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As unsettling, if we're being nice, and infuriating, if you want a more accurate temperature on the inbox, as multiple moments of Sunday's game had been, the Vikings led the Bears by one point with 50 seconds remaining.

Chicago's Devin Duverney, an All-Pro return specialist with Baltimore in 2021, returned the kickoff after Minnesota's go-ahead touchdown 56 yards to the Minnesota 40.

Caleb Williams made three handoffs and will get credit for a game-winning drive thanks to the 48-yard field goal that went through (not by much, either!) as time expired.

The 19-17 HOME loss by the Vikings dropped the team to 4-6 with a paltry 1-4 record in home games, soured a significant milestone for Harrison Smith and threw a monkey wrench into what could have been significant progress in the division standings.

Many can point to earlier points in the game before J.J. McCarthy went 6-for-8 with 76 yards and threw a 15-yard touchdown to Jordan Addison after picking up a fourth-and-4 with a pass to Addison as reasons the Vikings didn't deserve to win.

Yet, somehow, even after losing the turnover battle by 2-0 or worse for the third consecutive home loss and sixth time overall this season, the Vikings will likely look back on this one later on when they lament things that could have been different in 2025.

There's still quite a bit of football, but a team with what Head Coach Kevin O'Connell described as a "razor-thin" margin of error, this one could prove detrimental to the playoff push.

"We did a lot of the things that we talked about not doing," O'Connell said. "We've learned some hard lessons on that razor-thin margin of what these games come down to."

Up next is back-to-back road games at Green Bay (6-3-1) and Seattle (7-3).

Another game and another disappointing outcome. My question is why did we not kick it out of the end zone with 50 seconds left in the game and allow your defense to make a stop? We might have given up a few yards with a penalty, but it definitely would have eliminated the chance of a HUGE play by Chicago, which they got. We have had way too many special teams miscues so far this year with penalties (big one again today on a big return.

— Paul in Nebraska

And …

We had the victory. We rallied back to take the lead with little time to go and gave up a 56-yard KO return. Brutal. When is enough going to be enough? We cannot steal defeat from a victory. I hope the Vikings come out next week with a huge chip on their shoulders.

— Gerald Goblirsch

Starting off today with similar sentiments.

The Vikings have been pretty aggressive in putting the ball in play this season on kickoffs but would have been better off kicking the ball out of bounds (Chicago 40) or deep enough in the end zone to force a touchback (35).

It's like there almost needs to be an added filter placed on decisions that factors in the likelihood of the worst possible outcome happening at any moment (more on that below in the turnovers section, a recurring segment).

That would have created a little more pressure on Caleb Williams and Company, which likely would not have been able to just keep the ball on the ground.

The holding penalty on Jay Ward negated a 36-yard return by Myles Price to the Minnesota 40 after Chicago made it 13-3 with 10:31 remaining in the third quarter. Instead of a potential momentum changer and great field position, the drive started at the 20 and got upended by a false start that made a third-and-2 a third-and-7.

Turnovers: 0-2. That's the deciding factor. Still, this was an incredibly winnable game. Digging deeper, there were mistakes in all phases with different players taking turns. Offensively, the two picks, one of which was a terrific defensive play. Tip your cap. One was simply an ill-advised throw. Still, I saw growth from McCarthy. Several feathered touch throws, a few right on the money. That was great to see. O-line played great. No sacks and a 5.2 run average. Defensively, how many second-or third-and-very-long (10-plus yards) plays did the Bears convert for first downs? Way too many. But the defense also got some key stops. And only 16 points allowed with a single TD until the final seconds. Special teams played much better than they did last week. And please oh, please, can we find the appropriate amount of love and admiration for Will Reichard? Of all the problems this season, the kicker is decidedly not among them. How awesome is that? However, how can you allow that final kick return? Breakdowns in all phases amplified the turnover discrepancy.

