Vikings Lifeless In Ugly Loss To Bears At Soldier Field
There are losses, there are blowouts, and then there's whatever happened to the Minnesota Vikings in Chicago on Sunday afternoon.
This wasn't just a tough road loss to a rival. It was a dismantling. Facing a Bears team missing multiple starters on defense, the Vikings offense was about as bad as an offense can possibly be. It was a performance that highlighted the fundamental flaws of Kirk Cousins and the Vikings offensive line, and one that leaves little reason for optimism going forward.
During the first 42 minutes of game time, the Vikings gained 53 yards of offense. They never threatened to score a single point until it was too late in an indescribably ugly 16-6 loss. A late touchdown drive made things slightly interesting, but a failed two-point conversion ensured that the only thing the drive did was make the Vikings' overall numbers look deceivingly adequate.
The two most telling stats: Cousins was sacked 6 times and lost two fumbles. In a game where the Vikings couldn't get Dalvin Cook going on the ground (14 carries, 35 yards), Cousins was forced to drop back and try to move the ball. Just about every time he did, there were multiple white jerseys in his face.
When an offensive line is utterly dominated by a defensive line, there's only so much the rest of the offense can do to try to mitigate the damage. It's not Cook's fault he had nowhere to run. It's not Adam Thielen's fault he finished with 2 catches for 6 yards.
But all the blame doesn't go to the offensive line. There were numerous instances of Cousins holding on to the ball for too long, passing up open reads and taking sacks he has no business taking. The problem that has plagued him throughout his career – fumbling – reared its head at the worst possible times.
The strip sack by Khalil Mack on the first play of the second half was more the fault of Riley Reiff than Cousins. His second fumble of the third quarter, however, was a perfect example of not getting rid of the ball in time.
Cousins' final numbers – 27 for 36 for 233 yards – were pumped up by garbage time. On the late 13-play, 92-yard drive, the Bears were mostly backing off and giving up open passing lanes. Still, it's the only conceivable positive for the Vikings offense. They marched down the field and finished it off with a touchdown by Cook.
The touchdown did little to change the feeling that the Vikings have problems on offense that might not be fixable.
The Bears' first drive set the tone for what would be a strange, penalty-marred first half. Despite losing Mitch Trubisky to a potentially serious shoulder injury on the game's sixth play, the Bears possessed the ball for over seven minutes. Aided by two overturned fumbles and impressive play by backup Chase Daniel, they drove 75 yards on 14 plays for the game's only meaningful touchdown.
Because of the length of each drive, the Vikings somehow finished the first half with just two possessions. They worked into Bears territory on the latter of those two – thanks to a seemingly endless stream of defensive penalties by Chicago – only to have Stefon Diggs lose a fumble.
Meanwhile, Daniel and the Bears offense were able to move the ball by converting on third downs and making quick reads to get the ball out whenever the Vikings brought pressure. Daniel was essentially the anti-Cousins in terms of his ability to read pressure and get the ball out.
The Bears added three field goals over the rest of the game, which was too much offense for the Vikings to overcome.
