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It wasn’t pretty.
In Bears vs. Vikings, the Chicago Bears overcame two fourth-quarter fumbles by Justin Fields for a 12-10 win over the Minnesota Vikings Monday night. The Bears relied on four interceptions of Joshua Dobbs on a disastrous night for the Vikings quarterback who saw his upcoming free agency hopes take a dramatic hit.
Fields overcame his mistakes to lead a late drive for the game-winning Cairos Santos field goal with 10 seconds remaining. The field goal was the fourth of the night for Santos in a game that saw a single touchdown and six combined turnovers from the starting quarterbacks.
The honeymoon period is over for Joshua Dobbs in Minnesota.
The folk hero quarterback threw four interceptions in the Vikings’ 12-10 “Monday Night Football” loss to the Bears, leading a sluggish offense that didn’t find its footing until the fourth quarter in a game that Minnesota wouldn’t have needed many points to win.
The Bears’ defense swarmed Dobbs throughout the night, sacking him only twice but bringing a great deal of pressure as the defensive backs made plays. Despite the barrage of turnovers, Chicago largely failed to take advantage. The Bears scored only three points off of the four Dobbs interceptions.
Meanwhile, Chicago’s first turnover of the night — a deflating fumble by Fields when the Bears had a chance to extend their lead to two possessions — was quickly turned into a touchdown by the Vikings. It looked like that score might be the difference, particularly after Fields fumbled away the ball again on the next possession, but the Bears defense put the ball back in his hands in the final minutes. Fields delivered.
Facing 3rd & 10 outside of field goal range, Fields hit an open D.J. Moore for a 36-yard gain. At that point, all the Bears needed to do was kneel and put Cairo Santos in position to win the game. Santos drilled the 30-yard attempt with 10 seconds remaining, and that would seal it for Chicago.
As he embarks on a crucial stretch that could determine his future with the Bears, Fields flashes the good and the bad. He was excellent on Chicago’s opening drive, albeit one that ended without points but missed throws and costly turnovers allowed the Vikings to hang around. When it mattered most, though, Fields was poised and sealed the Bears’ first win over an NFC North opponent since 2021.
While Chicago’s hopes are still extraordinarily distant at 4-8, the Vikings saw their playoff chances take a hit on Monday night. Minnesota (6-6) dropped to the No. 7 seed in the NFC with the loss, with the Packers, Rams and Saints all just a half-game behind in the wild-card race. While a win would have put the Vikings in position to compete for the division crown down the stretch, just holding onto a playoff spot will now be a battle for Kevin O’Connell’s squad.
Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings | 2023 Week 12 Game Highlights
Bears vs. Vikings final score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| Bears | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
| Vikings | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |