MINNESOTA – Chicago PK Cairo Santos made four field goals, including the game-winning kick with 10 seconds remaining, to lift the Bears to a 12-10 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night in Minneapolis.
Santos’ 30-yard field goal capped off a contest that was defined by aggressive defenses and turnover-prone offenses. Chicago (4-8) earned its first win against an NFC North opponent under coach Matt Eberflus, who entered the game 0-9 against division rivals.
Bears quarterback Justin Fields completed 27 of 37 passes for 217 yards. He rushed 12 times for 59 yards but lost two fumbles in the second half.
Joshua Dobbs threw a career-high four interceptions for Minnesota (6-6). He completed 22 of 32 passes for 185 yards and one touchdown.
The Bears trailed 10-9 when they took over on their own 22-yard line with no timeouts and 2:29 remaining. Fields pushed the ball bear midfield but faced third-and-10 after back-to-back incompletions.
On the next play, Fields found DJ Moore open downfield for a 36-yard gain. That gave the Bears a fresh set of downs on the Minnesota 13-yard line.
Soon after, Fields took a knee on three plays in a row to set up a short field-goal opportunity.
The ending spoiled a near comeback by Minnesota, which grabbed a 10-9 lead with 5:54 remaining. Dobbs fired a 17-yard pass to T.J. Hockenson for the only touchdown of the night by either team.
Chicago had taken a 9-3 advantage with 14:15 remaining on Santos’ third field goal. He connected from 55 yards for his longest kick of the night.
Then came Chicago defense’s fourth interception. Kyler Gordon picked off a deflected pass from Dobbs to give the Bears the ball back at the Minnesota 38-yard line.
The Vikings joined the takeaway party several plays later. Danielle Hunter popped the ball loose from Fields, and Sheldon Day pounced on it to give Minnesota the ball back on its 23-yard line.
The Bears’ defense flustered Dobbs and the Vikings for most of the first half. Minnesota finished the first quarter with minus-7 total yards, and Dobbs threw a pair of first-half interceptions to Chicago defenders Jaylon Johnson and Jaquan Brisker.
–Field Level Media