You never have to apologize for a win, and the Vikings won’t be doing that after grinding out a 9-3 result over the Bears on a wet Sunday at Soldier Field.
It was the kind of game that got messier as it went along. The first half was rough for both sides, and the second half somehow turned even uglier, with no points until late in the fourth quarter. By the time it was over, Minnesota was sitting atop the NFC North after two division wins in two weeks, while Chicago was left to deal with the late injury to quarterback Caleb Williams, which has been reported as a hamstring injury of unknown severity right now.
For Minnesota, the story of the day started with the run game. With Jordan Mason landing on IR this past Wednesday, Aaron Jones stepped into the lead-back role just in time for another chance to torment Chicago.
In 15 career games against the Bears, Jones now has over 1,000 rushing yards, and he backed that up with 105 yards on 23 carries in Sunday’s slop. His 20-yard run after a Bears fumble deep in the red zone flipped field position in a game where that mattered even more than usual.
Jones did leave briefly with a knee injury in the fourth quarter, which only reinforced how carefully the Vikings need to handle his workload while Mason is out.
The weather also didn’t bother Will Reichard one bit. Wind and rain were everywhere at Soldier Field, but Reichard still knocked through field goals from 35, 49, and 39 yards.
The last one nearly snapped his streak, but he’s now tied for third in Vikings history with 23 straight makes. Fuad Reveiz’s 31 and Gary Anderson’s 35 are still ahead, but Reichard keeps looking like he’s headed that way.
Minnesota’s defense did its part, too, and Brian Flores kept showing why he’s one of the league’s most aggressive play-callers. After a Week 1 blitz barrage against Green Bay and Jordan Love, Flores took a different starting approach against a Bears offense that can move.
He still leaned into the pressure when the moment called for it, and the mix of blitzes and coverage left Chicago with very few clean answers. The Bears’ run game had to be contained to slow down a Ben Johnson offense, and Minnesota handled that well outside of the first drive of the second half.
Chicago’s penalties also helped the Vikings, especially in the first half, with former Vikings center Garrett Bradbury caught in the middle of the mess. The end result: three points allowed to an offense that scored 59 in Week 1.
There was also a quarterback decision hanging over the week before the game even kicked off. Kyler Murray had been making progress through the concussion protocol and was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday before being ruled out Friday.
Given the weather and the condition of the field, that call made even more sense once the game unfolded. Wet conditions and a poor Soldier Field surface are a bad mix for any injured player, and Week 2 only strengthened the case for keeping him out.
Carson Wentz, meanwhile, had to survive the kind of afternoon that can wreck a backup quarterback’s rhythm. The weather was ugly, and Kevin O'Connell’s tendency not to hand out easy throws didn’t help.
Still, when the game was on the line late in the fourth quarter, Wentz delivered. He found Jordan Addison for 15 yards on third down, then hit T.J.
Hockenson for 19 yards a few plays later. A lesser fill-in might have folded under the conditions, but Wentz held up when it mattered most.
And then there was Dallas Turner, who keeps making the Vikings look smart for sticking with him. Minnesota eased him in for almost a season and a half before Jonathan Greenard’s injury opened the door to a late-year breakout.
That stretch helped lead to Greenard being traded during the offseason after he wanted a new contract, and he still hasn’t played for the Philadelphia Eagles because of a lingering pectoral injury. On Sunday, Turner had enough near-sacks to make the whole thing feel inevitable, and then he finished it with a game-sealing sack on the final play.
That was the exclamation point on a day that belonged to Minnesota in the ugliest way possible.
In Other News...
Vikings Escape Chicago With A Win That Raises A Bigger Question
The Vikings left Chicago with a 9-3 win in a game shaped by the kind of ugly conditions that tend to turn division matchups into survival tests. Aaron Jones carried much of the offense with 105 rushing yards, while Will Reichard accounted for all nine points, and Minnesotas defense did enough in the pressure game to control the night even as the tackling came and went.
What makes the result more interesting is what it says about the Vikings identity on a week when little else was clean. The pass rush showed up, the running game gave them enough balance to avoid leaning too hard on the quarterback, and the defense kept the Bears out of the end zone, but the tackling issues lingered and the game also carried a concerning injury note for Caleb Williams. For a team trying to steady itself in the NFC North, it was a win that helped the standings and still left a bigger question hanging over what Minnesota really is right now. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Jones Gave Vikings Fans One More Reason To Hate That No-Call
The Vikings win over the Bears came in a game where the defense set the tone and the weather made every yard feel earned, but Aaron Jones still managed to provide the kind of steady offense Minnesota needed to keep control. On a day when clean footing and clean execution were hard to come by, Jones piled up 106 rushing yards on 23 carries and helped give the Vikings enough balance to finish the job.
His toughest moment came late, when he took a hard hit that drew no flag and immediately became one of those calls fans cannot stop replaying. Jones did not make much of the contact afterward, but he did say he was surprised it was not penalized, giving Minnesota supporters one more reason to linger on a no-call in a game they already had plenty of feelings about. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Williams Exit Suddenly Looms Over Vikings Bears Rivalry
The latest chapter in the Vikings-Bears rivalry took an uneasy turn in the fourth quarter Sunday when Caleb Williams went down on a non-contact play and could not put any weight on the injured leg. He was carried off the field, then carted to the locker room, turning what had been a hard-fought divisional game into a tense wait for word on Chicagos rookie quarterback.
Medical experts who have looked at the injury believe it is a hamstring strain, the kind of setback that can keep a player out for at least some time. For Minnesota, the immediate concern is the usual one in the division race, with every matchup carrying extra weight, but the bigger picture now includes how long the Bears may have to navigate without the player they are counting on to steady the offense. [Read more 🡒]