The Chicago Bears show some grit in Week 5 loss to Vikings

The score was 21-3 and Kirk Cousins had just completed his 17th consecutive pass, with a touchdown to Jalen Reagor. The Chicago Bears were dead in the water.

Cousins had began 17-for-17, with eight of those going to Justin Jefferson, who started his game with 11 catches on 11 targets for 144 yards.

Chicago’s defense was allowing anything and everything, and at this rate, the final score was trending to be something along the lines of 49-6.

Yet, second-year quarterback Justin Fields remained calm and displayed leadership when he led the Bears on a scoring drive before the half, to go in down 21-10. In the second half, the Bears began with a scoring drive to bring it to 21-17.

The Bears even went on to take the lead with two field goals after that score, although the Vikings capped off their final drive with a touchdown to go up 29-22, and the Bears took the loss after a costly fumble by Ihmir Smith-Marietta.

Although the Chicago Bears wound up losing in Week 5 to the Minnesota Vikings, fans finally saw the growth they had been desiring.

Aside from the abysmal start and heart-wrenching finish, the Bears played some competitive football in order to get themselves back into this game — and a lot of it came from their quarterback.

With so much stacked against Fields, and plenty of negative national narratives being built, Fields brought this team back by making some big throws.

One of the biggest improvements Fields showed is his ability to extend plays with his legs instead of holding the ball in the pocket. He sensed pressure much better and only took two sacks on the day. In contrast, Fields rushed for 47 yards on eight carries. He was able to make plays when he needed to.

Maybe the play of the day came when Fields hit Darnell Mooney for an unbelievable grab deep down the field. It was a real momentum swing for the Bears, who had been searching for something to get them going.

Whether it was that grab by Mooney, or a touchdown run by Fields that ultimately didn’t count, the Bears showed some life when it came to making some big plays. They were able to move the football, after all.

Defensively, the Bears held the Vikings to just eight points in the second half. Unfortunately, those eight points were the difference in the game and came towards the end of the fourth quarter.

But, after Chicago was giving Cousins anything he wanted through the air, they were finally able to force some punts, and even came away with a big interception.

The bottom line in this one is pretty evident, though: The Bears could have sat down and died, as they were headed for a historically-bad afternoon. But, they didn’t. They saw some huge growth from Fields, who settled in and just played his game. Fields started to take over and made several key plays in the second half, but it wasn’t enough.