Grading the Chicago Bears against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football
The Chicago Bears are 0-4 in games decided by three points or fewer. On Monday Night Football in Minneapolis, the Bears didn't lose by three points or fewer.
The Vikings won their 12th game of the season in a 27-12 win over the Bears, who have now dropped their eighth-straight game.
Here's how we grade the Bears after their loss to Minnesota on Monday night.
Caleb Williams
Williams missed some open throws. There were some moments he would have liked to have back, but he also moved the ball down the field on multiple drives.
The one aspect of Williams' Monday night that was difficult to watch was his scrambling. He took too many hard hits, including one on third down in Vikings territory where he was just trying to make a play.
It was another night where Williams was forced to scramble and run while the offensive line struggled to block consistently and his receivers dropped passes that he delivered accurately.
Williams' final line on Monday: 18 of 31 for 191 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions, and one fumble.
The fumble wasn't on Williams, however.
Grade: C
Chicago Bears Offense
The same old song and dance.
The Bears were scoreless in the first half and were struggling to find positive plays when they needed them most. They had a first-quarter turnover on a strip-sack that led to a touchdown for Minnesota.
It was part of a day when the Bears gained 284 net yards. Of that total, 113 yards were rushing yards. D'Andre Swift had a decent day rushing for 79 yards and a 4.2 yard per carry average. Still, the Bears' offensive line allowed two sacks.
As a team, the Bears went 1 for 12 on third-down conversion attempts.
Grade: D
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - DECEMBER 16: T.J. Hockenson #87 of the Minnesota Vikings catches a pass and is tackled by Kevin Byard III #31 of the Chicago Bears during the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 16, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Chicago Bears Defense
The same old song and dance.
With another slow start, the Bears defense was left to try and hold the fort.
That lasted for a while, until Minnesota broke through with touchdowns in the second half to put the game away. The Bears' defense did record a takeaway on a Tyrique Stevenson interception. Stevenson also had two pass break ups. The defense had two sacks and eight tackles for loss.
But, the defense could only hold for so long.
Grade: C
Chicago Bears coaching
There are no more excuses for being an interim head coach. Miscues held Thomas Brown's team down, as the Bears had a season-high 93 penalty yards on Monday night.
The Bears were flagged nine times.
One of those flags was an ineligible player foul as offensive lineman Doug Kramer never reported as eligible when he came in at full back on a goal-line play. The Bears have run that play at least a half dozen times. It's on the coaches to make sure Kramer reports as eligible, though.
Penalties kept points off the board.
There were also decisions like going for it on fourth-and-one from the Bears' own 39-yard line on the Bears' first drive of the game in the first quarter. The Bears have nothing to lose, so that call made sense. Running a toss play against a blitz-happy Vikings defense with D'Andre Swift, who had been nursing a groin injury this week, did not make as much sense.
Grade: F