The Minnesota Vikings matchup with the Chicago Bears may look a little lopsided entering Monday night, but they may be facing an unmotivated team after the Bears’ season got worse on Sunday afternoon.
The Bears were eliminated from playoff contention without taking the field after the Washington Commanders defeated the New Orleans Saints 20-19 on Sunday.
While Chicago’s playoff hopes were already on life support, Sunday’s events represent a grim reality for a team that faced high expectations in 2024.
Chicago Bears eliminated from playoff contention before Week 15 game vs. Minnesota Vikings
The Bears were optimistic coming into the year after winning five of their final eight games in 2023. Some may have argued that the Bears and Vikings were heading in opposite directions at this time one year ago as Kirk Cousins was on his way out of Minnesota and the Bears were ready to select USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft.
But while Williams was regarded as one of the top quarterback prospects in recent memory, it hasn’t translated into immediate success. Chicago spent big in free agency to land running back D’Andre Swift on a three-year, $24 million contract and later acquired Keenan Allen in a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers to put weapons around Williams.
Chicago also added wide receiver Rome Odunze with the ninth overall pick in April’s draft but they paired them with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Waldron’s previous stint with the Seattle Seahawks did not end well, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba foreshadowing the Bears' fate during an interview at the Super Bowl and although Chicago started the year 4-2, the offense fell apart before Waldron was fired on Nov. 14.
Waldron was the final line of defense for head coach Matt Eberflus, who helped Chicago field a top-10 defense in points against but ranked second with 5.9 yards allowed per play entering Monday. Some poor clock management in losses to the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions sealed his fate, and Eberflus was fired on November 29 before the Bears lost to the San Francisco 49ers 38-14 last week.
The Bears season is more fuel for Vikings fans who saw their teams attached at the hip with regime changes in 2022. While Chicago general manager Ryan Poles vowed to “take the North and never give it back,” the Bears have produced a 14-33 record compared to the Vikings 31-16 record under general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell.
With the Vikings riding an 11-2 record, they’ve lapped the Bears in the race to become a Super Bowl contender and will look to drive the point against a team looking forward to booking tee times on Monday night.