Tag: Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings

Twitter erupts over the Bears getting the No. 1 overall draft pick

Bears fans celebrated Lovie Smith and the Texans victory that gave them the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

The Chicago Bears entered Week 18 with the opportunity to secure the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. At 3-13, the Bears just needed to lose to the Minnesota Vikings and have the 2-12-1 Houston Texans, led by former Bears head coach Lovie Smith, get a victory against the Indianapolis Colts.

The Bears did their part, losing 29-13 to finish the season 3-14. All that was left was to watch the Texans try to come back against the Colts after blowing a double-digit lead.

Thanks to an improbable fourth and 20 conversion to score a touchdown and then get the go-ahead two-point conversion, Houston secured the 32-31 win that gave the Bears the top draft pick. It’s the first time since 1947 Chicago will hold the keys to the first overall selection.

Watching the back-and-forth game between the Texans and Colts was stressful for Bears fans, but they rejoiced when it was all said and done. With the top draft pick and the most cap space in the NFL this offseason, the Bears will be very active in the spring. Fans couldn’t contain their excitement while thanking Smith and the Texans for getting the job done.

4 bold predictions for Bears vs. Vikings

The Bears are going to throw the ball quite a bit with Nathan Peterman and score a safety in our bold predictions against the Vikings.

The regular season finale is upon us and the Chicago Bears will take the field one final time as they face the playoff-bound Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field. This might feel more like a preseason game for Chicago, however. The Bears (3-13) are losers of nine straight and are simply playing for a draft pick at this point. They will be without a few key offensive starters, namely quarterback Justin Fields, who was ruled out with a hip injury. That means Nathan Peterman will make his first start as a Bear this weekend.

For the Vikings (12-4), it’s unclear how much playing time they will give their starters. They’ve already locked up a spot in the playoffs in the wild card round and would only be playing for seeding. Still, they could be looking for a convincing win after they were shellacked by the Green Bay Packers last week.

With so many unknowns, it’s the perfect opportunity to make some bold predictions.

Game time announced for Bears vs. Vikings season finale

The Bears and Vikings will kickoff at Noon CT in a game that features major playoff positioning and draft implications for both teams.

The kickoff time for the Chicago Bears season finale against the Minnesota Vikings has been set. The two teams will take the field at Noon CT on FOX, the NFL announced on Monday.

The NFL keeps Week 18 open for potential matchups that have playoff implications. The Vikings already clinched the NFC North, but will need to win to ensure they hold onto the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. Their competition, the San Francisco 49ers, will play later in the day against the Arizona Cardinals, meaning Minnesota can’t rest their starters if they want that playoff positioning.

The Bears, meanwhile, are playing for the potential first overall draft pick. Their game is going head-to-head with the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts. Should the Bears lose and the Texans win, Chicago will hold the keys to the top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

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7 Takeaways from the Bears’ close loss to the Vikings

From Justin Fields’ development to the disappearance of the Bears defensive vets, here are our takeaways from Sunday’s loss to the Vikings.

The Chicago Bears played two games in one on Sunday when they faced off against the Minnesota Vikings. The first half felt like going back in time to the Marc Trestman days as the Vikings drove up and down the field, playing perfect offense to score 21 points and seemingly bury the Bears 21-3 late in the first half.

But Chicago dug out of a deep hole, clawing their way back to make things interesting thanks to a rejuvenated offense led by Justin Fields and a defense that finally clamped down on the Vikings. The Bears scored 22 unanswered points to lead 22-21, but a late Vikings score and a costly turnover ended any hope of sealing the comeback win. Minnesota won 29-22 to improve to 3-1 while the Bears fell below .500 for the first time this season at 2-3.

It was a roller coaster of a game that elicited strong emotions, both positive and negative. Here are our takeaways from Sunday’s game.

5 Bold predictions for Bears’ Week 5 divisional game vs. Vikings

From a heavy dose of the running game to a strong rebound from Velus Jones Jr., here are our bold predictions for Bears vs. Vikings.

The Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings renew their divisional rivalry this weekend in Minneapolis. The Bears are coming off a dismal 20-12 loss against the New York Giants that dropped them to .500 and are looking for an offensive breakout to try and avoid having a losing record for the first time this season. The Vikings, meanwhile, are tied for the division lead at 3-1 and are coming off a nail-biting victory over the New Orleans Saints in London just one week ago. They will try and be rested enough to secure the win and keep their lead alive.

It’s going to be a tough game for the Bears but we’ve seen weird things happen in this series over the years that could turn the tide quickly. Here are our bold predictions ahead of Bears and Vikings.

Studs and duds from Bears’ collapse vs. Vikings in season finale

The Bears blew a halftime lead against the Vikings in their finale. In the midst of the disaster, there were some standout performances.

The Chicago Bears’ 2021 season finally came to an end on Sunday, and given the craziness that has taken place over the last month and a half at Halas Hall, it could not have come any sooner.

The Bears took on the Minnesota Vikings in a game that meant nothing other than the fact that it’s likely the final game for both head coaches.

It was Nagy, however, who had the upper hand early as the Bears took a 14-3 lead into halftime. But things deteriorated quickly in the second half as Mike Zimmer’s Vikings scored 28 points to win 31-17.

