The Chicago Bears fell to 2-3 on the season with a 29-22 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, October 9, on the road. The Bears were down 21-3 to the Vikings at half-time but scored 19 unanswered points in the second half.
Quarterback Justin Fields finished the afternoon going 15-of-21 on passing attempts, 208 yards and one touchdown, while also adding eight rushes for 47 yards on the ground. Fields finished with a completion percentage of 71.4, which is the highest he’s recorded in a game in his career (min: 10 attempts). Fields’ 208 passing yards also stands as the fifth-highest total of his career.
In addition to Fields’ big day on the field, running back David Montgomery scored the team’s first touchdown of the day on a nine-yard rush with 1:12 remaining in the second quarter.
The touchdown by Montgomery was his first of the season and the 22nd of his career. The score was also his fourth career touchdown against the Vikings.
The Bears also scored on the opening drive of the second half. The team scored on a nine-yard TD reception from QB Justin Fields to rookie wide receiver Velus Jones. The reception by Jones was the first offensive catch of his career, and became the second offensive skill player in franchise history to score a touchdown on the first offensive touchdown of his NFL career.
The Bears also received a boost in their offense from special teams kicker Cairo Santos, who finished a perfect 3-for-3 for the second consecutive game, including a pair of field goals from 50+ yards. That marks the second time in Santos’ career he’s connected on multiple field goals from 50 yards or further, with the last such performance coming on October 4, 2015, at Cincinnati as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Bears special teams unit blocked Minnesota kicker Greg Joseph’s 51-yard field goal attempt with 7:38 to go in the third quarter. It was Chicago’s first blocked field goal of the season and their first field goal block since October 26, 2020, vs. Los Angeles when Roy Robertson-Harris blocked Rams K Sam Sloman’s 48-yard attempt.
Bears cornerback Kindle Vildor recorded the game’s first turnover, picking off Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins with 12:54 to go in the fourth quarter. It was the first interception of Vildor’s career. Vildor also added six combined tackles (three solo) and one pass defense in addition to the interception.
The Bears finished Sunday’s game with three players with double-digit tackles in the afternoon. This included rookie cornerback Jaylon Jones (11 combined, eight solo), rookie cornerback Kyler Gordon (10 combined, eight solo) and linebacker Nicholas Morrow (10 combined, seven solo).
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago.
