Sam Darnold did not play like an MVP candidate Monday. And the Vikings didn’t play like a two-loss team.
Yet you take the wins any way they come in the NFL. There always are teams lamenting the play or two that lead to one-score losses. There is something to be said about coming through when you are not at your best.
But the Vikings' 30-12 win over the woebegone Chicago Bears included aggravating moments and things that need to be cleaned up. They were coming off a laugher against the Falcons, are chugging through the final third of the regular season and should be surging.
Instead, there was a surge of bad decisions, penalties and missed opportunities to finish off Chicago early in the game. The Bears offense was dysfunctional behind a terrible offensive line, a rookie quarterback frequently fleeing the pass rush and a couple of untimely dropped balls. The final score doesn’t reflect how much of a slog it was over the first 2½ quarters. The Purple won by 18 points, but it didn’t feel like a laugher until late.
The suits at ESPN hopefully realize that maybe they shouldn’t put these two teams on Monday night. Last year, the Bears came here and won 12-10 on a Monday night in a game that was even harder to watch than this year’s. These matchups are what noon Sunday is for.
Not everything about Darnold’s night was terrible. In the first half, he completed third-down passes of 17, 10 and 15 yards, getting a first down each time. But he made an ill-advised fourth-down throw while being chased that was picked off by Tyrique Stevenson in the third quarter. Later in the quarter, a third-down throw to Justin Jefferson, who was double-teamed, shouldn’t have been attempted. And he missed open receivers.
Darnold was 24-for-40 for 231 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His passer rating was 74.1. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams outdid Darnold in that area, with a rating of 86.9. The Vikings committed 10 penalties for 56 yards. A few too many things to correct at this time of the year. And a team other than the 4-10, abysmal Bears would have made things interesting.
Slide 1 of 17The Vikings defense was excellent Monday, holding the Bears to 284 net yards. Jonathan Greenard, taking advantage of rookie left tackle Kiran Amegadgie, rounded him for a strip sack of Williams that was recovered by Blake Cashman and eventually led to a touchdown toss to Jefferson.
