Minnesota Vikings 30, Chicago Bears 12
4-10-0
12-2-0
- Vikings wear down Bears. Minnesota started this game well enough to take a 10-0 lead, but for a significant stretch of time couldn't find its offensive rhythm. Chicago forced Minnesota into two three-and-outs to start the second half, and despite converting just 1 of 11 third downs, the Bears managed to win the time of possession battle even with an offense that didn't break 275 yards until the game entered its final six minutes. That meant Minnesota didn't have an endless supply of opportunities, but fortunately for the Vikings, a combination of penalty yards and a methodical drive produced two touchdowns, pushing the margin out wide enough to all but confirm their eventual victory. Offensively, the Vikings weren't as impressive over four quarters as usual -- it was mildly shocking they didn't dominate this game more significantly -- but they got the job done without a notably spectacular performance from any of their key weapons, which is what a winning team is expected to do. They can thank their swarming defense for playing an essential part in that.
- Bears need to do right by Caleb. Although Caleb Williams has been forced to run for his life for much of this season, he has proven he's the Bears' quarterback of the future. They've given him receiving talent. Next on the list: better protection and a coaching staff that can cultivate his development instead of asking him to play hero. Chicago's defense played well enough for a good portion of this game to make it competitive, but the offense failed to show up, no matter how hard Williams tried to bring it to life. An operational error robbed them of their sole moment of joy, too, wiping out a touchdown because an eligible lineman didn't report to the officials before the play. That starts with the coaching staff, which has already been altered by Shane Waldron and Matt Eberflus' firings and will see more changes this offseason. If the Bears are going to turn around their franchise, it starts this offseason. Monday night's result was useful only as another motivating factor to drive the organization to take this offseason seriously.
- Small signs of concern emerge for Minnesota. Look, we know the Vikings' full-strength offense is incredibly dangerous. Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison form one of the best receiving duos in the NFL, a pair liable to explode for multiple scores on any given Sunday (or Monday, or Thursday). But as the Lions have unfortunately learned in recent weeks, the injury bug can strike viciously at any moment. It made a cameo appearance Monday night, knocking right tackle Brian O'Neill out for a stretch of time and exposing the Vikings' lack of quality depth behind him. Sam Darnold didn't look too great, either, freezing in the pocket at times and making some questionable throws that fortunately didn't hurt Minnesota's chances too seriously. Chicago's defense presents a challenge to most opponents, but we can't explain this one away with that as the sole reason. Even Jefferson dropped what would've been a touchdown pass Monday night. The Vikings will head back from U.S. Bank Stadium knowing they have some things to clean up. Fortunately, they were playing a team that simply doesn't stack up against them.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Bears-Vikings (via NFL Pro): Jonathan Greenard generated a team-high seven pressures and a sack against the Bears, with five of his pressures coming against rookie left tackle Kiran Amegadjie. Greenard has accumulated 56 pressures this season, ninth-most in the NFL.
NFL Research: Sam Darnold's 12 wins in 2024 are tied for the third most by a QB with a new team in the last 40 seasons (trails only 2012 Peyton Manning and 2006 Steve McNair, who each won 13).
Atlanta Falcons 15, Las Vegas Raiders 9
7-7-0
2-12-0
- Cousins, Falcons still have problems offensively. Plenty of time and digital space has been spent covering Kirk Cousins' recent struggles, and while he finally ended his touchdown pass drought Monday night, he still wasn't good. Cousins completed 11 of 17 passes for a whopping 112 yards, one touchdown and one interception thrown over the middle -- an area that has plagued him in 2024 -- appearing hesitant and frantic in the pocket, often resorting to desperation throws headed nowhere to just avoid the worst while also facing pressure on 50 percent of his dropbacks. Luckily for Cousins, Bijan Robinson had a very good night, knifing through the Raiders' defense for 125 yards on 22 carries, while Tyler Allgeier chipped in 43 yards on 12 carries. But the Falcons routinely stalled out on promising drives, settling for two Younghoe Koo field goals, and finished with an offensive success rate of 35.1%. Afterward, Cousins repeated the same concerning phrases he uttered two months ago: "It's not where I want to be." Well, even with another win under their belt, the Falcons are running out of time to figure it out. They certainly didn't give us many reasons to believe they're going to do so quickly.
- These are your 2024 Raiders. It was expected Las Vegas would struggle offensively once it lost both Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell to injury, but I'm not sure we thought it would be this bad. The only juice from this offense came from Alexander Mattison, who provided his entire serving of it by trucking safety Justin Simmons on a play. Sure, Ridder finished with 208 yards on 23 completions, but he also threw a horrid interception in the fourth quarter, and the Raiders ended the night under 250 yards as a team and 4 of 14 on third down. They're an uninspiring outfit. Even when they needed to cover 80 yards in 1:50 with the game on the line, Ridder couldn't bring himself to throw the ball beyond the range of a checkdown to a running back. They incurred a delay of game penalty during this period, too, playing like a team that is now 2-12. One look at Antonio Pierce's dismayed expression on the sideline says it all.
- Atlanta stays alive. For all of the concern and negativity expressed in the first point, the Falcons can fly back to Georgia knowing they kept their hopes alive. After four straight losses -- including two in blowout fashion -- they certainly needed a win, and they can thank the scheduling gods for gifting them a trip to the Death Star, a stadium in which only one thing has perished in 2024: the Raiders' playoff hopes. Atlanta's didn't die Monday night, with the ugly win moving them to 7-7 in an NFC South race that is separated by just one game. The Falcons essentially have to win out in order to give themselves the best chance of making the postseason, which means they'll have to find a way to beat the Commanders in Washington between home dates with the Giants and scrappy Panthers. But on Monday night, all they could control was their performance against the Raiders. Thanks to their opportunistic defense and special teams -- which played a significant role with two blocked punts and a blocked extra point -- they accomplished the task directly in front of them.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Falcons-Raiders (via NFL Pro): Bijan Robinson ran for 125 yards on 22 rushes, generating +43 rushing yards over expected -- his most in a game this season.
NFL Research: Coming off a rough stretch of eight interceptions thrown in his last four starts, Kirk Cousins did not attempt a single pass on first down in the first half Monday night. It was the first time this happened in his career.
