for Cousins to drop it in without much risk.
will be working on a particularly short week as those two NFC clubs are set to face one another on Tuesday due to a COVID-19 rescheduling.
Justin Jefferson caught the ball but he also dropped it once he hit the sideline and officials will occasionally rule that incomplete.