McCarthy is a work-in-progress. Plenty to like at the beginning and end of games. But that muddle in the middle of games must get resolved. Too many sailed overthrows.

The team never quit despite some obvious frustrations on the field and sideline. My hopes for the postseason are pretty low. I'll simply enjoy the game-to-game action as best as I can and watch for continued signs of growth and improvement in the team overall as it finally gets healthy and in a QB who has played only a handful of games in two seasons.

Skol!

— Jeff in Sacramento, California

Both interceptions occurred on first-and-10 plays.

The first was a nice play by Kevin Byard III, who recorded his NFL-leading fifth interception and 34^th of his career by sagging underneath a pass to Justin Jefferson. McCarthy was hit by Grady Jarrett as he threw the ball and didn't get the zip he wanted on it.

Protection was pretty good throughout the game — McCarthy was not sacked — but it's the kind of season where an instance of pressure creates the worst possible outcome.

McCarthy said he should have checked the ball down to C.J. Ham on the possession that began with less than four minutes remaining in the first half.

Byard returned the football 23 yards to the Minnesota 25. Chicago gained just 5 on the following series but added a field goal for a 10-3 lead.

The second interception on a first-and-10 from the Chicago 30 with 42 seconds left in the first half denied the opportunity to at least get those three points back. McCarthy targeted Addison in single coverage against former Viking Nahshon Wright. The throw was late and short.

Minnesota had three timeouts, so anything to put the ball in play without as much risk would have been better.

Again, that filter of "What's the worst thing that could happen?' could be applied.

Interesting game and an uninspired performance by the Vikings all-around. The Vikings offense is just unable to mount a sustained TD drive in the first half — too many missed throws, blocked passes, and interceptions thrown by J.J. throughout the game. The Vikings defense is just unable to stop the Bears sustained drives in the second quarter and third quarter and in general let the Bears offense stay on the field. It is amazing to me how poorly the Vikings defense is at tackling Caleb? The Vikings gave up a lot by being unable to actually bring down Caleb until the fourth quarter. Terrible to give up that kick return to the Bears at the end. Below are my 3 Ups and 3 Downs for the game:

UPS:

1. Vikings defense held the Bears to a FG on their opening third-quarter drive.

2. Vikings punt game and punt coverage game was on-point today. This needs to be sustained.

3. Andrew Van Ginkel and Myles Turner finally sack Caleb. Followed by an awesome punt return by Price — with no penalty. And our first TD of the game. Awesome!

DOWNS:

1. Two obvious bad throws by J.J. McCarthy to start the game and shut down our opening drive. Both receivers he missed were open. A very disappointing way for him to start. Followed by two interceptions thrown by J.J. in the late second quarter. Not sure why he keeps throwing to covered receivers — especially the second pick?

2. The Bears time-consuming-and-dominating TD drive for most of the second quarter. The Vikings defense didn't come close to stopping it — reminiscent of the fourth-quarter TD drive they gave up to the Ravens last week. A very disappointing defensive series.

3. In the second half, the Vikings offense still could not produce a sustained TD drive until the fourth quarter. On defense we gave up multiple sustained scoring drives and key third-down conversions. Neither unit is going to earn victories that way.

The Vikings have another pre-snap penalty, this one on a third-and-2, and a holding call on our good kickoff return. Why am I not surprised? J.J. gets credit for the fourth quarter scores; however, he was mediocre at best today. He needs to improve his accuracy and decision making a lot. It is almost too late for this season. Looking forward to the Packers next week.

Respectfully,

— Jeff Ludwig

The Vikings won the time of possession by almost six minutes in the first quarter and lost it by six-plus in the second and third quarters and more than seven minutes in the fourth.

Chicago put together a 15-play drive that included running 11 times and moving the chains seven times en route to its lone touchdown of the game in the second quarter. That possession lasted 8:25.

Minnesota possessed the football for 8:15 of the entire second half.

