Bears and Vikings In-Game Blog

Fourth Quarter

Bears have the first pick after the 32-31 Texans win.
It's good!!!!! Bears could have the first pick. But there are still 50 seconds remaining.
It's Colts 31, Texans 30 right now. If PAT is good, Bears get the first pick of the draft.
Touchdown catch for the Texans and they go for the win with a two-point conversion.
Duke Shelley's revenge! The former Bear who was cut picks off pass by Boyle on deep one to Chase Claypool. Helmet not thrown by Claypool.
Trestan Ebner now getting some playing time, can't pull
Davis Mills has driven the Texans to the Colts 46 at the two-minute warning. First down.
Boyle returns for the Bears with 3:28 left.
Colts with a 54-yard field goal and it's Colts winning over Texans 31-24.
Vikings won't take the field goal facing fourth-and-2 at Bears 23. Yes they will. They just tried an Aaron Rodgers to draw off the Bears.
Pittsburgh up 20-14 on the Browns, and if it ends that way the Bears would play next year at Cleveland.
Colts on the march against Texans again, in Houston territory.
Velus Jones Jr. couldn't get up high
Elijah Hicks has a concussion. Equanimeous St. Brown's knee injury and he is questionable to return.
Bears face fourth-and-12 at the Vikings 41.
Colts have the ball back but muffed a punt and recovered it. They're back inside their own 20.
Bears have field position and one touchdown makes this a game again.
Mo Alie-Cox for the Colts TD and now the Texans trail 28-24.
Greg Stroman Jr. with the interception. He had an interception in his last game as a Bear too, the preseason finale. Bears at the Chicago 47.
Hand gives up a 10-yard completion to Jalen Reagor but very aggressively goes after the ball. He's a decent defender
Colts about to go in at the 8-yard line.
A.J. Thomas in at safety for Hicks.
Bears punted after one first down with 11 1/2 minutes left.
Mills interception and again the Colts are near midfield.
Peterman remains in at QB and Herbert breaks off a run of 12 to the Bears 48 and out of bounds. He's dangerous when they can get him into the open.
The Colts have tightened things up with a pick-6 to make it 24-21 against the Texans. White knuckle time for the Bears.
Joseph starts the quarter with a 50-yard field goal. Vikings 26, Bears 13

Third Quarter

Quarter ends.
Brisker drops an easy interception on play-action pass in the end zone to Osborn. That's the second dropped interception in three games for the Bears.
Really lame roughing the passer on Joe Thomas, who was actually stopping and didn't make a big hit on Mullens. The Vikings have reached the Bears 32.
Davis Mills TD pass puts the Texans up 24-14 on the Colts. It's looking more like the first pick than ever for the Bears.
Mullens screen pass to kick returner Kene Nwangwu to the 49 for 16 yards.
Houston back in the red zone with the ball against the Colts.
Kmet with a well-executed 11-yard TD catch. The Vikings had receivers going in numerous directions and left Kmet room to make the catch and turn up field to the end zone. Vikings 23, Bears 13
Colts scored to pull within 17-14 of Texans.
These two QBs are giving the receivers a chance to catch passes instead of running it. Now, the Bears lose that big-play run threat of Justin Fields but the passing game works.
N'Keal Harry prevents an interception with a play like a DB on a deep one, then catches a first-down pass on the next play on a skinny post. Nice play by Harry as he was blanketed but hauled it in anyway.
Montgomery gains 5 on a run up the middle and fumbles but the Bears get it back.
Bears could be down a safety with Elijah Hicks going to the locker room
Chase Claypool on a dig route. No one overthrew him on that one for 20 yards.
Nathan Peterman returns. Apparently that was just the plan, to let each have some time.
Mattison plunges in on third-and-goal from the 1 with 9:25 left in the third quarter. That should about do it for the Bears. They've done their part in this quest for the first pick in the draft. Vikings 23, Bears 6
Mattison putting on a show, runs to the 1. He's a free agent after this year and the Bears could be looking for a back if they decide they don't want David Montgomery back.
Texans dodge a big bullet. Fourth-and-3 pass by Sam Ehlinger of the Colts at the 3-yard line fell incomplete and Texans got the ball back.
Jalen Nailor in at receiver and catches a post to the 17. Vikings face third-and-1 at the 7 after a big Brisker hit on a pass and Mullens sneaked for the first down to the 6.
Mullens finds Ham just like Cousins was doing, though not in stride. The first down gain is to the Bears 43.
Mattison in at running back too, and has a first down at the 36 on a run up the middle.
Nick Mullens in for the Vikings at QB.
Vikings receive to start the second half.
Velus Jones' TD run just another step for him as he continues to improve in the season's second half after his early season of disasters. Impressive the way he has battled. He still isn't a big factor as a receiver but on runs and kick returns he is.
Cousins starts the second half 17 of 20 for 225 yards. Vikings with 297 yards but just 16 points.

