Disastrous Dobbs and Vikings lose in final minute to lowly Bears
For a second straight week the Minnesota Vikings lost in the final minute of the game, last week allowing Russell Wilson and the Broncos to beat them and on Monday night losing to Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears in what was one of the ugliest games of the NFL season.
Cairo Santos booted his fourth field of the night -- a 30-yard chip shot -- with 10 seconds left to give the Bears a 12-10 road victory at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
It was a disastrous night for the Vikings offense, namely quarterback Josh Dobbs, who became the first Vikings quarterback to throw four interceptions in a game since Matt Cassel in 2014.
Nov 27, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Chicago Bears defensive end Montez Sweat (98) sacks Minnesota Vikings quarterback Joshua Dobbs (15) in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
For the majority of the game, fans inside U.S. Bank Stadium were quiet with the exception of booing the home team until the mood changed when Dobbs hit tight end T.J. Hockenson for a 17-yard touchdown with under six minutes to go. The touchdown put Minnesota on top 10-9.
The likelihood a win increased substantially when Fields fumbled on the next drive, but Dobbs and the Vikings went three-and-out and Ryan Wright's 26-yard punt gave the Bears one final shot, starting from their own 22-yard line with 2:29 remaining.
The kill shot came on third-and-ten from the Minnesota 49-yard line when Fields sat in a clean pocket and hit D.J. Moore for a 36-yard gain to the 13-yard line. Three kneel downs and a field goal alter sent the Vikings into their bye week on a two-game losing skid and a 6-6 overall record.
Here's how the game unfolded...
Minnesota went three-and-out on the first drive, Dobbs was intercepted on the fourth play of the second drive and he was intercepted again on the sixth play of Minnesota's third drive.
The first interception was 100% on Dobbs for either under throwing or not seeing Jaylon Johnson dropping in front of Dobbs' intended target. The second interception was a fastball from Dobbs that hit rookie Jordan Addison in the hands and bounced in the air, into the hands of Bears safety Jaquan Brisker.
By the time there was seven minutes left in the first half, the Vikings had run just 13 offensive plays and gained just 20 yards.
It didn't get any better on the fourth offensive possession when on third-and-six Dobbs threw a pass to the right that was nearly intercepted again by Johnson, who would've had an easy return for a touchdown had he caught the ball.
Chicago did nothing to take advantage of Minnesota's miserable play and the Vikings finally moved the ball into Chicago territory and ended the half with a 34-yard Greg Joseph field goal to tie the game 3-3.
Minnesota opened the second half with a 21-yard run by Alexander Mattison but gave eight yards back when Dobbs was sacked on the next play. The drive ended near midfield when T.J. Hockenson was stopped a half-yard short of the sticks on fourth-and-seven.
The Bears turned that great field position into a Cairo Santos field goal and a 6-3 lead.
The Vikings responded by again driving to midfield only to have Dobbs' pass on fourth-and-three get tipped by Johnson and intercepted by linebacker T.J. Edwards. If you're keeping track, that's three interceptions for Dobbs.
The Bears turned the turnover into three more points and a 9-3 lead on a 55-yard field goal by Santos with 14:15 left in the fourth quarter.
Two plays later Dobbs threw his fourth interception on a duck that was tipped by defensive tackle Justin Jones and picked off by Kyler Gordon.
Still not dead, the Vikings defense forced a fumble only to have Dobbs and Addison fail to connect on a wide open deep ball down the left sideline. Addison was clear of any Bears defender by a mile but he caught the ball out of bounds, either because he lost track of where he was or because Dobbs misfired.
Despite the missed opportunities, Dobbs connect on his next three passes, hitting Addison for 14 yards, Hockenson for 16 yards and then Hockenson again for a 17-yard touchdown. Joseph's extra point gave the Vikings their first lead of the game at 10-9 with 5:54 to play -- and you already know the rest of the story.
Up next: Vikings at Raiders on Sunday, Dec. 10
