The Minnesota Vikings defense held the Chicago Bears offense to just three points in a 9-3 Week 2 win. Chicago came off 59 points in Week 1, but the weather and Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores proved a bad combination for Bears head coach Ben Johnson.
Moreover, the Bears lost Caleb Williams midway through the fourth quarter to injury, but before that, the former No. 1 pick had a challenging game against the Minnesota defense.
Williams went 15-for-26 on his pass attempts for 138 passing yards, one interception, and a passer rating of 56.2. The Vikings defense also sacked the Bears QB three times and forced a fumble for two turnovers.
After the loss, Johnson spoke to the media about what went wrong for his team, aside from losing Williams, who had been marching the Bears offense in the red zone before going down.
“Overall, you look at what got us in the first half offensively; we had way too many penalties,” Johnson told reporters postgame. “I think we had seven in the first half, really threw us off course a little bit and against good defense like that, you just can’t shoot yourself in the foot. We had way too many turnovers.
“The blocked field goal hurts, and then we had missed red zone opportunities just as a whole. So, proud of how our defense played throughout that game. I thought they really competed their tails off and kept us in it for the most part. They brought a lot of energy, and it was good to see them respond the way that they did.”
Bears’ Ben Johnson Felt It Would Be a Close Finish
Furthermore, Johnson noted that points would be more valuable against the Vikings’ defense. As a result, the Bears left potential points on the board with a fumble in the red zone and a blocked field goal.
“We said it at halftime just to the team that it was going to come down to the very end when you’re facing a good opponent like this,” Johnson added. “Conditions were the way that they were. Points were going to be few and far between when it’s like that, and so you kind of feel that in the first half, and sure enough, it came down to the very end there.
“Proud of how our guys went out and they fought, and they battled. It’s not an easy game to compete in. You’re an offensive player, and you’re not getting many touches, and yet you want to just find a way to get out of that thing with the W.”
Vikings’ Brian Flores’ Playcalling Sparks Reaction
Throughout the game, Flores sparked reactions from media members and former NFL player Ryan Clark.
Skip Bayless shared his thoughts after seeing what Minnesota did to the Chicago offense in the first half.
“At home, The World’s Greatest Offense just scored 3 in the first half vs Brian Flores’ D — which got AFTER Caleb Williams,” Bayless wrote on X on Sept. 20.
Furthermore, Clark spoke about what he saw from Flores, as his side gave up only three points in the win.
“Brian Flores is a sick sick man… and I mean that in the most complimentary defensive way possible!” Clark wrote on X on Sept. 20.
CBS Sports’ JP Acosta shared a stat that shows how impressive the Vikings defense was against Bears QB Caleb Williams.
“What Brian Flores is doing to this Bears passing game is one of the better coaching performances so far,” Acosta wrote on X on Sept. 20. “After last week’s bonanza, Caleb Williams has a 40.9% Success Rate as a passer with a -0.02 EPA/dropback.”
Bears’ Ben Johnson Gets Candid After Week 2 Loss to Vikings