Week 12 updates: Missed opportunities and penalties leave Chicago Bears tied 3-3 with Minnesota Vikings at halftime

MINNEAPOLIS — The “Monday Night Football” viewing audience was put through an ugly, defense-dominated affair for much of the game between the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium.

But when Cairo Santos’ 30-yard field goal sailed through the uprights with 10 seconds to play, the Bears emerged with a thing of beauty: their first NFC North win in more than two years.

The Bears defense intercepted Vikings quarterback Josh Dobbs four times to fuel a 12-10 victory, the first divisional win of the Matt Eberflus era after the coach started 0-9. The Bears have two opportunities left to get another NFC North win, on Dec. 10 against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field and Jan. 7 against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

The Bears (4-8) have a bye in Week 13 before the Lions game.

After losing two fourth-quarter fumbles, Bears quarterback Justin Fields engineered the winning scoring drive. On third-and-10 from the Vikings 49-yard line, Fields hit DJ Moore for a 36-yard pass up the middle. Santos hit his fourth field goal after three Fields kneel-downs.

The Vikings (6-6) took a 10-9 lead on Dobbs’ 17-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Hockenson with 5 minutes, 54 seconds to play. But after Fields’ second fumble, a defensive stop gave the Bears one last chance to win it.

The Bears defense did much of the work to keep the game close all night.

Jaylon Johnson, Jaquan Brisker, T.J. Edwards and Kyler Gordon picked off Dobbs, but the Bears managed just three points off the takeaways. They punted after the Johnson and Brisker interceptions in the first half.

Bears safety Jaquan Brisker celebrates his interception during the second quarter against the Vikings on Monday, Nov. 27, 2023, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Santos made a 55-yard field goal after Edwards’ pick. He also made field goals of 25 and 39 yards after missing a 48-yard attempt wide right on the opening drive.

Fields lost a fumble after Gordon’s pick when Vikings edge rusher Danielle Hunter got the strip-sack, and Sheldon Day recovered. The Vikings then marched 77 yards for the only touchdown of the game.

Fields’ second fumble — forced by Josh Metellus and recovered by Anthony Barr — came on the Bears’ next drive.

Fields completed 27 of 37 passes for 217 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and three sacks. He ran 12 times for 59 yards.

Dobbs was 22 of 32 for 185 yards with the touchdown and the four interceptions. The Bears had two sacks.

Here’s how the game unfolded.

Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson is unable to intercept a pass intended for Panthers wide receiver Jonathan Mingo on Nov. 9, 2023, at Soldier Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

The Bears won’t have to face Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson for a second time this season when the teams meet Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Jefferson will miss the game as he continues his recovery from a strained right hamstring. Jefferson, the 2022 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year, has been on injured reserve since the week leading up to the Bears’ first game against the Vikings this season, a 19-13 Minnesota victory Oct. 15.

That means the Vikings will be without their two most important offensive players, as quarterback Kirk Cousins is out for the season after Achilles surgery.

The Vikings’ top wide receiver without Jefferson is rookie Jordan Addison, who has 48 catches for 647 yards and seven touchdowns. Tight end T.J. Hockenson leads all Vikings players with 75 catches for 736 yards and four touchdowns.

The Bears announced Sunday they would be without rookie cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, running back D’Onta Foreman and offensive tackle Larry Borom.

Stevenson hurt his ankle in practice Saturday in the Walter Payton Center and will miss a game for the first time this season. Fellow rookie Terell Smith, who returned from mononucleosis last week, could see increased playing time.

Foreman has been battling ankle and shin injuries, so the Bears will rely on running backs Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson instead. Borom, a key reserve, was out all week with an illness.

Linebacker Noah Sewell, defensive end Dominique Robinson, quarterback Nathan Peterman and safety Quindell Johnson are also inactive for the Bears.

For the Vikings, quarterback Jaren Hall, cornerback Akayleb Evans, tight end Nick Muse, linebacker Nick Vigil and offensive linemen Chris Reed and Hakeem Adeniji are inactive. Hall will serve as the emergency third quarterback.

The Bears defense intercepted Vikings quarterback Joshua Dobbs twice in the first half Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium. But the Bears offense didn’t capitalize on either takeaway, and the teams crawled into halftime with a 3-3 tie.

Cornerback Jaylon Johnson and safety Jaquan Brisker picked off Dobbs, who didn’t get the Vikings into scoring range until the final drive before halftime. Greg Joseph made a 34-yard field goal as time expired to tie it.

Bears quarterback Justin Fields completed 17 of 22 passes for 135 yards with two sacks and no turnovers and had 21 of the Bears’ 40 rushing yards. The Bears committed six penalties for 71 yards in the half.

Bears tight end Cole Kmet runs for a first down in the first quarter Monday, Nov. 27, 2023, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

The Bears put together a nine-minute opening drive, but it stalled when Fields was sacked for a loss of 5 yards and a pass to Cole Kmet lost another yard. Fields completed all eight of his passes for 37 yards on the drive.

Cairo Santos then missed a 48-yard field-goal attempt wide right. It was Santos’ second miss of the season.

Santos rebounded with a 25-yard field goal on the Bears’ next drive for a 3-0 lead. The drive included a fourth-and-10 pass from Fields to Kmet that went for 24 yards to the Vikings 14-yard line.

But the Bears offense stalled from there despite the defense providing multiple opportunities.

Johnson came up with his third interception of the season on the Vikings’ ensuing drive, picking off Dobbs and returning it 20 yards to the Vikings 37. A Kyler Gordon taunting penalty for taking off his helmet and a Darnell Wright false start helped doom the drive, and the Bears punted.

Brisker intercepted Dobbs on the Vikings’ next drive on a pass that bounced off Jordan Addison’s hands. The Bears punted after four plays.

Johnson nearly had his second interception on third down on the next drive. But the ball bounced out of Johnson’s hands, and he spiked it to the ground in frustration.

Bears left guard Teven Jenkins left the game for a couple of series with an undisclosed injury but returned late in the second quarter.

Catch up on the rest of our coverage.

Bears coach Matt Eberflus walks near the sideline during the first quarter against the Lions on Nov. 19, 2023, at Ford Field. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Five of the Bears’ last six losses have been by a touchdown or less, the exception an uninspiring 30-13 road loss to the Chargers on Oct. 29. They were tied with the Saints entering the fourth quarter three weeks ago, had an ugly win against the Panthers and melted down against the Lions. Before that, the Bears lost to the Vikings and dropped a 31-28 decision to the Broncos that included a series of late-game mishaps.

Until Matt Eberflus’ team discovers a way to put teams away in the fourth quarter, this will define the Bears.

The Bears have been in the majority of games this season, especially recently. They have closed the talent gap in that regard. Now it’s about learning how to put opponents away. Read more here.

Bears quarterback Justin Fields looks to pass against the Vikings on Oct. 15, 2023, at Soldier Field. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

4: Career games by Justin Fields with a passer rating of at least 100.0. Three of those have come in his’ last four starts, including the 105.2 rating he posted in last week’s loss to the Lions.

0-4: The Bears’ record this season against teams currently inside the playoff picture. The losses have come against the Chiefs, Vikings, Saints and Lions. The Bears were 1-5 in 2022 against teams that qualified for the postseason.

Read more attention-grabbing numbers here..

Originally Published: Nov 27, 2023 at 12:03 pm