CHICAGO – Bears safety Eddie Jackson aligned in center field, the lone defender deep against the Vikings offense. That's a rarity with Justin Jefferson on the field. Without Jefferson, receiver Jordan Addison saw Jackson at midfield and knew he had cornerback Tyrique Stevenson beat if he got a step on him down the sideline.
With a smooth release, Addison beat Stevenson off the line and slipped past the defender without contact. Quarterback Kirk Cousins delivered a near-perfect pass about 30 yards downfield that Addison bobbled and couldn't corral while falling to the ground.
"That was a drop," Addison, who finished with three receptions for 28 yards and a touchdown, said in the visitor's locker room at Soldier Field after a 19-13 victory. "I got to keep running up under that, so I'll take that one on me."
Without Jefferson — the ignition switch in this Vikings offense — Cousins was efficient but struggled to connect downfield and create big plays. Cousins' longest completion went for a season-low 21 yards, gains he found to receiver K.J. Osborn and tight end T.J. Hockenson. He finished with only 181 passing yards on 31 attempts.
The Vikings couldn't often keep drives going. They went three-and-out on five possessions, four after halftime. They converted just two of 13 third-down attempts against one of the worst third-down defenses in the NFL. O'Connell noted the return of Bears defensive starters like cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, who had missed time due to injury.
O'Connell also didn't blame the quarterback. The Vikings once again had multiple drops, including from Hockenson, Addison and running back Alexander Mattison. Hockenson's six catches for 50 yards on eight targets led the team. Osborn had four catches for 48 yards.
"Honestly [with] the way Kirk was throwing it, feel like it could have been a much, much bigger day," O'Connell said.
Cousins pointed to a "combination of things." Mattison's drop preceded a delay-of-game penalty and a checkdown pass on third-and-14, followed by a punt.
