The Minnesota Vikings opened their season with a massive come-from-behind win, beating the Chicago Bears, 27-24.
The game didn’t start well for the Vikings’ offense. They looked discombobulated and struggled with the crowd noise and getting calls in, going three-and-out. In contrast, the Chicago Bears’ offense and Caleb Williams looked unstoppable. He went six for six and finished the drive with his legs, making the Vikings’ defense pay every time he got out of the pocket.
Minnesota’s offense continued to sputter through the first half. Despite the offense’s relative ineptitude, the defense and special teams put together a valiant effort to keep it a 10-6 game going into the half.
It looked like the Vikings could potentially make it an even closer game in the third quarter, but a J.J. McCarthy pick-six made it a 17-6 game.
While most expected the rookie quarterback to crumble under the pressure of what he was facing, McCarthy stood tall and played his best, getting the Vikings back into it with strikes to Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones to give Minnesota a 20-17 lead. Later, he extended the lead with his legs, rushing for a 14-yard score, which would ultimately be enough to seal the victory.
12
For the first time in 12 games, Chicago’s offense scored on the opening drive against the Vikings. Minnesota’s offense last season was noted for its ability to get off to a quick start and make the opposing teams chase the game, but on Monday night, the shoe was on the other foot.
Williams and the Bears’ offense looked flawless on the first drive, starting with two screen passes to D’Andre Swift before turning the ball loose. Williams looked much more mature and poised when pressured in the pocket, breaking contain twice on the opening drive, and hitting Rome Odunze on a sideline grab on a crucial third down before running the ball in from eight yards for a score.
While the Vikings got pressure early, it seemed like Williams and Co. had answers for it every time, taking what the defense gave them and making things happen from there.
59
Will Reichard drilled a career-long 59-yard field goal to end the half, making it a 10-6 game. Despite the offense’s sleepy start in the first quarter, J.J. McCarthy and Jalen Nailor were able to jumpstart this offense by linking up for a 29-yard completion to get the ball to Chicago’s 41 yard line.
Though the spot was a little bit questionable, and there were still 11 seconds on the clock after Kevin O’Connell burned his final timeout, the Vikings still opted to send Reichard out there for the longest kick in Soldier Field history. Will the Thrill got all of the ball and saw the kick go right down the middle of the uprights and make it a 10-6 game.
While the offense and defense both looked vastly outclassed in the first half, the kick by Reichard ensured that the Vikings would still be in the game even by the next time they touched the football and looked to serve as a form of momentum for them going into the half.
74
Any momentum they hoped to capitalize on was erased when a former Vikings practice squad member Nahshon Wright took an interception 74 yards to the end zone to make it a 17-6 game. The defense ended up doing their job, getting a three-and-out on the Bears’ first drive of the half, and Myles Price ended up taking a punt return into Chicago territory.
Despite this, the offense was still unable to move the ball. Right when it looked like they would settle for three and make it a one-point game, McCarthy threw his first touchdown of his career, just to the wrong team. Wright undercut a route, taking it all the way to the end zone for a 10-point swing.
It just felt like one of those games for the Vikings where, as soon as they took a step forward, they took three steps back. The offense seemed to take all of the momentum the defense and special teams would give them and throw it back in their face by making it even harder for them.
1/10
The Chicago Bears went one for 10 on third downs after starting six for six. Minnesota’s defense struggled early, with a particular emphasis on third down, as Williams made magic happen every time he was able to get outside the pocket.
While it would have been easy for the defense to pack it in after standing up time and time again, they instead stood tall and made sure Chicago’s offense ran into trouble every time they looked to run away with the game.
Eric Wilson looked up to the task when he was called upon to replace Blake Cashman, flying sideline to sideline and blocking a punt. While they did let up a touchdown late, it was a moot point as the Bears were mostly out of the game.
5.8%
The Vikings had a 5.8% chance to win the game near the end of the third quarter before they pulled off their miraculous comeback. For the first three quarters of the game, the offense looked anemic, struggling to string together a drive and dealing with issues both presnap, with McCarthy struggling with the play clock and communication, and post-snap, with the offensive line struggling to hold up.
While it looked like the offense would struggle all night en route to a derailing loss, when it mattered most in the fourth quarter, McCarthy showed what he was made of. It started with a 13-yard strike to Justin Jefferson, where McCarthy fit the ball into a tight window to bring it back to a one-score game. Later, he would hit Aaron Jones on a 27-yard pass to take the lead and hit Adam Thielen on the two-point try to make it a three-point lead. McCarthy then capped off the night by running it in from 14 yards on a quarterback keeper to make it a two-score game.
With this, McCarthy became the first player in NFL history to account for three touchdowns in the fourth quarter in his debut, and just the second Vikings rookie quarterback to throw for multiple touchdowns in his debut behind Fran Tarkenton.