(Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
CHICAGO, Ill., — For three quarters, it felt like the Chicago Bears were going to get a win in Ben Johnson's debut as they controlled the game. After Nashon Wright's 74-yard interception return for a touchdown, Chicago led 17-6 and even got the ball back after forcing another punt.
Minnesota was struggling to move the ball and quarterback J.J. McCarthy couldn't get into a rhythm at all. Then things changed in a hurry.
Cairo Santos missed a 50-yard field goal that would have pushed the lead to 20-6 and kept momentum on Chicago's side. Instead, Minnesota rallied off 21 unanswered points led by two McCarthy touchdowns and a run by the quarterback, winning 27-24 at Soldier Field.
The Bears, the crowd, and everyone was stunned at that point as Chicago couldn't finish the job. It wasn't just the missed field goal that plagued the Bears, either. They committed 12 penalties for 127 yards, including a couple of defensive pass interference calls that led to Vikings points.The Bears unraveled as the game went o,n and they really couldn't get the crucial play in the fourth quarter when they needed to.
"Have a 17-6 lead and then see it go the way it did there in the fourth quarter, we said going into Week 1 that the team that would make the least number of mistakes would win the game," Johnson said. "Unfortunately, we were on the wrong side of that. We made too many there late in the game. Myself included. There were a number of things that I could have done better. A number of things that a number of guys could have done better."
The Bears did get off to a good start in this one, forcing a three-and-out on Minnesota's opening drive and then watching Williams lead the Bears to an opening drive score to take a 7-0 lead. After Minnesota got a field goal, the two teams were in a dogfight. The Bears then got a field goal before half to push the lead to 10-3 as it looked like the Vikings were content going itno the break.
But Kevin O'Connell got aggressive, and after a nice return, the Vikings hit a big play to put themselves in a spot for a Will Reichard 59-yard field goal. Still, Chicago was in control after the Wright interception before things got out of hand.
Williams finished the game 21 of 35 for 210 yards, one passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown. But as the game went on, the quarterback struggled with his reads and didn't look comfortable with what Brian Flores and the Vikings' defense was showing him.
Chicago has a quick turnaround as they head on the road to take on the Detroit Lions in Week 2. It will be Ben Johnson's homecoming after he took the Bears job this offseason. The Lions are 0-1 and fresh off a tough loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 1.
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