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Hall of Fame quarterback worries Caleb Williams could lose 'confidence' amid Bears' dreadful season

17 December 2024 at 14:04

Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman expressed concern for Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams on Monday night amid a woeful season that saw the Bears’ losing streak drop to eight straight with a loss to the Minnesota Vikings. 

Williams took a big hit from Vikings linebacker Jihad Ward during the second half of the Bears’ 30-12 loss, but the rookie’s mental fitness appeared to be a bigger concern for Aikman than his physical fitness. 

"When you mentioned we were watching him on the sidelines, he was grimacing and in an enormous amount of pain," Aikman said to Joe Buck during the ESPN broadcast, via The New York Post.

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"And as I watch him, you can tell that he’s a defeated guy. I mentioned that he hasn’t been through anything like this at any point in his career. What you worry about is a rookie quarterback losing confidence."

Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown seems to believe that despite the toll this season has taken on all the players, Williams is in a "good spot" mentally. 

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"I think mentally he’s in a good spot," Brown said Tuesday. "Of course, he’s frustrated like we all are from the standpoint of just not getting the result. But confidence isn’t shaken." 

Williams has been sacked this season a league-high of 58 times, just eight shy of the franchise record for sacks allowed. 

"I think I’ve got a couple of bruises and contusions," Williams said after the game, adding that he doesn’t believe the sacks have been impacting him "mentally." 

Williams said Monday that his rookie season has been "frustrating and encouraging" despite being 4-12, at the bottom of the NFC North, and out of the playoffs. 

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Vikings extend winning streak to 7 games with breezy victory over Bears

16 December 2024 at 20:33

The Minnesota Vikings made quick work of Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears on Monday night and extended their winning streak to seven games to get into a tie for first in the division.

The Vikings defense sacked Caleb Williams twice and held them to only one 3rd down conversion on 11 drives as they won the game, 30-12.

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Randy Moss was on the mind of the Vikings faithful throughout the night. Cris Carter and Jake Reed led tributes to the Pro Football Hall of Famer after he revealed a cancer diagnosis last week. It was only fitting that Justin Jefferson send a get well soon message to Moss early in the game.

Jefferson caught his eighth touchdown pass of the season. It was a 7-yard grab from Sam Darnold. He finished with seven catches for 73 yards.

Darnold was 24-of-40 for 231 yards, a touchdown pass and an interception.

Minnesota had it going in the ground game. Aaron Jones ran for 86 yards and a touchdown and Cam Akers had 24 yards and a touchdown.

Miscues and defensive pressure were the story of the night.

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The Bears had a legitimate chance to get back into the game in the third quarter. Bears running back D’Andre Swift ran for what was thought to be a touchdown but it was nullified after offensive lineman Doug Kramer failed to report in with officials before the snap.

Two plays later, a holding call moved the Bears from the 1-yard line to the 11-yard line. Williams threw two consecutive incompletions and the Bears were forced to kick a field goal.

The momentum stopped there. Chicago only got two 12 points thanks to a late touchdown pass from Williams to Keenan Allen. But there was not much offense from there.

Williams was 18-of-31 with 191 passing yards. Allen had six catches for 82 yards.

Minnesota moved to 12-2 on the season, wrapping up its second 12-win season in the last three years.

Chicago fell to 4-10 with its sights set on an offseason of moving and shaking.

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Lions make franchise history moving to 11-1 after staving off Bears on Thanksgiving

28 November 2024 at 13:41

The Detroit Lions were enjoying some turkey after taking down their NFC North-rival Chicago Bears, 23-20, on Thanksgiving Day. 

Detroit made some history in the process, going 11-1 for the first time in the franchise’s history. The Bears fell to 4-8 on the season. 

Another milestone was reached for this great Lions team, as their defensive efforts kept the Bears scoreless in the first half. It was the first time this season the Lions had shut out a team in the first half. 

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Meanwhile, quarterback Jared Goff and the Lions’ electric offense put up 16 points, though they were limited in the red zone by their standards as kicker Jake Bates notched three field goals in the first half to account for nine of the 16 points. 

