Editor’s note: USA TODAY Sports also provided updates from the Falcons vs. Raiders MNF game.
The Chicago Bears failed to convert on fourth down during their first drive of the night, and things went downhill from there.
They gave up scores on three of the Minnesota Vikings’ four first-half possessions, and Minnesota took a 13-0 lead into halftime of “Monday Night Football.” They never looked back.
The Vikings’ 30-12 win – which included touchdowns from Justin Jefferson, Aaron Jones and Cam Akers – pushed them to 12-2. Their 12 wins are enough to enter a tie for the NFC North lead following the Detroit Lions’ second loss of the season one day earlier.
For Chicago, it was a 10th loss on the year and its eighth in a row after a 4-2 start.
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Here’s the full story of how the earlier game in the Week 15 “Monday Night Football” doubleheader played out:
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Will Reichard remained perfect with a 46-yard field goal that all but sealed the game for Minnesota.
The Bears took over possession with just more than one minute to play, and backup quarterback Tyson Bagent entered for Caleb Williams.
Facing a two-score deficit with just over five minutes left and no timeouts, the Bears had to try an onside kick after their touchdown. Josh Oliver quashed Chicago’s first step toward a comeback when he recovered the kick in front of the Bears’ 40-yard line.
Minnesota will try to run down the clock with the ball at the Chicago 42 and about five minutes to go.
Chicago was able to capitalize on the blocked punt and converted on fourth down for the first time all night. Caleb Williams avoided pressure in the pocket before firing over the middle to Keenan Allen to give the Bears their first six-pointer of the game.
Thanks to a penalty on the Vikings ahead of the PAT, Chicago attempted a two-point conversion from the 1-yard line. Williams’ pass attempt was batted away from receiver DJ Moore, and the attempt failed.
It’s 27-12 Vikings with 5:19 to play.
With time winding down on the Bears, they needed a big play to give them some momentum. Dominique Robinson did just that when he tore through the middle of Minnesota’s punt formation and blocked Ryan Wright’s kick.
Chicago takes over on the Vikings’ 27-yard line with just over six minutes to go.
Two plays after Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was flagged for a 30-yard pass interference penalty in the end zone, Cam Akers drove his legs through a few defenders for a 1-yard score. Akers’ touchdown made it two straight Minnesota drives to end on a 1-yard rushing touchdown.
The Vikings pushed their lead to 21 points and lead, 27-6, with just over 10 minutes left.
The Bears are back within two scores of Minnesota after Cairo Santos’ 39-yard field goal. Chicago’s kicker is 2-for-2 so far tonight on two sub-40-yard attempts.
It’s 20-6 Vikings with 13 minutes to play.
Aaron Jones’ 1-yard rush capped off Minnesota’s 70-yard scoring drive, which included 38 rushing yards from the lead back.
The Vikings lead, 20-3, after kicker Will Reichard’s PAT. The Bears will take over with 1:38 left in the third quarter.
After several failed attempts at the end zone from inside the red zone, Chicago eventually settles for a 29-yard field goal.
Cairo Santos’ successful kick makes it 13-3 Vikings with seven minutes left in the third quarter.
Doug Kramer Jr., wearing jersey number 68, entered the game and failed to report as an eligible receiver before lining up at fullback. As a result, D’Andre Swift’s 1-yard run that would have given the Bears their first score was overturned.
Chicago also picked up a holding call a couple of plays later, so it faces second-and-goal from the Minnesota 11 at the halfway point of the third quarter.
Kicker Will Reichard hit his second field goal of the night, this one from 31 yards away, to extend the Vikings’ lead near the end of the first half.
It’s 13-0 Minnesota with four seconds left in the second quarter. The Bears, meanwhile, have been outscored 53-0 during the first half of their previous three games.
Chicago interim head coach Thomas Brown has been bold in his decision-making on Monday night, but it has yet to pay off. For the second time in the Bears’ four drives, they turn the ball over on downs.
The Bears are 0-for-5 on third down conversions and 0-for-2 on fourth down so far.
Minnesota takes over on its own 29 with 2:35 left in the first half.
Chicago was forced to punt deep inside its own territory after what would have been a three-and-out. However, Vikings special teamer Trent Sherfield ran into Tory Taylor after the punt and was flagged on the play.
As a result, the Bears continue their drive with just over seven minutes left in the first half.
The Vikings faced a fourth-and-3 at the Bears’ 23-yard line and opted to go for it rather than tack three more points onto the scoreboard.
Sam Darnold was flushed out of the pocket and heaved a desperation pass into the general direction of multiple receivers, and was intercepted by Tyrique Stevenson.
The play ended a 17-play, 78-yard drive for the Vikings.
The Vikings scored on each of their first quarter possessions.
The Bears, meanwhile, had drives end on a turnover on downs, fumble and punt during the first quarter.
So far, it’s all Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Lots of love shared from one legendary Minnesota Vikings wide receiver to another.
The NFL community has showed an outpouring of support for Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss since he revealed his cancer diagnosis on Friday. Against the Chicago Bears on “Monday Night Football,” Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson became the latest to vocalize his support.
Justin Jefferson was the benefactor of an excellent play-action fake by quarterback Sam Darnold and running back Aaron Jones. He was wide open in the back of the end zone after the play fake, and Darnold found him for the easy, pitch-and-catch touchdown.