Second Quarter

The review of the play detected the Vikings with 12 men on the field for the kick. No field goal as half ended on the play.
Bears force the field goal but the Vikings. who go the snap off as time was running out. It did not appear the Vikings were set or that the Bears were onside but the points stand. Matt Eberflus enraged and out on the field yelling. Someone tell him to take it easy.
Joe Thomas' second-down TFL of a yard had to have left an imprint in Dalvin Cook. Hard hit.
Appeared that Osborn fumbled on another strip by Hand but he recovered it right away at the Bears 16 after a pass.
The Jones TD run let the Bears set the franchise record for team rushing. Kind of disgusting really that a rushing record would be set in a year so bad, breaking one set in a division title year (1984).
Greg Stroman in at cornerback bit on the Cousins pump fake and Osborn was wide open on the sideline for 30 to the Bears 28. TWO-MINUTE WARNING!!!
Cousins has no problem going right back to the backs in the passing game against the Tampa-2. Mattison for 6 on first down. Then a scrum play with Mattison running gets it all the way to Minnesota's 42 for a first down on 11-yard gain.
Peterman apparently just benched for being bad. Not surprising.
Jones with a 42-yard end-around toss around the right side for a TD. Almost stepped out but stayed in bounds. Bears cut into the lead. Vikings defense is as horrible as advertised. Two-point pass incomplete after Bears took the one pointer off the board because of an offsides penalty. Vikings 16, Bears 6
Boyle with a sidearm flip looked a bit like Fields on another flip to Kmet for 16. He looks to be more in command of this offense than Peterman.
Cole Kmet on TE screen looks like a tank rolling through the Vikings for 17 yards. He's the No. 1 Bears receiver now in yardage and receptions this year.
Cleveland 7, Pittsburgh 0. The loser hosts the Bears in a game next season.
Mike Pennel provides the interior rush and Cousins throws it away in the end zone. So Joseph kicked a 28-yard field goal. Vikings had a six-play, 25-yard drive after the turnover. Vikings 16, Bears 0
Greg Stroman with a textbook tackle on pass to Adam Thielen but Viking are at the 5, then get called for delay of game. Bears need an interior rush here.
Apparently Cook is fine. He tore up the middle for 15 to the 11. Bears about to allow another score. Still having trouble figuring out why the line was so low on this.
Cousins keeps going to CJ Ham as the dump-off receiver. Gets it to Bears 24.
Patrick Peterson picked off Boyle on a deep ball that Chase Claypool did a dig route on. Peterson had a 28-yard return to the Bears 35.
Tim Boyle in at QB for the Bears. No injury announcement yet.
Pick-6 by the Texans one play after they lost it on a fumble in Indy red zone. Texans 17, Colts 7
Minnesota put together a good mix of plays without Dalvin Cook in. He was playing with a bit of shoulder situation. Alexander Mattison took over the ball carrying and scored on a 1-yard TD run. Ended a 66-yard TD drive in 12 plays. Vikings 13, Bears 0

