With 50 second to play, J.J. McCarthy hit Jordan Addison for a 15-yard touchdown. The big play put the Vikings up 17-16. Unfortunately, there was still 50 seconds and the Bears only needed a field goal to win. Instead of the Vikings defense sealing the win, returner Devin Duvernay immediately put the Bears in field goal position with a 56-yard return. In eight seconds, the Vikings and their fans went from ecstatic to crushed. After three runs to drain the remaining time, Cairo Santos kicked the 48-yard game-winning field goal.
Before this Week 11 game, I thought that the Vikings had no room for stumbles. At 4-5, with eight games to play, 12-5 was possible. That’s a playoff record. Instead of starting a run, the Vikings stumbled against the Bears. Now, at 4-6, 11-6 is still possible. That should be a playoff-deserving record. Anything less, who knows? Thanks to a stumble-filled game against the Bears, the Vikings really have no room for stumbles moving forward.
The Vikings defense played well enough to win against the Bears. About the only thing missing from the defense was a turnover or two. If the Bears offense was as generous with the ball as the Vikings offense, this is probably an easy win. The slippery nature of Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was the difference in the game. So many times, he was in the grasp of Dallas Turner, Jalen Redmond, and the rest of the pass rushers. Even safety Jay Ward had a couple opportunities to get the Bears elusive quarterback on the ground. So many times, Williams spun out of those grasps and scrambled for yards, or threw the ball out of bounds. He only completed 50% of his passes. Most of his 16 misses were throws into the stands to avoid big losses. The Vikings had Williams on the run all game. They just needed to get him to the ground and could not. He might be the most slippery quarterback in the league.
If the Vikings offense came close to the play of the defense, we’re talking about another division win. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy will get most of the blame. There were boos from the stands. It’s an unfortunate thing as no one player is to blame. Fan and pundits always want one person to blame when things don’t go well. Football is a team game. It’s rarely one person. McCarthy probably had as many passes dropped as misfires. Jordan Addison dropped a deep throw that could’ve been a big, early touchdown. There were drops that could’ve/should’ve been first downs and drives continued. Instead, Ryan Wright punted six times. That’s too many punts. Two other possessions ended in McCarthy interceptions. That’s too many interceptions. The Vikings were real lucky there wasn’t a third interception. Both Aaron Jones Sr. and Jordan Mason ran well. Like Williams, McCarthy completed only 16 of 32 attempts. Unlike Williams, most of McCarthy’s incompletions were thrown to wide open receivers. The opportunities were there for an easy win. The Vikings didn’t take advantage of those opportunities.
If they are to reach the playoffs, the Vikings must get out of their own way. J.J. McCarthy must play better but it isn’t all on the young quarterback. The entire offense must play better. The defense just has to keep doing what they’ve been doing since the Detroit Lions game. A couple takeaways per game would be nice. That’s about the only thing the defense hasn’t done in recent weeks. The offense must stop the self-inflicted mistakes. Next up is a trip to Lambeau and the Green Bay Packers. There’s no more room for stumbles. The Vikings must get their shit together and they must do it now.
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