In a rainy, ugly game versus the Minnesota Vikings, it came down to the final play for the Chicago Bears. With Tyson Bagent in at quarterback, he was not even able to get the ball off on fourth and two from the 12 yard line as the Bears fell, 9-3, to the Vikings to lose their first game of the season.
It was known going into this game how Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores challenges Chicago’s offense. Between the weather, the sloppiness on both sides of the ball and how Flores called this game, the Bears looked like they were out of this game long before it was over. Still, the Bears had numerous blown opportunities including the blocked field goal and the lost fumble at Minnesota’s one-yard line. Without those mistakes, it would not
have come down to that final drive.
Defensively, this game was better than in the opener against the Panthers. Minnesota, who scored 39 points in their season opener, never even got into the end zone. Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz only had 143 passing yards and was sacked three times. Their star wide receiver, Justin Jefferson, only caught half of his targets and had 55 receiving yards.
Here’s a look at our studs and duds from the Bears' loss to the Vikings, including rookie safety Dillon Thieneman, who had another solid game, and rookie tight end Sam Roush, who struggled in multiple phases.
Stud: QB Caleb Williams
The stat line does not look great for Caleb Williams, but he played his heart out in this game. The interception was a bad decision, but besides that, he made good decisions throughout the game and carried this team on his shoulders despite the struggles in this game offensively. He finished the game with 42 rushing yards and was on his way to a rushing touchdown before his hamstring injury. Williams actually had the longest run of the day for Chicago with 17 yards. The Bears need him to be okay to get back to the playoffs this season, but he was definitely the offensive star of the game.
Dud: TE Sam Roush
Where do I start? Sam Roush's illegal shift in the second quarter led to a downward spiral on what started out as a good drive for the Bears. He dropped a pass. He failed to block Isaiah Rodgers on both field goal attempts and it cost Chicago three points, and potentially the game, the second time around. By the end of the first half, I thought Roush should have been taken out of the game. I understand he is a rookie and the weather was horrible, but someone who messes up this badly in multiple phases of the game should not be in the game, especially on a game-tying field goal attempt.
Stud: CB Tyrique Stevenson
At first, I was confused why Tyrique Stevenson was primarily on Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson instead of Jaylon Johnson. The answer became clear very quickly. While both corners struggled in the opener against the Carolina Panthers, Stevenson responded well in this game. He kept Jefferson contained throughout the game, had a tackle for loss and five total tackles. Stevenson suffered a hamstring injury before the game ended, but he finished the day as one of the better players for Chicago in this game.
Dud: CB Jaylon Johnson
Why is Jaylon Johnson getting paid $19 million a year? He had a bad start to the season but might have actually played worse in this game. Johnson blew coverages, missed tackles and just did not seem like he knew what to do on multiple plays. The rest of Chicago’s defense stepped up and had a good game overall, but Johnson did not. He better start playing like the type of player the Bears know he can be.
Stud: S Dillon Thieneman
Another solid day for rookie safety Dillon Thieneman. He was part of the pressure on rookie corner Malik Muhammad’s sack, led the Bears in tackles for the second week in a row with seven and knocked the ball away from Justin Jefferson in the end zone on a blown coverage by Jaylon Johnson. While it was not a perfect game, he still played well overall and can definitely be considered a stud for Chicago’s defense in this game.
Dud: C Garrett Bradbury
Garrett Bradbury had a rough first half with three accepted penalties and a bad snap. That is not the kind of game Chicago needed out of their new center, especially with the weather conditions. He is the only member of this offensive line who was not with the Bears last season, so maybe it will take him a little more time to develop chemistry with the offensive line. Even so, the mistakes he made today are things an eight-year veteran should know better than to do.
Stud: DT James Lynch
James Lynch fought his way onto the active roster with his performance in training camp and the preseason. He did not do much in his first game for Chicago against the Panthers with only three tackles. However, in this game, he was tied with Thieneman as the leading tackler with seven total tackles including two solo tackles. This is actually the most tackles Lynch has ever had in a game despite being in the league since 2020. On a day where not much went right for the Bears, at least an underdog like Lynch had a good showing.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Studs and duds from Bears' brutal Week 2 loss vs. Vikings
