Week 5 recap: Chicago Bears rally from 18 points down, but late TD gives the Minnesota Vikings a 29-22 win
Seemingly left for dead after falling into a 21-3 hole early in the second quarter Sunday, the Chicago Bears mounted an impressive rally at U.S. Bank Stadium and eventually took a 22-21 fourth-quarter lead over the Minnesota Vikings.
But the Bears ultimately came up short in a gut-wrenching 29-22 loss.
Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins provided the game-winning score, capping a 17-play, 75-yard touchdown march with a 1-yard sneak with 2:26 remaining. Cousins then hit Justin Jefferson for a 2-point conversion.
The Bears’ last drive ended with 1:01 left to play when receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette had the football ripped away from him by Vikings cornerback Cam Dantzler after a 15-yard reception.
With the Week 5 loss, the Bears dropped to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the NFC North.
The Bears had no answers defensively to slow Jefferson and the Vikings offense early on. In what became a career day, Jefferson caught all seven passes thrown to him in the first quarter for 91 yards. He finished with 12 catches — the most he has had in a game in his three seasons — and 154 yards. Jefferson added a 23-yard completion to Dalvin Cook on a trick play that helped spark a first-half touchdown drive.
Cousins was red-hot as well, completing his first 17 passes and throwing for 217 yards in the first half alone. That included a 1-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jalen Reagor.
“It just felt like he was playing really well and the ball was coming out,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said. “Very decisive and really taking advantage of the plan we put together.”
Cousins downplayed his hot streak to start the day, calling it a byproduct of the Vikings’ plan.
“It goes back to the coaching, the plan,” he said. “When you’re just dropping back and going where your reads take you, but they’re giving you No. 1 (read) open and players are separating and the run game is giving you favorable opportunities to throw the ball, it just kind of all converged into putting me in a position to be successful.
“I don’t think I was ripping it into brutally tight windows or having to throw and be this hero. When you do that, it’s because everything around you is giving you this opportunity to be successful. If you go back and watch those 17 throws, I think you’d see they’re very automatic.”
Cook, who rushed for 94 yards, scored two first-half touchdowns.
The Bears’ second-half comeback efforts included field goals of 43 and 51 yards from Cairo Santos plus a 9-yard touchdown catch from rookie Velus Jones Jr., who took a touch pass in the backfield from Justin Fields and scored on the opening drive of the second half.
David Montgomery also returned after missing the Bears’ Week 4 loss to the New York Giants with an ankle injury. Montgomery had a 30-yard reception on his first touch, a screen pass on the Bears’ first possession.
He later contributed a 9-yard touchdown run on third-and-long with 1:08 remaining in the second quarter that gave the Bears some life before halftime. That scoring march included a highlight-reel, 39-yard, one-handed reception by Darnell Mooney on a deep ball from Fields.
Fields didn’t actually see Mooney’s catch until he watched a clip in the locker room after the game.
“I just thought he went up with two (hands) and grabbed it and made a contested catch,” Fields said. “After seeing the video of it, that was a great catch by him and a great play, great protection, great all around.”
The Bears were outgained 307-95 in the first half and held the ball for only 7 minutes, 28 seconds, thoroughly dominated in the early stages. But they showed resilience and fight in the second half. Kindle Vildor’s interception of Cousins in the fourth quarter helped set up the go-ahead field-goal drive.
Still, the Bears defense couldn’t come up with a stop when it needed one most, and the offense turned the ball over on its final drive.
Here’s how Week 5 unfolded.
Inactives announced
Bears running back David Montgomery is active for Sunday afternoon’s game and will try to play. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson, however, is inactive and will miss his third consecutive game with a quadriceps injury that he suffered in practice in Week 3.
Johnson returned to practice Friday for the first time since suffering a quad injury that kept him out the last two games. He did individual work and said he took a few team reps, feeling out his lateral movement and his reactions. He felt like he was moving well and called it a “big step in the right direction.”
Others inactive for the Bears on Sunday are safety Dane Cruikshank, defensive end Kingsley Jonathan and tight end Jake Tonges.
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Halftime: Bears trail Vikings 21-10
The Bears have had few answers to keep up with the Vikings, trailing 21-10 at halftime. The Vikings scored touchdowns on their first three possessions and quarterback Kirk Cousins completed his first 17 passes. The Bears fell behind by double figures 5 seconds into the second quarter when Dalvin Cook scored his second TD of the day and have been chasing since.
The bad news
The Bears have had no answers defensively to slow down Justin Jefferson and the Vikings offense in the first half. Jefferson caught all seven passes thrown to him in the first quarter for 91 receiving yards. At halftime, he has 10 grabs for 138 yards and added a 23-yard completion to Cook on a trick play that helped spark a touchdown drive.
Cousins has been red-hot as well, going 22-for-26 for 217 yards with a 114.3 passer rating. That includes a 1-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jalen Reagor.
The good news
David Montgomery got the start at running back, returning from a right ankle injury that he suffered against the Houston Texans two weeks ago.
Montgomery had a 30-yard reception on his first touch, a screen pass on the Bears’ first possession. He later contributed a big 9-yard touchdown run on third-and-long with 1:08 remaining in the second quarter that gave the Bears some life before halftime. That scoring march included a highlight reel 39-yard one-handed reception by Darnell Mooney on a deep ball from Justin Fields.
Worth noting
The Vikings converted their first five third-down attempts and have a 19-5 advantage in first downs at halftime. They have outgained the Bears 307-95 as well and held the ball for 22 minutes, 32 seconds in the first half.
An ugly offense — no matter what OC Luke Getsy says
Bears QB Justin Fields has the lowest passer rating in the NFL at 58.7. The next lowest is Mitch Trubisky at 73.7, and he lost his starting job with the Pittsburgh Steelers this week. Fields is 31st out of 32 in QBR, the ESPN-created system that incorporates quarterbacks running the ball. Fields is at 26.2. The Carolina Panthers’ Baker Mayfield is below him at 15.3.
Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy disputed the notion it has been a bumpy first four weeks for Fields, who is completing 50.7% of his pass attempts, 32nd in the NFL.
“I don’t think he’s had a rough month,” Getsy said. “He’s gotten better each week. He’s growing tremendously. We’re playing good football teams. It’s not easy to become the level of quarterback that he wants to become and I know that he can become. The important thing is that we stay focused, keep our eyes on that progress or process and we make sure we get better each week, and I believe that we’re in that phase.”
Fields is 19 of 45 (42%) for 255 yards on first and second down on a total of 65 drop-backs. If that is not part of a “rough month,” what is?
Latest stadium news from Arlington Heights
The Arlington Heights Village Board on Monday unanimously rejected a proposed referendum to prohibit public subsidies for a prospective Chicago Bears stadium development or any other private enterprise.
The board voted 9-0 to reject a petition for an “Anti-Corporate Welfare Ordinance,” which had been signed by some 565 registered voters and residents.
The team has said it would pay for the stadium, but would need public help to pay for infrastructure, such as roads and utilities, for the mixed-use development. The petition to the board would have prevented the village from offering any financial incentive not just to the Bears, but to any business or corporation. Read the full story here.
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