The 2025 Chicago Bears have five fourth-quarter comeback wins among their seven wins thus far, and that’s tied with the Denver Broncos for the most comebacks this season. Yesterday’s 19 to 17 come-from-behind win over the Minnesota Vikings was fueled by the special teams, but all three phases have had their big moments in the improbable quintet of victories for Chicago.
The Bears are just the third team in the last five years with a game-winning score in the final two minutes of regulation or overtime
in three straight weeks, joining the Washington Commanders last season and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier this year.
This game felt a lot like the season opener, when the Bears lost 27 to 24 to the Vikings, a game they let slip away in the fourth quarter.
“It was very reminiscent there of the first game, where we ended up having a lead and then allowed it to get interesting there,” head coach Ben Johnson said. “And we felt like we didn’t make enough plays there in the first game to earn that victory, and this one we did. So, I do think that shows growth as a football team.”
The Bears had 320 total yards to 265 for the Vikings; they also had the edge in first downs (19 to 15) and in time of possession (36:59 to 23:01). Chicago converted 38.9% of their third-down tries and held Minnesota to 27.3%.
The penalty bug hit the Bears this week with 6 for 40 yards to 2 for 15 for the Vikes.
Let’s look at the Bears’ playing time breakdowns and a few individual stats from the game.
OFFENSE
Caleb Williams was hurt by drops again this week, but his deep ball accuracy hurt him as well. Thanks to the big kickoff return, Williams didn’t throw a pass on the game-winning drive, but as the QB, he does get credit for the fourth quarter comeback “stat.” In the final quarter, he was 2 of 6 for 38 yards and sacked twice.
The Vikings had pressure on him most of the day, and the big FOX audience got to see Caleb’s escapability on full display. Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores had a blitz rate of 44.4% before yesterday’s game, but against the Bears, he called a blitz on 66.7% of Caleb’s dropbacks, according to NextGen Stats. Even with all the different fronts and various coverages Flores threw at him, Williams didn’t turn it over.
Minnesota’s aggressive defense wasn’t just affecting the passing game, because they also had 10 tackles for loss.
Rookie wideout Luther Burden III, who has seen his playing time slowly increase, now appears to be the number-three receiver.
DEFENSE
Noah Sewell led the Bears with 10 tackles.
Kevin Byard III had his league-leading fifth interception, to go along with 5 tackles.
Nahshon Wright had his fourth pick of the season, along with a tackle.
C.J. Johnson-Gardner had 4 tackles, a TFL, and a QB hit
Tremaine Edmunds had 9 tackles, a QBH, and a pass defended.
Montez Sweat had 2 tackles, a QBH, and a PD.
Austin Booker had a couple of tackles and a QBH.
Tyrique Stevenson had 4 tackles, a PD, and a forced fumble.
SPECIAL TEAMS*
*The above image has players who only played in the third phase.
Cairo Santos hit 4 of 5 field goals, including the game-winner. He was 1 for 1 on extra points. For more on Santos’ game, click here.
Tory Taylor had 6 punts for a 47.7 average with 2 punts inside the twenty. His net average was just 34.5, thanks to 79 punt return yards by the Vikings.
Devin Duvernay had 11 yards on punt returns and a big 56-yard kickoff return with under a minute left in the game.
Daniel Hardy and Roschon Johnson each had 2 special teams tackles.
To check out the complete Bears vs. Vikings box score, I find ESPN’s site is easy to navigate.
All statistics and snap counts, as well as the accompanying pictures, are taken directly from the NFL’s Game Statistic and Information System.
