MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Vikings season slipped more toward irrelevancy on Sunday with a last-season 19-17 loss to the Chicago Bears that will be more remembered for the awful day experienced by quarterback JJ McCarthy.
His line: 16-for-32, 150 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions.
"Absolutely sucks, gut-wrenching loss for us," McCarthy said to open his post-game comments.
McCarthy, who played with a wrap on his throwing hand after hurting it on a helmet after a follow-through in the previous game, ended consecutive second-quarter possessions with interceptions and had an alarming amount of off-target passes. He finished 16 for 32 for 150 yards and a 47.7 passer rating in his fifth career start, but said adamantly his hand didn’t bother him.
McCarthy’s mechanics appeared to be a major part of the problem. Though the throw that Byard picked off to set up the first field goal by Santos for a 10-3 lead was unwisely forced for Justin Jefferson into a dangerous area of the zone coverage, McCarthy also acknowledged the pressure from Grady Jarrett didn’t allow him to set his feet properly on that play.
Then on first down from the Chicago 30, McCarthy threw a fade to the back corner of the end zone for Addison that Nahshon Wright, the former Vikings practice squad player who had an interception return for a touchdown off McCarthy in the season opener, secured with a leaping grab before landing on his back with 35 seconds left before halftime.
“I just need to do a better job to make sure the rhythm stays there throughout an entire 60 minutes,” McCarthy said. “There’s definitely things that we did well today, but how can we amplify those things and how can we eliminate the mistakes?”
Devin Duvernay’s 56-yard kickoff return in the final minute set up Cairo Santos for his fourth field goal of the game, a 48-yarder as time expired that gave the Bears the win after the Vikings scored the go-ahead touchdown with 50 seconds left.
“This isn’t the same old Bears,” said safety Kevin Byard, who had one of two interceptions of J.J. McCarthy as Chicago pushed its NFL-leading turnover margin to plus-16 — with 22 takeaways against six giveaways.
Over their seven wins, the Bears (7-3) are a stunning plus-20 in that column. Not coincidentally, they’re 3-0 in games decided by two points or fewer and 5-1 when the margin is five or less.
After McCarthy ended another erratic performance with five straight completions that culminated with a 15-yard scoring strike to Jordan Addison, Duvernay delivered the clutch response after the Bears blew the 13-point lead they took into the fourth quarter.
Santos made up for his 45-yard miss with 8:08 remaining by drilling the winner after a critical 7-yard rush by D’Andre Swift, who had 21 carries for 90 yards, pushed the ball into a safer range.
The defense kept the Vikings (4-6) in it the whole way, limiting the Bears to seven of 18 third-down conversions, but the final possession started too deep in their territory to prevent a score.
Injury report
Vikings: CB Isaiah Rodgers took a big blow from a head-to-head hit in the second quarter. He was checked out for a head injury before returning for the next drive. ... OLB Jonathan Greenard (shoulder) missed his first game in two seasons.
Up next
The Vikings play at Green Bay on Sunday.