In an encounter full of emotions, the Chicago Bears faced the Minnesota Vikings at the start of the season, falling defeated with a score of 27-24. Despite a promising start, mistakes and lack of execution in the second half cost the Chicago team dearly.
A Blazing Start
Quarterback Caleb Williams, in his first official game under new coach Ben Johnson, led the Bears to a spectacular start. Williams proved his worth by scoring his first rushing touchdown and the team’s first touchdown on the opening play since the 2023 season. Williams completed his first 10 passes, establishing the longest streak for a Bears quarterback in a season opener since 1978. This performance helped the Bears maintain a four-point lead at halftime, which then expanded to 17-6 thanks to an interception by Nahshon Wright.Decisive Errors in the Second Half
However, errors and penalties began to accumulate in the second half, preventing the Bears from closing out the game. Williams expressed his frustration at not being able to maintain the pace, highlighting the importance of executing plays at a high level.The Monday night loss marked the fourth time in the last four seasons that the Bears have lost a game after entering the final quarter with a double-digit lead. Coach Johnson lamented the loss of momentum and the errors that cost the team crucial points. The Vikings took advantage of this situation and scored 21 unanswered points, led by their quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The turning point for Chicago came when Williams was penalized for intentional grounding and, two plays later, Cairo Santos missed a 50-yard field goal. Darnell Wright, Bears right tackle, pointed out the need for the team to regain focus and become the spark it needs to react. Williams’ accuracy declined as the game went on, recording a deflected pass rate of 29.4%, the worst in the NFL in Week 1. The aggressiveness of Minnesota defensive coordinator Brian Flores in pressuring Williams also played a significant role in the game’s turnaround. In addition to Chicago’s stalled offense, the team was penalized 12 times for 127 yards, including four false starts in the first half and two defensive pass interference penalties that resulted in 10 points for the opponent.We felt like we were dominating the game… That mentality is something we have, something we preach. That didn’t happen today.
Caleb Williams
Johnson emphasized the need to correct penalties, a recurring problem during the preseason, and highlighted the importance of collective effort to achieve it.The team that would commit the fewest errors would win the game… Unfortunately, we were on the wrong side of that. We made too many mistakes at the end of the game.
Ben Johnson
