The Chicago Bears were defeated by the Minnesota Vikings, 19-13, on Sunday. It marked their 15th loss in the last 16 games dating back to last season.
Chicago’s defense had its best outing of the season, holding a top-five Minnesota offense to under 20 points. Meanwhile, the Bears offense stumbled following two impressive outings. Not to mention, quarterback Justin Fields reportedly suffered a dislocated thumb in his throwing hand that knocked him out of the game — and for how long remains to be seen.
There was plenty to break down following Chicago’s disappointing defeat to Minnesota, including the defense’s dominant effort and the offense’s frustrating outing. Our Bears Wire staff is sharing their thoughts following the Week 6 contest.
The Bears’ Week 6 loss vs. Vikings
Alyssa Barbieri
I knew better. I knew better than to get my hopes up that this Bears team had somehow turned a corner following a win over a bad Commanders team. And still, they got me. Chicago sucked me into the positivity only to break my heart once again. Well, those 10 days were fun while they lasted.
You know what, I’ll give it up to the Bears defense, which had a dominant outing against a top-five Vikings offense. They allowed just 19 points — their fewest all season. But it was Chicago’s offense — fresh off two impressive games — that came crashing back down to earth. After averaging 34 points over the past two games, the Bears offense managed just 13 points.
It was a reminder that Luke Getsy isn’t the guy. The offensive line is among the worst in the NFL. And it reinstilled the fear that Justin Fields might not be the guy (and now we’ll have to wait to find out after he suffered a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand).
With an opportunity to build on some momentum off their first win, the team stumbled. Instead of talking about Chicago going on a mini winning streak, we’re talking about how they’ve lost 15 of the last 16 games dating back to last season — with their last home win coming on Sept. 25, 2022. That, and looking ahead to the offseason, where the hope is the organization cleans house and we’re talking about two top five draft picks. Man, what a difference a week makes.
Brendan Sugrue
Remember last year after the Bears played a Thursday night game and they used the mini-bye week to properly gameplan for an opponent, which ended up working as they blew them out of the water? Any reason why that wasn’t the case this time around? Head coach Matt Eberflus and his staff had 10 days to prepare for the division-rival Minnesota Vikings and looked like deer in the headlights when facing Brian Flores’ defense. The Vikings brought the pressure, and neither the coaches nor the players had any response. The result was 13 points and just 275 yards of total offense. The worst part, though? It would have been enough to defeat the Vikings if not for bad turnovers.
The Vikings only totaled 12 points on offense with 220 total yards, thanks to a rejuvenated Bears defense. Minnesota converted just 2-of-13 third downs, and the Bears’ premium linebackers finally showed why they were worth the investment. But it was all for nothing as the offense couldn’t get into a consistent rhythm as problems from the first couple weeks of the season reared their ugly heads. The play calling was suspect, Justin Fields was unsure of himself in the pocket, and turnovers inside the opponent’s territory stalled any scoring threat.
It looks like their Week 5 win was an aberration instead of the new normal. Eberflus continues to be winless in the division—a division that Ryan Poles once famously said the Bears were going to take and never give back. With injuries now impacting the quarterback position after Fields left with a dislocated thumb, the season may truly be over in the middle of October.
Fans are looking toward the draft once again, and it begs the question: When will Bears fans be able to appreciate another football season without using it as a springboard to next year’s offseason? There are only 17 guaranteed games a year, and the conversation has already moved on to the offseason after six of them. This comes in a year when the Bears were supposed to be competitive. It’s a sad state of affairs for this organization, which is more synonymous with losing than ever before.
Lucas Hunt
Well, yesterday’s game was certainly not the performance we expected when the Bears came off their mini-bye week to play an NFC North opponent. A lot went wrong in the game, things that were well within Chicago’s control, and some that were not. The most alarming aspect of the contest was quarterback Justin Fields getting pulled out of the game after landing on his right hand, but it was soon after reported that he had only dislocated his thumb, and the tests to determine a more serious injury were negative.
It would be easy to say that the loss can be attributed to Fields missing half the game, but that would not represent the truth. Even with the star passer in, the offense struggled mightily. It’s tough to say who’s to blame for this week’s episode of “point the finger.” Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy seemed to once again make incomprehensible play calls in the early goings of the game, stringing together plays with no consistency. The offensive line seems to have regressed in its play as well, as Fields was put in some serious offensive holes due to missed assignments or straight up whiffs. Then there’s the notion that it’s on the guy under center, who seemed to revert to some of his old habits, holding the ball for too long and not being particularly decisive. It wasn’t a setback that will ring many alarm bells, but it’s clear the offense’s collapse rattled him to some degree.
The one silver lining to all of this is the defense had an admirable all-around effort. Everyone played well, from the defensive line to the safeties up top. I want to show love to the linebackers in particular, as it seems the talent general manager Ryan Poles invested in paid off to a degree yesterday. Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards and Jack Sanborn had an inspired level of play, holding a dynamic offense to only one touchdown.
While the Chicago faithful may be disheartened, all is not lost. Fields avoided a serious injury, the defense came to play, and the team moves into a softer portion of the schedule. While the Bears won’t turn around their season to make the playoffs, some fun football may still be ahead.
Ryan Fedrau
That was a tough, close loss for the Bears. Losing Justin Fields was the biggest loss of the game, but Tyson Bagent gave the offense a spark proving that he can run the offense successfully. I am excited to see what he can do if he has to play again, but the obvious hope is for a healthy Fields to come back next week and ball out as he did the previous two. At 1-5, Chicago has a 2% chance to make the playoffs. The fan in me has belief, the realist in me is already making mock drafts.
