The Chicago Bears (4-10) dropped their eighth straight loss on Monday Night Football, falling to the Minnesota Vikings (12-2) by the score of 30 -12. Outplayed in almost every phase, the Bears struggled to find much team success against the Vikings, and while a few players turned in solid individual performances, the loss was just the latest of a line of demoralizing outings.
Still, it is important to analyze a lousy loss with three more opportunities to improve this season, and these four stats tell the story of where the Bears fell short:
0
The Bears finished the first half in Minnesota with 0 total points, a statistic that has become more frequent in recent weeks.
Over their last three games, the Bears failed to score a single point and were outscored 53 - 0 cumulatively. The sixth time in eight games that the team failed to score a first-half touchdown, Monday's scoring was started by kicker Cairo Santos, who nailed a 29-yard field goal with just over seven minutes left in the third quarter. Of course, this kick came only after the Bears' would-be touchdown was called back due to a penalty on Doug Kramer, who failed to declare himself as an eligible receiver.
The Bears will find it hard to compete against any NFL team, let alone a potential playoff contender like the Vikings, by failing to score for the entire first half. By the time the offense found any momentum against a tough Minnesota defense, they were already facing a multi-score deficit. Quarterback Caleb Williams remains significantly more statistic in the second halves of games, but the offense needs to find a way to get the rookie passer - and the rest of the roster in general - player better early down the stretch.
55
The Bears struggled to extend and shut down drives against the Vikings, who finished with 55 more offensive yards on third and fourth down.
Taking penalties into account, the Bears offense finished with just 11 yards on third and fourth down, resulting in 2 conversions on 14 attempts. Between miscues, questionable play-calling, and untimely penalties, the Bears suffered several self-inflicted mistakes that quickly became insurmountable against an aggressive defense like Minnesota's. On the other side of the ball, the Vikings totaled 66 yards in the same situations, which helped them finish the game with 7 conversions on the same 14 attempts. The Vikings were able to extend several long third down attempts, including a third and 17 backed up on their own goal line.
Interestingly, the sole third or fourth down touchdown came from the Bears, with Williams finding Keenan Allen for a 16-yard touchdown late in the game. Unfortunately, with the relatively constant pass rush, especially on clear passing downs, Williams had few opportunities to execute on third down and struggled often when he did. Defensively, the situational awareness was not much better, and the team must look to find ways to put their best players in good situations when it matters the most.
30
The Vikings dominated the ball on both sides of the field, and ultimately succeeded at staying in and keeping the Bears out of scoring position, resulting in 30 more plays in opponent territory compared to the visitors.
Offensively, the Bears managed just 24 such snaps, all of which came on four total drives. Including their aforementioned goal line attempt in which they committed two procedural infractions, the Bears were able to reach the red zone just three times, with only one attempt resulting in a touchdown. The Vikings were much more successful, with eight of their ten drives featuring snaps in Bears' territory. Of those drives, four reached the red zone, with three resulting in touchdowns.
While the offense needs to improve both the quantity and quality of their red zone drives, the defense does them no favors by struggling to get off the field. Inversely, if the offense cannot extend drives, the defense is in turn forced to return to the field with little to no rest or momentum. Playing complimentary football has been a struggle for this team over their losing streak, especially in recent weeks.
10
The Bears' talented receiving trio was one of the few bright spots in Monday's loss, with Keenan Allen, D.J. Moore, and rookie Rome Odunze finshing with a cumulative 10 yards per touch.
Led by the veteran Allen, who finished with 82 yards and a touchdown on six receptions, the receivers had their ups and downs, the latter of which included several drops. Still, Allen finished with his second-best receiving total of the season, while Moore accumulated 70 total yards himself. Specifically, Moore's usage as a ball carrier (three carries for 24 yards) was an inspiring part of the offense, although they could have tried to use him more in this role down the stretch.
Odunze had a relatively quieter night with just two receptions for 39 yards, but his average per reception ended up being the highest of the three. Still, the receiver dropped a fairly routine touchdown attempt, was nearly in place to catch another, and was unable to gain Williams' attention over the middle of the field. The rookies continue to show flashes in their respective positions, and trying to test the extent of their connection as much as possible may be the best use of the team's remaining games.