Takeaways From Bears Nail-Biting Overtime Loss to Vikings
Earlier today, the Bears lost a tight battle to the Minnesota Vikings 30-27 on a game-winning field goal in overtime from the Vikings. After coming off a tough loss against the Packers last week, the Bears wanted to grab this win more than ever and end their losing streak. This game said a lot about the Bears because they have now faced two NFC North teams and have come close to beating two of them. They have the Detroit Lions to face next Sunday, so after that, we can truly determine how the Bears stack up against the NFC North. Luckily the Bears get to face the NFC North teams twice in one season, so they get more than one chance to prove themselves against them. Here are some takeaways I have from their game against the Vikings earlier today.
Do the Bears Have a Field Goal Problem?
During this game, the first field goal attempt for the Bears was blocked. It was the second consecutive time our field goal attempt was blocked with the first time being last week against Green Bay, making it three blocked field goal attempts for the season. In the third quarter, the Bears passed up on a field goal at the Vikings’ 28-yard line to go for it on fourth and four. The end result of that decision was a missed catch by Keenan Allen. Is it possible the Bears weren’t confident in their field goal protection? Even so, to give credit where it’s due, Cairo Santos stepped up and nailed a field goal to send the game into overtime.
Caleb Williams Did Extremely Well Against the Blitz
One of the biggest strengths of Caleb Williams is to execute when faced with a blitz coming at him. He did that at a high level during his college career. The Vikings are known for their consistent hammering of blitzes and Williams held his own. In the first half, Caleb completed six of his seven passes against Minnesota’s blitz for 106 yards, which is pretty impressive. On a second and 12 play towards the end of the first quarter, Caleb Williams was being blitzed and he ran towards the sideline and heaved a ball down the sideline to a running D’Andre Swift that had the fans in awe of how great that pass was under pressure. The game wasn’t perfect, but Williams showed that he can execute against the blitz at such an elite level.
Some Dropped Passes from Receivers Were Crucial
The Bears’ receivers dropped a total of five passes throughout the game. Two of those drops came on second and three and third and three on consecutive plays during the third quarter. Swift dropped a ball that was in his hands, then Cole Kmet dropped a ball that he caught at first but didn’t secure all the way. Those couple drops you can add to as well as three more drops by Keenan Allen himself. As mentioned earlier, one of those drops came during a fourth and four opportunity after the Bears passed up on a field goal. The Vikings are good, but the Bears helped Minnesota with these struggles to catch the ball in crucial situations.
