The Minnesota Vikings went into Chicago Sunday with their eyes on sole possession of first place in the NFC North, after two weeks of play. To do that, they needed to defeat a Bears team on the road that put up a whopping 59 points and 552 yards of total offense in week 1.
Of course, the weather in the Windy City Sunday was a heck of a lot different than what the Bears played in last week, against the Panthers, in hot, sunny North Carolina. And if we learned anything from the moment this game kicked off, it’s that scouting reports go out the window when playing in elements like the Vikings and Bears did this weekend.
The Vikings – Bears matchup is expected to have 20 MPH winds and a 50-70% chance of rain per @HaydenWinks. pic.twitter.com/hPD3TjsJJs
— SleeperVikings (@SleeperVikings) September 20, 2026
Throw in a little Brian Flores defense on top and what we got Sunday was an old fashioned wet and messy slobberknocker at Soldier Field this afternoon where the only points scored came off field goals and no offense made it beyond the other team’s 15-yard line until the second half.
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Let’s just say the quiet part out loud. Until we see Kyler Murray run Kevin O’Connell’s offense with efficiency and precision, like Kirk Cousins in his prime and Sam Darnold the one season he was in Minnesota, the Vikings will not be a good offensive team.
Yes, it was miserable weather, and it became apparent early that this was not going to be a high-scoring affair, between two division rivals. But beyond a couple of scripted plays early, to try and get Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison involved, Minnesota’s pass game was mostly non-existent yet again today.
Carson Wentz ain’t it, guys and gals. Against the Bears in week 2, Wentz finished the 11/20 (55%) for 143 yards and zero touchdowns. He had a couple of nice throws, including this one to TJ Hockenson.
Play-action then over the top to TJ Hockenson pic.twitter.com/BPJQTvu4Dx
— Sean Borman (@SeanBormanNFL) September 20, 2026
Without the mobility he had earlier in his career, Wentz is an average arm talent who struggles to see the bigger picture and read receivers open, an asset that is mandatory for pocket passers in the NFL, and why most can’t make the jump from college.
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We’ve seen enough below average quarterback play, in the KOC era, to know that. Thankfully, Kyler Murray has proven to be dynamic and explosive throughout his NFL career. When healthy, he’s been a top 15 QB since he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2019.
Related: MN Vikings Make Week 2 Quarterback Decision
As long as Kyler is still “that dude” (and can stay on the field once he returns from concussion protocol) the Vikings offense should figure things out eventually, however long it takes him to get comfortable.
And if Murray has regressed, struggles to understand KOC’s offense OR can’t stay healthy… then we will be stuck with Carson Wentz until he gets injured, then JJ McCarthy. If that is the case, then we are pretty much watching the 2025 MN Vikings all over again.
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With that being said, let’s give Kevin O’Connell some credit. All offseason, he has been telling us about how he has seen the light. That sometimes, it’s easier to win games with less offense, when you have a defense run by the man, myth and legend, Brian Flores. More on him momentarily.
Today, even with first and second down back Jordan Mason on injured reserve, Minnesota’s historically pass-happy head coach embraced the elements in Chicago and handed the ball to Aaron Jones, who rushed 23 times (most since Nov. 2022) for 106 yards (most since Nov. 2024).
He also took this brutal hit, which I still can’t figure out why it wasn’t called for “leading with the crown of the helmet.” Thankfully, Jones returned to the field shortly after getting his helmet blasted off his head, to help close out the win in Chicago.
AARON JONES GOT ABSOLUTELY SMOKED pic.twitter.com/q9TiYOX4Tv
— Chat Sports (@ChatSports) September 20, 2026
I’d imagine we’ll see Aaron Jones spend some time on the injury report this week, because his body doesn’t recover like it once did and he is not used to handling 23 hard-earned, old-school football carries like he did today.
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That’s why Jones is so beloved in the locker room. When called upon, you know he will be there to do whatever job needs done. Today, that included a workhorse load that he hasn’t undertaken in years.
It wasn’t just the Minnesota Vikings offense that struggled to move the football early and often in week 2. With the help of wet and windy conditions in Chicago, Brian Flores and Harrison Smith‘s put the Bears’ high-powered offense in a straight jacket with their mind games.
One week after blitzing an unbelievable 80% of the time vs Green Bay, the Vikings’ doubled down, sending additional pass rushers at pretty much the same exact rate against the Bears. While Williams escaped pressure much of the time, he was not able to find receivers downfield, which forced him to make plays with his legs — eventually leading to his injury.
Bears QB Caleb Williams was helped off the field after going down with an apparent injury in the 4th quarter vs. the Vikings.
(📺 FOX) pic.twitter.com/0RgMh8ZimH
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 20, 2026
When the dust settled at Soldier Field on Sunday, the Chicago Bears had compiled just 297 yards of total offense, leading to just three total points. Williams, before leaving the game with an ugly hamstring injury in the 4th quarter, finished 15/16 for 138 yards and 1 interception.
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Related: Vikings on Hunt for RB Help; Bad News Upcoming?
Dallas Turner, who struggled to chase down Caleb Williams all day, finished the game with a sack of Bears backup QB Tyler Bagent, who certainly doesn’t move like their QB1.
.@UnoErra with the sack to seal it 💜
📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/svXKtSUSff
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 20, 2026
In the end, Bagent played pretty well, completing 5/9 passes for 54 yards, but could not get the Bears in the endzone in the final seconds, which allowed the Minnesota Vikings to walk out of Soldier Field 9-3 victors.
The Minnesota Vikings’ biggest plays of the day came on special teams. Will Reichard continues to be the biggest contribution Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made to the organization, during his four years as general manager.
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This afternoon, he scored all nine of the Vikings’ points, though his third field goal had to fight the right goal post to push through. At the end of the day, they all count.
On the other sideline, special teams was not something they will go into media sessions this week bragging about. Bears kicker Cairo Santos went 1/2 on the day, including this 4th quarter chip shot that would have tied the game at 6-6, had it not been blocked by Isaiah Rodgers.
.@rodgers_isaiah in the red zone today.
Demon.
📺: @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/YeHgF4Gomu
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 20, 2026
Special Teams is forgotten about far too often. But when you look back on what wins games, far too often it winds up being the team that performed the best on special teams, and didn’t make any mistakes like the one above.
Regardless of how the offense has looked for most of these first two weeks, the Minnesota Vikings are 2-0 on the 2026 season and both wins are over divisional opponents — one even came on the road.
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If Kyler Murray returns and fixes the issues on that side of the football… who knows what could happen over the next handful of months. So let’s just pray for that tonight.
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