First Quarter

Minnesota's offensive line injuries, particularly at center, are evident today. Quarter ends. Vikings 6, Bears 0
Trevis Gipson and Al-Quadin Muhammad combine to stuff Cook on first down as the run problems continue for the Vikings.
Vikings have the ball at their 34 with 49 seconds remaining in the quarter. A wasted Bears chance after the change of possessions. It appears they are no better at big momentum swings with Peterman at QB than they were with Justin Fields.
On fourth-and-7 a slant to Pettis was short and the Bears pushed him forward but he was still short by a yard. Nice rallying to the ball by the Vikings secondary even without Harrison Smith available due to a knee injury that popped up on Saturday after Friday's practice.
Peterman's short toss bounces off Herbert's hands. That's another example of how Herbert isn't ready to be the starting back. He's a liability in the passing game as a blocker and receiver.
Bears at the 44 after they lost a yard on a first-down run and Minnesota blows coverage on a short one to Dante Pettis. he gets an easy first down at the Vikings 43.
Herbert with a toss for 13 yards around left side. No Vikings home
Texans 10, Colts 7
Pretty good crowd here for a Nathan Peterman start and a finale in a 3-13 sesaon. More than for the Bills game. And the sun is actually shining. That happens about as often as the Bears win lately.
Dalvin Cook stripped by Hand and recovered by Joe Thomas for the Bears at the Chicago 29. Bears ball. Polite applause.
Cousins lucky he wasn't picked by Jaquan Brisker when he overthrew Justin Jefferson for an incompletion.
Colts inside the Houston 20 in the game that really matters.
Then Jefferson for 23 on a pass on the next play. The makeshift secondary is really struggling.
The defense tcame to stop the run but trouble vs. the pass. After they stopped Cook on first down, CJ Ham caught one at the 34 for a first down.

Houston 10, Indy 0
Montgomery keeps his legs going for 4 in a crowd but on third down Peterman gets sacked on third down and it forced fourth-and-12. The Bears tried to draw Minnesota offsides for some reason, maybe to try a field goal, but they decided instead to punt from Minnesota's 34 and only got a net of 20 yards. They might as well have just gone for it.
Well-timed throw to Velus Jones by Peterman for 26 yards at the Vikings 32. Beat Patrick Peterson, who actually made illegal contact to keep Jones from running past him for a TD.
Peterman runs for 6. Not exactly a Justin Field scramble, but they'll take it.
The Bears had a right kick return on and Velus Jones fielded it on the far left side. Instead of going straight up the sideline on a low kick, he stayed with the planned return and the Bears probably got 10 or 15 yards less.
The Houston Texans lead 7-0 and have recovered a fumble. That first pick the draft is looking more likely.
Blown coverage as expected. KJ Osborn gets behind Harrison Hand. A 66-yard pass sets up a 4-yard TD pass to Adam Thielen. Greg Joseph with the missed PAT. They had a few nice plays first but in the end it w. Vikings 6, Bears 0
Defense making a physical start for the Bears as Joe Thomas' hit on Justin Jefferson forces Vikings into third-and-7.
The Bears have decided to go with experience in their nickel defense. They put DeAndre Houston-Carson in the nickel and Elijah Hicks at safety rather than bring in one of those practice squad cornerbacks.
After a short dumpoff to EQ, Khalil Herbert took a toss around left end to make it third-and-1 but David Montgomery was stuffed for a yard loss and the Bears punted.
DJ Wonnum rushing across from Braxton Jones today with Za'Darius Smith not active. That's a real break for Nathan Peterman if he wants to stay upright.
This all blue look for the Bears uniforms is not preferred. It's their directional college look. NW Chicago Bears State U.
Minnesota won the toss and deferred.

Pregame

Dieter Eiselen starting at RG. Harrison Hand at RCB.

Inactives

Bears

QB Justin Fields

CB Kyler Gordon

RB Darrynton Evans

DB Jaylon Jones

LB Sterling Weatherford

LB Terrell Lewis

DL Angelo Blackson

Vikings

CB Cam Dantzler

S Harrison Smith

LB Brian Asamoah

LB Za'Darius Smith

,C Garrett Bradbury

DL James Lynch

DL Ross Blacklock

When 2022 free agency began the Jacksonville Jaguars had the second-most cap space and less than half ($56 million) available of what the Bears will have this offseason ($119 million), according to Spotrac.com. They spent like crazy and have a division champion. Consider how much spending the Bears can do with that amount they have available. Think about this as you watch Breon Borders today.

Bears appear likely to finish last in passing, allow the most points in the league for the first time in history, record the most losses of any in team history, yet could rush for more yards than any team in franchise history and will win the team rushing title. Not a good or winning combination.

If the Rams blow it up would the be interested in Kupp?
— EJ 🇺🇸 (@itsmine49) January 8, 2023

Hahaha are we Texans fans today?
— Heidi ➡️ Oso🧸 (@Heidiaca) January 8, 2023

Ran into George McCaskey outside Soldier Field. Told him #Bears fans feel like the Super Bowl is coming 2025. “2025? What about 2023?” #Bears
— Mark Carman (@thecarm) January 8, 2023

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