The Chicago Bears were defeated in Week 2 by the Minnesota Vikings, 9-3, on Sunday. Remarkably, especially after the results of their Week 1 victory over the Carolina Panthers, the Bears didn't score a touchdown or allow one.
The word is that their offense is so great and their defense is so bad, but that couldn't have been further from the truth in this defeat to open the home portion of their schedule. They are also now 0-1 in the NFC North division, which is among the toughest in the NFL.
The elephant in the room is the hamstring injury sustained by Caleb Williams, which luckily isn't severe and has him week-to-week. Still, Williams hasn't been ruled out for Week 3, although it's expected that Tyson Bagent will start against the Philadelphia
Eagles.
Last week, the Bears had so many great plays in the game that it was hard to narrow it down to the five most important plays. This week, it was hard to find the three most important, but it was managed:
1. Austin Booker's sack of Carson Wentz
.@austinbookerr comin' in HOT 🔥
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 20, 2026
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/zv2w5H6rDP
If the Bears are going to have an improved pass rush over the next 16 weeks following this game, Austin Booker is going to need to have a similar impact to what he did against the Vikings. This sack helped halt a Vikings late first-half drive with the Bears down three points.
2. Malik Muhammad's first career sack
.@Returnof7 comes flying in for his first career sack 💥
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 20, 2026
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/OrTvESRG7k
The Bears don't have a great pass rush. They will take it in any way they can get it, though, and the secondary played a role in Chicago's run defense on Sunday. They also created quarterback pressure more than once. One of those times resulted in Malik Muhammad's first career sack. There may not be many that follow because of the nature of his position, but this was a big play at that point in the game.
3. D'Andre Swift's 32-yard screen
.@DAndreSwift takes the screen 32 yards 💨
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 20, 2026
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/oBG4Gd63eV
D'Andre Swift had an incredible Week 1 performance. Week 2 wasn't as kind to him, however, as he had a fumble on the goal line. Minnesota also brought everything on their defensive line for most of the afternoon, making it hard to have the same impact from the offensive backfield. This play, however, is a bit of film for him to watch and build on. The screen pass from Caleb Williams to Swift led to a 32-yard gain, which eventually set up a go-ahead Bears score before the injury disaster struck.
In Conclusion
There wasn't a lot of offense to boast. The defense deserves the shine following this loss, and they might not receive that level of praise much this season, so now is a good time for it. The rain is not an excuse, either. The Vikings managed two more field goals, and they used a backup quarterback from the start of the game. We'll see how long Williams is out for, but the hope is that he is back to being a consistent feature on this weekly feature.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 3 most important plays from Bears' loss to Vikings in Week 2
