The Chicago Bears offense struggled to find any rhythm as the Minnesota Vikings came away with a 9-3 win in Week 2. The weather played a role, but Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores also made life difficult for Chicago, which managed just three points after putting up 59 in Week 1.
Chicago also lost Caleb Williams in the fourth quarter, adding another problem at a critical point in the game. Before exiting with his injury, Williams completed 15 of 26 passes for 138 yards, one interception, and a 56.2 passer rating.
Williams’ injury came with the Bears deep in the red zone and pushing for a touchdown. Without him, the drive ended with a blocked field goal.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell highlighted several things he liked about the team in the win over the Bears. Nonetheless, the biggest praise came when talking about the defense and containing Williams before his injury.
“I thought the tackling, a couple times in space, that surface can be tough for guys to close space, come to balance, make a tackle, and they were able to make a couple loose plays to get new first downs like that,” O’Connell told reporters after the win.
“But for the most part, in between the trenches, I thought our guys answered the bell against a team we knew wanted to run it and try to get some plays off of [Williams]. Caleb is such a unique talent. Even when you think you got him, I give our guys a ton of credit for chasing him around all day, but we did keep him in there enough.”
Blake Cashman on Facing Caleb Williams in Week 2
Meanwhile, despite Williams leaving the game with an injury, Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman showed a lot of respect for the Bears star.
“He has a very special, unique skill set,” Cashman told reporters postgame. “The way he can make guys move, his elusiveness. We have a lot of respect for him. That’s why all week, every day, we were talking about our rush plan, keeping 18 contained in the pocket, and I thought for the most part we did a really good job.
“We knew he was going to get out sometime. He’s a great player. It’s going to happen, but overall, I thought the guys up front did a really good job.”
Nonetheless, the Vikings defense did its job and didn’t let their guard down even after Williams left the game, as the contest came down to the final play and the Bears still had a chance to secure the win.
Colston Loveland on Bears’ Loss to the Vikings
After the loss, Bears tight end Colston Loveland spoke to Marquee Sports Network to share his thoughts on the loss, as he had a quiet day, recording one reception on three targets for three receiving yards.
“Just a sloppy day,” Loveland said postgame. “Penalties, turnovers. We knew coming in, whoever wins the turnover margin is probably gonna win this game, and we didn’t do that. So just a lot of things we got to clean up, but [Tyson Bagent] fought and gave a lot of effort, which is good to see.”
Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell Has Words for Bears QB Caleb Williams After Injury