Studs and duds from Bears’ Week 12overtime loss to Vikings

The Chicago Bears made it interesting on Sunday, coming back from a two-score deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime, but in the end they couldn’t get it done what it mattered most as they fell to the Minnesota Vikings, 30-27.

Caleb Williams took a horrendous sack on the second down when the Bears possessed the ball, and the Vikings marched down the field to score a game-winning field goal in their lone OT drive.

Aside from the sack, Williams showed tremendous growth. He threw for 340 yards and led a clutch game-tying drive just to force overtime.

On the other hand, coaching issues were persistent. Matt Eberflus wasted a crucial timeout on a bad challenge (he is now 2-for-9 on challenges as a head coach), and his indecision on a fourth down led to a rushed play call and a turnover on downs. His seat is on fire as the losing streak extends to five games.

But speculation about the future is for another day. Let’s get into the studs and duds from the Bears’ Week 12 loss right now.

Stud: Caleb Williams

Any chatter about the Bears taking the wrong quarterback (again) has been debunked by now. Williams finished the day completing 68% of his passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns. He also scrambled for some critical first-down conversions, all against one of the best defenses in the league. That sack in overtime was brutal, but it doesn’t take away from an exceptional game.

There are many question marks on this team, from coaches to players. At this point, they are clearly playing for draft position. However, Bears fans can at least rest easy knowing that they have a franchise quarterback, Caleb Williams.

Dud: DeAndre Carter

While Carter partially redeemed himself with a 55-yard kickoff return late in the game, his muffed punt that led to a lead-extending touchdown for Minnesota was just inexcusable. He has to land in the dud category.

Stud: DJ Moore

Moore did a little bit of everything on Sunday, finishing with 106 yards on seven receptions, plus a touchdown and a two-point conversion. He also carried the ball once for 13 yards and very nearly had a passing touchdown, too.

Dud: Special Teams blocking

Everyone wants to blame Cairo Santos for the blocked field goal (and last week’s, too), and that’s fair. He kicks the ball lower than most. But on both blocked kicks, the opposing team got deep penetration. The blocking has been abysmal, and that missed opportunity played a big role in what ended up being a 3-point loss.

The converted onside-kick was fantastic, but they have got to get better at blocking for Cairo Santos.

Stud: Jonathan Owens

The Bears started the game with a bang when Owens forced a fumble at the one-yard line and then recovered it. That gave the Bears a huge jolt of momentum when they needed it most and led to the game’s opening touchdown, the first time all season that Chicago has scored first in a game.

Dud: Coaching

As I mentioned above, there were several points in the game when the Bears simply did not look like a well-coached team or even a decently coached team, and that all comes back to Matt Eberflus. The defense had its good moments, but ultimately, they folded when they were needed the most. As defense has been Eberflus’ saving grace thus far, I think it’s fair to ask what exactly he does around here.

Over halfway through his third season as head coach, Eberflus is still chasing his 15th win. This is unacceptable, and regardless of how the rest of the year goes, the Bears desperately need a new head coach.

Honorable Mention: Keenan Allen

I wanted to include Allen as a stud. He put up 86 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions, after all. But he had some brutal drops, most of which came on third or fourth down. So he gets the honorable mention.