On Sunday, the Chicago Bears fell 29-22 to the Minnesota Vikings. This is the first time the Bears have lost consecutive games in the Matt Eberflus era.
There was a lot to like about this game, despite the loss. Quarterback Justin Fields played by far his best game of the season, while showing a lot of promise and hope for the future. He played with confidence and made smart decisions. If he can keep that up, Chicago will be in every game they play.
Even after falling down 21-3, the Bears battled back and took a 22-21 lead in the second half. This team has a lot of heart and did more than enough to win this game. They just couldn’t hold on to their one point lead, and a late Ihmir Smith-Marsette fumble cost them.
Let’s take a look at everything we know abut Chicago’s Week 5 loss.
Final Score: Vikings 29, Bears 22
Keys to the Game
A Tale of Two Halves: The Bears looked dead in the water in the first half against the Vikings, trailing 21-10 in the first half. The defense had no answers for Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook and Justin Jefferson. The offense wasn’t crisp. But that changed in the second half, where Chicago rallied back to take a 22-21 lead in the fourth quarter. While the defense kept Minnesota in check for most of the second half, they gave up a 17-yard, 75-yard touchdown drive, which gave the Vikings the lead. While the offense looked poised to tie it in the final minutes, Ihmir Smith-Marsette’s fumble sealed the game for Minnesota.
Justin Fields’ Improved Production: Going into Sunday’s game against the Vikings, Fields went three games in a row without a passing touchdown. In the last three games, he passed for 350 yards and three interceptions, while only completing 52% of his passes. Against the Vikings, Fields played much better. He passed for one touchdown and completed 70% of his passes. He finished the game with a 118.8 passer rating.
David Montgomery’s Return: After missing most of the last two games due to injury, Montgomery made his return to the team on Sunday. He rushed for 20 yards on 12 attempts, for 1.7 yards per carry. He did get a rushing touchdown, though. He was most productive in the passing game, catching four passes for 62 yards.
Vikings’ winning streak: Despite Matt Nagy having Minnesota’s number over his first three seasons, the Vikings have turned the rivalry around. With Sunday’s 29-22 loss, Chicago has dropped three straight games to their division rival.
It was over when...
It was over when former Vikings wideout Ihmir Smith-Marsette fumbled the football on Chicago’s final drive.
With just over a minute left, Smith-Marsette caught a first down pass from Justin Fields, and instead of going out of bounds, he tried to be aggressive and pick up more yardage. That aggressiveness cost Chicago the game, as Cameron Dantzler ripped the ball out of Smith-Marsette’s hands to seal the win.
3 Stars of the Game
*Justin Fields: Fields played his best game of the year, completing 70% of his passes, throwing for 208 yards, and one passing touchdown against the Vikings. In addition, he ran for 47 yards on eight attempts. Not to mention, a 52-yard touchdown run that was negated by a questionable block-in-the-back penalty.
**Cole Kmet: Kmet was targeted four times, and made all four catches, for 45 yards. He showed up when called upon in the air, in a nice rhythm. If he can continue to play as well as he did against the Vikings, the passing offense will continue to improve.
***Darnell Mooney: Mooney had potentially the catch of the year in the second quarter of this game, channeling his inner Odell Beckham Jr. with a 39-yard reception. He had himself a nice game in the air, with 52 yards on two catches.
What's next
The Bears will host the Commanders on Thursday Night Football in Week 6. This will be the team’s first meeting since 2019, where Chicago beat Washington, 31-15, on Monday Night Football.