After kicker Will Reichard’s PAT, it’s 10-0 Vikings after the first 10 minutes of the game.
Brian O’Neill — a 2021 Pro Bowl selection — appeared to get hit in the back of the legs on a Vikings first-down play near the six-minute mark of the first quarter. He remained on the field for a moment and was attended to by trainers before walking off of the field under his own power.
David Quessenberry has entered for O’Neill.
The Bears drove all the way down inside the Minnesota 30-yard line before losing the ball on a strip sack of quarterback Caleb Williams.
Jonathan Greenard forced his fourth fumble of the season on the play and third in his last four games. Blake Cashman returned the ball to Chicago’s 39-yard line before he was tackled.
The Vikings take over possession at the halfway point of the first quarter, still leading, 3-0.
The Vikings were able to stop the Bears’ fourth-down attempt inside Chicago’s 40-yard line. The Vikings weren’t able to completely capitalize on the good starting field position, gaining just five yards before their drive stalled, but Will Reichard was good on a 52-yard field goal attempt.
It’s 3-0 Vikings after just under three minutes of action.
The Vikings are debuting their “Winter Warrior” uniforms during “Monday Night Football” against the Bears.
The Vikings have worn “Winter Whiteout” uniforms before, a look that features white jerseys and pants but the standard purple helmet. For Monday night’s game, the Vikings will debut a white helmet to go along with the white jerseys and pants.
➤ Photos: Alternate and throwback uniforms worn during 2024 season
The Vikings vs. Bears “Monday Night Football” matchup will kick off at 8 p.m. ET. It’s the first of two “MNF” games in Week 15, leading to the earlier-than-usual start time for the matchup.
The Vikings vs. Bears “MNF” matchup will air on ABC. Joe Buck (play-by-play) will be alongside longtime broadcast partner Troy Aikman (color commentary).
Here’s how the USA TODAY Sports team feels the Vikings-Bears game will go:
Cord cutters looking for a live stream for the matchup can turn to Fubo. Fubo carries NBC, as well as CBS, FOX, NFL Network and the ESPN family of networks, meaning you can catch NFL action through the remainder of the season.
ESPN+, the proprietary streaming service of ESPN, will also carry the game.
Here are the standings in the NFC North heading into “Monday Night Football”:
In the hunt:
x – clinched playoff berth
The NFL playoffs kick off on Jan. 11 with the league’s Super Wild Card Weekend, before concluding Feb. 9 with Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans.
Matt Eberflus’ shortcomings have been abundantly clear in his three seasons as the Bears’ head coach. However, they can be best summed up in just one 30-second sequence at the end of a brutal Thanksgiving Day loss to the Lions.
Armed with one timeout, Eberflus stood and watched his rookie quarterback, Caleb Williams, have difficulties navigating the final seconds that could’ve resulted in the game-tying field goal attempt. Instead, the quarterback heaved up a prayer for Rome Odunze that fell short as time expired.
Players expressed plenty of frustration after the game, suggesting that this situation was nearing its bitter end.
“I feel like we did enough as players to win the game,” Keenan Allen said.
In many ways, that perfectly encapsulates the Eberflus era. Close, but no cigar.
Sam Darnold is in the final four weeks of a one-year, $10 million deal he signed last offseason after one year with the San Francisco 49ers. Below are the full details of the contract, per Spotrac.com:
Perhaps Sam Darnold’s value will exceed this if he has many suitors, like the Vikings, Tennessee Titans, New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders, among others. However, he could also see his overall value take a hit if teams picking atop the 2025 NFL draft decide to eschew free agent quarterbacks and go after players like Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward.
Here are Sam Darnold’s stats through 13 games in 2024, including where his marks stack up among the rest of the NFL’s quarterbacks:
The Vikings are favorites to defeat the Bears, according to the BetMGM NFL odds. Not interested in this game? Check out expert picks and best bets for every NFL game this week.
The Bears travel to U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to take on their NFC North rivals. U.S. Bank Stadium has been the Vikings’ home since 2016.
U.S. Bank Stadium was the host of Super Bowl 52, which the Philadelphia Eagles won against the New England Patriots.
➤ Ranking NFL’s stadiums from 1 to 30: Where does Vikings’ U.S. Bank Stadium rate?
U.S. Bank Stadium is an indoor facility, so the weather forecast in Minneapolis will not impact the game. Outside of the stadium, game time temperatures are in the low-30s, according to AccuWeather.
The New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers are tied for the most Super Bowl wins with six.
The Bears and Vikings have combined for just one Super Bowl victory.
The Vikings have made four Super Bowl appearances, but have yet to win a Lombardi Trophy. Minnesota’s last Super Bowl appearance came in Super Bowl XI during the 1976 season.
The Bears have made two Super Bowl appearances, winning Super Bowl XX during the 1985 season. Chicago’s last Super Bowl appearance came in Super Bowl XLI during the 2006 season. The Bears, however, own nine total NFL championships, which is second all-time to the Green Bay Packers (13).
NFL franchises with most Super Bowl wins:
➤ Super Bowl winners: All-time scores, results for NFL title game
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➤ Best (and worst) from NFL Week 15: Lions loss opens door for Eagles, Vikings
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