CHICAGO — Every time the Minnesota Vikings travel to Soldier Field, it feels like they never leave the same. That will definitely be the case if Caleb Williams’ injury is as bad as it looked.
During the fourth quarter, Williams rolled out for a scramble and suffered a non-contact injury. If it ends up being a season-ender, then everything is different in the NFC North after the Bears looked so good with Williams in Week 1.
The game itself was something right out of NFL Films from 1967. Both teams struggled mightily to pass the football and sputtered through four quarters in the slop.
Chicago was the sloppier of the two teams. They committed endless penalties, including three in a row at one point that took them out of a field-goal range. They fumbled at the goal line, allowing the Vikings to hang onto a three-point lead in the second half. They had a field goal blocked when the game could have been tied late in the fourth quarter.
Those miscues, the Vikings’ defense (including another stellar performance by Dallas Turner) and Williams’ injury proved to be the difference in a contest where neither quarterback could get going at all.
To Kevin O’Connell’s credit, the Vikings pounded the rock over and over, even despite Aaron Jones being battered and bruised throughout. Wentz struggled to throw on time or accurately throughout but came through with two big completions in the waning moments that gave the Vikings a chance to run down the clock.
This was the ultimate survive-and-advance game for the Vikings. Without their starting QB for all but 11 plays, there are no apologies needed for any type of victory. Two wins and zero losses is two wins and zero losses.
But the big takeaways are this: The Vikings’ defense can win them games against anybody. They faced off with two good quarterbacks to open the season and gave both of them absolute hell. They have the talent and the coordinator to go places with their defense alone.
Just as big as the Vikings’ win, which put them atop the NFC North, is whatever happens with Williams. If he’s out long term, then the division doesn’t just seem attainable, it seems to be the Vikings’ to win. The Lions’ defense is lost. The Packers sputtered against the New York Jets. Chicago may be without its QB.
With Kyler Murray coming back and presumably the Vikings’ ability to pass the football with his return, this thing has a lot of potential.
It’s odd to come away from one of the gnarliest games you’ll ever see with that type of outlook but that’s just what tends to happen at Soldier Field.
It’s crazy how much can happen in two weeks.
Here’s how it went down…