McCarthy lamented his accuracy and decision-making on the interceptions, as well as some other throws that were off the mark. The INT intended for Addison, plus one along the sideline to Jefferson and one with Hockenson in space along the left all stand out as plays that could have made Sunday quite different and possibly less "gut-wrenching" for the QB. The Vikings receiving options also experienced "dropitis" that was shared among the group.

Am I the only one who thinks that Price has earned a few offensive snaps? He's a dynamic runner who should be getting some opportunities to use his explosiveness in some Cordarelle Patterson/Percy Harvin-type plays.

— Vince

Be on the lookout this week for a feature by Vikings.com's Rob Kleifield on Price (it was part of the Playbook game program Sunday, and we'll have the digital version this week).

Providing sparks on special teams have been ways for players to make their way to the offense, but right now, Minnesota might be more inclined to have him continue focusing on being the best returner he can be, which has been pretty impressive.

1-and-4 at home. 1 and 4. Once again out-coached, dominated physically, and J.J. so inconsistent — again.

— Ben in Bloomington

And …

Sad effort by K.O., J.J. and this Vikings team in front of the home fans vs. one of the worst defenses in the NFL.

The Bears were 29^th in the league in points given up (27.4 per game) and 27^th in the league in yards allowed (376 per game) going in. I don't care what their record says about them (the Bears), this was a game the Vikings should have won at home.

But J.J. did not play well for over three quarters, and fans endured another week where the Vikings were terrible on third-down conversions (3-for-11). J.J.'s inability to find and hit wide-open receivers and move the chains was painful to watch. And again, we can't seem to run the ball or stop the run on third-and-short. The end result was the Bears held the ball for almost 37 minutes and made a big special teams play at the end to help steal a win.

The Vikings have placed a big bet on J.J.'s ability to play in the NFL and deliver immediate results. Why else would we have let Sam Darnold go? It's too early to tell whether it will be a winning bet, but we fans expect to see some progress every week. The Bears at home provided that opportunity this week, but man, it looked like we definitely took a few steps backward after beating Detroit.

Hoping that K.O., J.J. and this Vikings team figure things out soon.

SKOL,

— NJVikesFan

The poor record through mistake-riddled play in home games is quite disappointing.

I will point out that Williams and McCarthy each went 16-for-32 passing in an indoor game with no wind or other elements.

I've explained before that I don't particularly love the "outcoached" moniker because it's kind of subjective. I saw a team with a QB in his fifth start make mistakes and good plays and somehow be in position to win a game late. Part of that should involve crediting the coaching through early struggles.

With Seattle coming up soon, I don't expect to get fewer emails about Darnold, who has played well this season. I've said before I hope good things happen for him, but I will note that his stat line of 29-for-44 included four interceptions and a passer rating of 45.5 in a loss at the Rams on Sunday.

Does it make sense to have J.J. McCarthy sit for a while and give Max Brosmer a chance?

This J.J. McCarthy experiment just feels like Christian Ponder all over again. Smart guys, talented, good football IQ, but it just doesn't translate to game day. Poor accuracy is just not a recipe for winning in the NFL.

At what point does K.O. make a change, or does he just stick with J.J. and concede the season?

— Mark Altshuler

And …

Another game we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. The passing offense was awful. We have success running but don't stick with it. J.J. is way too excited. He needs to calm down. He is missing so many easy throws to wide-open receivers. All of them are missing high. He is underthrowing the down-field throws. He's not ready, and the coaching staff needs to admit this.

His pass catchers didn't help him, dropping so many passes. The defense had no chance in the fourth quarter. They were gassed. Can't have them on the field for [37] minutes and expect to win. They continue to play soft zone and give up big chunks. The tackling is still atrocious. They should've had at least six sacks but can't tackle.

We had another big kick return called back by holding and gave up a huge return at the worst possible time.

This was a must-win game to have hope for the playoffs. They fell on their face. It's time to admit this isn't a good team.

— Roman, Feeling almost hopeless in Grand Forks, North Dakota

The coach was asked by ESPN's Kevin Seiffert if a level of performance would result in a change, and O'Connell said, "Yeah, I'm not going to get into that right now."

The long-term vision for developing a QB includes time on task, and one of the key tenets of O'Connell's philosophy is organizations fail young QBs before young QBs fail organizations.

The Vikings have quite a history of bringing in veteran quarterbacks who have had their learning opportunities elsewhere. It's been rare to try to develop a QB this young, at this level, in real time.

I do think there is some PTSD from the Ponder years not working out better. His final start was just my second game with the organization, so I really don't feel good about weighing in on why that did not work.

I believe Darnold would have been the starter in 2024 even if McCarthy had not suffered the torn meniscus. That injury delayed on-field work at practices. Throw in the high-ankle sprain earlier this season, and that further reduced the opportunity to stack days.

"You would love to be making a lot of those growth coaching points and development coaching points after a one-point win," O'Connell said.

He'll continue to strike the balance between "what's best for the young quarterback, what's best for the offense, what's best for the team?"

"That's my job to manage all of those things, and I've got to do a better job of that," O'Connell said.

OK. Enough is enough. I will watch this team again when it can demonstrate proper tackling technique and eliminate needless penalties.

I cannot fault J.J. McCarthy, but the waste of an expensive draft choice at the expense of your existing stable of skilled players is frustrating. That position takes years to perfect, and your skilled players will be slower and more fragile by the time J.J. "evolves."

And now a shot at the defense. I do not care about some faulty perception of a "great scheme." Players are required who can execute, and we have not had them at the line, linebackers, cornerbacks or safeties for more years than I care to remember. "Runs through defenders" is a phrase that makes me cringe, so this is my last note to you. That will make you happy because the organization does not like criticism.

— Rick Weitzel in Maple Grove, Minnesota

And, in contrast …

I'm somewhere between frustrated and still weirdly hopeful, so I wanted to share my thoughts.

This game felt winnable. Our run game improved. It didn't seem like we were outplayed — more like we kept getting in our own way.

J.J. McCarthy was OK. Not a disaster, not a breakout game — just a rookie having ups and downs. The two interceptions were tough, especially at moments when we needed clean, steady drives. But he also had stretches where he looked calm and made legit NFL throws.

I would give him a solid B- for this game.

What stood out the most to me were the dropped passes. It felt like every time we were close to shifting momentum or helping out the young QB, someone dropped a ball. Those missed opportunities added up.

Defensively, it was a mixed bag. Flores had some good moments and some breakdowns, but overall the unit didn't play poorly — just not well enough to make up for the offensive mistakes. Caleb Williams kept slipping away when we could have brought him down.

One bright spot: it was Harrison Smith's 200th game. That's insane longevity, and it would've been awesome to give him a win to match it. While we showed defensive energy, our offense didn't quite match it.

This loss definitely tightens the playoff path, but I wouldn't say the season's over. Clean up the turnovers, cut the drops, give J.J. some help, and they're not out of it.

My question is: after Week 11, should Vikings fans feel encouraged by the flashes of potential, or more concerned that these mistakes are becoming a pattern?

— Ellie in Minneapolis

There's been numerous times here where the play at non-QB spots on the roster would not have been conducive to helping any signal caller. There have been times when the Vikings have needed more consistent play out of the QB position.

It seemed like the Bears were able to leak through tackle attempts at multiple points for some sneaky yardage that helped keep them on the field longer.

As the emails in this Mailbag indicate, criticisms by fans have been included. Heck, there's even Mailbags after wins when people have complained about aspects within the game. I feel like it was less than a minute from that happening.

To Ellie's question, I think it's OK to be disappointed in some things and encouraged by some things.

The disappointing elements have put Minnesota at a precarious position for the playoffs; the encouraging elements, including a young QB being determined and finding a rhythm late, as well as a defense that continued to battle could bode well if they are executed with more consistency.

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