Vikings playoff hopes just about gone after loss to Bears
By Adam Patrick
The Minnesota Vikings couldn’t get a win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday in their Week 15 matchup.
Sunday’s NFC North showdown between the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears was a must-win for both teams. The Vikings and Bears were both sitting with a 6-7 record heading into this weekend with their playoff hopes dangling by a thread.
Unfortunately for Minnesota, they weren’t able to deliver a performance on Sunday that resulted in a victory as Chicago was able to leave U.S. Bank Stadium with a 33-27 win.
With the loss to the Bears, the Vikings are now 6-8, and any shot at playing in the postseason seems to be over. Minnesota isn’t mathematically eliminated from the playoffs just yet, but they’re going to need a massive amount of help to get in thanks to failing to get a win for the second week in a row.
Minnesota Vikings couldn’t stop the Chicago Bears offense
As crazy as it might sound, it was Chicago’s offense that gave the Vikings problems all afternoon long. The Bears scored points on seven of their 10 offensive drives on Sunday as Minnesota’s defense just couldn’t figure out a way to slow the unit down.
The Vikings offense did pretty well this week too though. Minnesota finished the matchup against Chicago with 407 total yards, which included 132 rushing yards from Dalvin Cook, 271 passing yards from Kirk Cousins, and 104 receiving yards by Justin Jefferson.
The Vikings had a chance to win with a go-ahead touchdown during the final seconds of the game when Cousins launched a hail mary pass into the end zone. But the Bears were able to tip the football and come down with an interception to seal their victory.
Minnesota doesn’t have much of a break before their next game as they’ll head out on the road for a Christmas Day matchup against a talented New Orleans Saints team. If the Vikings lose this game, then a spot in the playoffs will officially be out of reach.