A loss the Vikings couldn't afford

The Vikings nearly pulled a comeback victory but let it slip through their fingers in the final moments

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By Matthew Coller

MINNEAPOLIS — What are we supposed to do with the 2025 Vikings now?

On Sunday, the Vikings spent the vast majority of the day bumbling on offense to the point where they were loudly booed off the field multiple times. But since the Chicago Bears are still the same Chicago Bears that botched a game against Minnesota in Week 1, they did everything and anything to give the Vikings a shot to win at the end.

JJ McCarthy had a single drive that was so good it might have washed away some of the overthrows and bad decisions that led them to only 10 points late in the fourth quarter but the Vikings then found a way to let him down by allowing a 56-yard kick return to set up a game-winning field goal.

As bad as McCarthy was for the majority of the day, the Vikings dropped passes like the ball had ice on it. They had missed tackles that proved costly. They let the Bears dictate the game on the ground, including on the final Chicago offensive play that led to an easier Cairo Santos game-winning field goal.

In other words: They played like a 4-6 football team.

The overall performance of the quarterback will lead to all sorts of discussion about where his trajectory is headed but the loss to the Bears actually made things a lot easier. Play McCarthy. Throw with McCarthy. Put everything into McCarthy’s development the rest of the way and see what happens.

If there was any chance at getting back into the race, it would have required a win against the very-questionable Bears. That part of the season is over with trips to Lambeau and Seattle on the way.

While the sample size is growing and the concerns are much deserved, we can now probably throw our hands up and say… just see what the kid can do.

Here’s how Sunday’s ugly loss went down: