The Chicago Bears have feasted on takeaways this season. It's been a superpower of theirs -- one Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell was well aware of heading into a Week 11 showdown.
O'Connell made it clear that not giving away the football was a point of emphasis entering Minnesota's 19-17 loss to the Bears. That ultimately proved to be easier said than done for the Vikings and was among the key differences in a pivotal NFC North clash.
Speaking with reporters after getting beaten by the Bears at home, O'Connell lamented his squad's costly mistakes.
Kevin O'Connell highlights turnover woes after Vikings' loss to Bears
"We knew coming into the game that [the Bears] had won all of their games by winning the turnover margin, and we lost that two to zero," O'Connell stated. "We did a lot of things as a football team to try to battle and continue to overcome the adversity that we faced in many cases; caused by ourselves in certain aspects of the game today."
While O'Connell was "proud" of his group for competing, he acknowledged they weren't "good enough to win overall." Grit and determination will only get the Vikings so far if they're handing opponents additional opportunities, as we saw against the Bears. Minnesota scratched and clawed, even briefly capturing a late lead, albeit to no avail; largely because of self-inflicted wounds.
Minnesota's failure to execute was their downfall. O'Connell expressed that the Vikings did thing that they specifically "talked about not doing" entering their showdown with the Bears, primarily the turnovers. Nevertheless, those conversations ostensibly went in one ear and out the other, at least for second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
McCarthy had two interceptions versus the Bears. The first one was just a poor read that ended with him throwing into double coverage, giving Chicago a near-instant red zone possession. His second miscue came on the following drive when the Vikings were in field goal range, depriving them of a scoring opportunity.
Building momentum becomes much harder when giveaways are a problem. McCarthy has tossed at least one pick in all five of his starts this season and has recorded four fumbles (one lost). He must improve in decision-making and ball security, which O'Connell is seemingly (and frustratingly) well aware of.