Tight end Sam LaPorta, who scored two touchdowns for the Lions, collected his first in the second quarter as Goff threw a laser to him from three yards out to make it 10-0 at the time. 

In the second half, though, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and his offense turned things around, as their opening drive resulted in a Keenan Allen touchdown from 31 yards out, as the rookie signal caller put it right on the wide receiver's numbers and Allen ran it into the end zone. 

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But the Lions quickly responded, using over seven minutes of clock for LaPorta to find the end zone once more after Goff ran a perfect play-action pass that left the tight end wide open for the score. 

Williams and the Bears didn’t back down, however, as they marched 70 yards for Allen to get into the end zone again to keep the Lions’ lead at 10 after a failed two-point conversion. 

Then, after Bates missed his first field goal of the game, the Bears took advantage of the great field position as Williams threw a dime to wide receiver D.J. Moore for a touchdown down the left sideline from 31 yards out to make it a three-point game. 

The Bears were able to get the ball back again with three minutes left, but a perfect punt left Chicago at the one-yard line to make it as hard as possible to get a chance to at least tie the game. 

But one of the weirdest endings to a game in recent memory came when Williams was sacked to make it third-and-26, leaving 30-plus seconds on the clock. Williams lost track of time, however, and took way too long to get the play off, ultimately launching a prayer to wide receiver Rome Odunze that fell incomplete to end the game.

Even more weird was head coach Matt Eberflus still having a timeout in his pocket. Knowing his quarterback was taking too long, he could have used it to preserve time — but the Bears found yet another improbable way to lose. 

In the box score, the "Sonic & Knuckles" backfield of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs put in work against the Bears’ defense to once again lead the way for the Lions' offense. 

Gibbs needed only nine carries to tally 87 yards on the ground, while Montgomery had 21 carries for 88 yards. 

Goff went 21-of-34 for 221 yards, with wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown leading the pack with 73 yards on five receptions.

Meanwhile, Williams turned up in the second half, finishing with 256 yards with his three touchdown passes. Allen had 73 yards, while Moore finished with 97.

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Vikings win on walk-off field goal in overtime after blowing late lead, allowing onside kick recovery

24 November 2024 at 14:18

The Minnesota Vikings won a thriller at Soldier Field on Sunday in a game they were so close to choking away.

The Vikings led by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter but needed an overtime field goal to beat the Chicago Bears, 30-27.

With 22 seconds left and trailing by 11, Caleb Williams hit Keenan Allen for a one-yard score, and the two-point conversion was successful when Williams found DJ Moore. 

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The Bears then recovered the onside kick, just the third onside recovery on the season in the NFL. They quickly got in field goal range after a long catch by Moore and drilled the field goal to send the game into overtime. They outscored the Vikings 17-3 in the fourth quarter.

The Bears went three-and-out on the first overtime possession, and that turned out to be the last time they would touch the ball on the day. 

Justin Jefferson had just one catch in regulation, but his second of the game put Minnesota at midfield. A few plays later, Sam Darnold found T.J. Hockenson for a gain of 29 to get them inside the 10-yard line. After Darnold took a knee in the middle of the hashmarks, John Parker Romo drilled the chip shot to give Minnesota the win.

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It was the best day the Bears' offense has had in a while after they'd failed to score 20 points in each of their previous four games and lost each of them. But apparently, 27 isn't enough.

Darnold went 22-for-34 for 330 yards and two touchdowns. Jordan Addison went off for eight catches and 162 yards and one of the scores. Aaron Jones also added 106 yards on the ground and another touchdown.

Caleb Williams threw for 340 yards in the losing effort, while Moore had seven catches for 106 yards and a touchdown. Allen added nine catches for 86 yards and the fourth quarter score.

Minnesota improved to 9-2 on the season. They've now won four in a row after two consecutive losses that came immediately after their 5-0 start. The Bears have lost five straight and are 4-7.

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