It was a sloppy game filled with awful decision making, protection issues, and a second half collapse that would put to rest any lingering doubt of the changes that must be made this week.

But in the midst of this disaster, some players have actually stood out for having very solid performances. Here are the studs and duds for the final time this season.

Bears’ Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace left Minnesota together, perhaps for the final time

Watch Bears HC Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace collaborate for maybe the last time.

The Chicago Bears’ 2021 season has come to a merciful end, but the drama is only just beginning.

The team is expected to make some big potential changes within the front office, most noticeably with Matt Nagy’s impending firing. But general manager Ryan Pace’s future is more uncertain, as some believe he’ll remain with the organization and others think he’s gone with Nagy.

If this is indeed the last we’ve seen of Nagy and possibly Pace, they certainly went out with a whimper as the Bears collapsed in the second half in a 31-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune shared a video of Nagy and Pace walking out of U.S. Bank Stadium together, perhaps for the final time. They were two of the final Bears staff members to exit the stadium.

Nagy is expected to be fired as soon as Monday morning, although it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Bears dragged things out until holding a press conference on Tuesday.

Pace’s fate is the more intriguing question at the moment, as there’s an argument to be made for both firing and keeping him. There’s been speculation that Pace could even be promoted to head of football operations while bringing in a new GM.

But considering how Chairman George McCaskey and President/CEO Ted Phillips preached the importance of collaboration, especially with Pace and Nagy, they’d have a hard time justifying firing Nagy and then keeping Pace, who’s only had one winning season in seven years.

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Bears fans showed Matt Nagy the door following second-half collapse vs. Vikings

Bears fans are officially done with the Matt Nagy era.

Matt Nagy’s final game as head coach of the Chicago Bears — a 31-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings — was a fitting tribute to everything that’s gone right and wrong during his four-year tenure.

The Bears benefited from strong defense and failed to take advantage on offense in the first half, carrying a 14-3 lead heading into the third quarter. But it was a completely different game in the second half as Chicago collapsed and was outscored 28-3.

Nagy made some questionable and infuriating decisions, including failing to hand the ball to running back David Montgomery on fourth-and-1 on three separate occasions. It was a trademark of the things Bears fans have come to know well about Nagy: the offense struggled, the quarterback especially, and he ignored the run game when it mattered.

As everything collapsed around the end of Chicago’s finale against Minnesota, Bears fans were more than ready to show Nagy the door and move forward with a new head coach, yet to be determined.

Vikings 31, Bears 17: Everything we know about Matt Nagy’s final game

In the final game of the 2021 season, the Chicago Bears lost 31-17 to the Minnesota Vikings.

The Chicago Bears suffered a brutal 31-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in their season finale, where they officially finish the season 6-11. After taking a 14-3 lead into halftime, things fell apart in the second half, which was a fitting way to end the Matt Nagy era.

With this most likely being Nagy’s final game as Chicago’s head coach, fans were impressed with how the first half went. But the second-half collapse, giving up 28 unanswered points, was surprising and it also wasn’t.

Let’s take a look at everything we know about Chicago’s Week 18 loss.

Bears blow second-half lead vs. Vikings in fitting end to Matt Nagy era

The Bears suffered a second-half collapse in a 31-17 loss to the Vikings, which was the perfect ending to the Matt Nagy era.

The Chicago Bears wrapped up what’s been a tumultuous season with a 31-17 loss against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, in what was a fitting end to the Matt Nagy era in Chicago.

In Nagy’s first game as Bears head coach in 2018, Chicago blew a 20-0 lead to the Packers, where Aaron Rodgers led Green Bay to a 24-23 comeback win.

Four years later, in Nagy’s final game as head coach, the Bears blew a 14-3 lead to the Vikings, who mounted a second-half comeback to win by two scores.

And he did it with the quarterback he wanted to roll with for the entire 2021 season: Andy Dalton, who threw two costly second-half interceptions, including a pick-6, and was sacked seven times.

There’s plenty of blame to go around for this loss, whether it’s blown coverages by Chicago’s secondary or Dalton’s turnovers. But the main reason for the loss is the Bears’ execution on fourth down.

Chicago faced three fourth-and-1’s in the game, and they didn’t hand the ball off to David Montgomery. Not once. And guess how that went. Spoiler alert: Not well.

Montgomery has been the Bears’ most consistent weapon on offense this season. Sure, he got 20 carries for 72 yards. But he was ignored when it mattered most. Ignoring the run game, another fitting end to the Nagy era.

But no one really cared about the game, not really. The most important thing is what happens after the finale.

Not that there’s been any doubt about it, but Nagy will be fired. It’s just a matter of when it happens. After all, you figure ownership will at least let him fly back to Chicago before the news leaks. Then again, they could make us wait until Tuesday, much like last season’s press conference.

The bigger question is what happens with general manager Ryan Pace, whose job was thought to be safe. Many believe Pace will remain with the organization in some capacity, be it GM or potentially head of football operations. But there are others that believe both Nagy and Pace are gone.

Strap in, Bears fans, the fun is just beginning.