Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards brings down Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson during Sunday’s game.
Mark Busch/Shaw Local News Network
On Minnesota’s first offensive snap of overtime, Montez Sweat dropped Sam Darnold for a 7-yard loss. With a second-and-17 at the 14-yard line, Sunday’s game should have been over.
Two more defensive stops, good field position after a punt and the Bears were just one unblocked field goal from victory. Of course, it was the Vikings that kept the drive alive and kicked the final field goal. Bears Film Study set out to find what went wrong.
Overall, this was a fairly strong performance by the Bears. They needed a miracle comeback to force overtime, but they also had a few dumb mistakes that could have changed the trajectory of this game. Yeah, what else is new?
So on second-and-17, Darnold hit T.J. Hockenson over the middle for 7 yards just before getting dropped by DeMarcus Walker. No complaints on that play, but the 13-yard completion to Jordan Addison on third down was the beginning of the end. It was a simple out pattern with Kevin Byard giving up too much space when he had deep safety help, and credit Darnold for getting the pass out on time.
Jaylon Johnson did a nice job of limiting Justin Jefferson to his lowest output of the season, by far. But when Addison finishes with 8 for 162, what’s the point?
Jefferson was well-covered by Johnson when he made his second catch of the game, giving Minnesota a first down near midfield. The Vikings followed that with a holding penalty and again, the Bears’ defense couldn’t get off the field.
This time it was a case of dropping too deep. Darnold dumped a pass to Aaron Jones for 9, then Hockenson for 12. Hockenson had a 5-yard cushion against the Bears’ zone when he caught the ball and picked up the first down with ease.
Then came the final-nail 29-yard completion to Hockenson. On this one, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds picked up the tight end for the first 10 yards, then let him go and no one picked him up. Byard was running in, Jonathan Owens sprinting back and neither came close to challenging the catch.
Blundering Bears
How do the Bears correct the dumb mistakes that have been the hallmark of this five-game losing streak?
Some of them, like DeAndre Carter’s muffed punt return on Sunday or Tyrique Stevenson gesturing into the stands at Washington, were pretty fluky. The players should have known better.
Otherwise, the Bears need more talent. Against the Vikings, they lacked a second cornerback who could slow down Addison, an extra pass rusher who might have been able to sack Darnold when it really mattered, better depth at safety after team doctors didn’t pull Jaquan Brisker off the field when they should have against Carolina.
One observation about the blocked field goals the past two weeks: One of the Vikings claimed they exploited the same weakness the Bears showed in the previous game against Green Bay, but the film says otherwise. Braxton Jones on the right side got knocked backward on the Vikings’ blocked kick. The Packers got pressure up the middle, which might be illegal, and Larry Borom at right guard went tumbling to the ground. Wasn’t the same issue, other than a blanket failure to block well enough.
Generally, the Bears were able to put their best version of the offensive line on the field against Minnesota and performed fairly well. Williams was sacked three times, but otherwise didn’t feel much heat. In a related note, the rookie QB threw for 340 yards.
Worst play
The long, slow overtime momentum-killer, when Williams sat in the pocket for 9.7 seconds before being sacked by Jonathan Greenard. What was going on downfield while Williams held the ball? Well, the Bears were in max protect (obviously) with just three receivers in the pattern. But those guys were open. Williams had options, and it’s not clear what he was waiting for.
The three receivers could have worked harder to keep moving when Williams held the ball, while either Cole Kmet or D’Andre Swift should have leaked out of the backfield. They did eventually, and Williams could have throw it to one of them, but took the sack, ruining the Bears’ chance to win it in OT.
Silver linings
The Vikings caught the Bears off guard with the 69-yard pass play to Addison on the first snap of the third quarter, but credit Byard for a long run to make the tackle, prevent the TD and limit Minnesota to a field goal. … The Bears’ first scoring drive featured a 40-yard pass to Keenan Allen and 30-yarder to Swift. Both were the kind of thread-the-needle throws by Williams that win games in the NFL. … On fourth-and-four in the fourth quarter, the Bears called a play that should have been successful, Williams and Allen just didn’t connect. But next time, kick — er, attempt — the field goal.