5 Chicago Bears takeaways from Week 12 against the Vikings

After an old-fashioned Chicago Bears victory against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night in Week 12, you’d think optimism would be brimming amongst Bears Nation.

Unfortunately, that was far from the case. Despite the win, fans were not happy with the way the game played out. Gone are the days of simply being happy to play suffocating defense and win.

While I understand the frustration given the circumstances surrounding the current iteration of the Chicago Bears, it has undeniably been an extremely tough season filled with plenty of questions rather than plenty of answers thus far, leading to a lot of soul-searching in 2023.

For that reason, I have no desire for gloom and doom this week. There’s been enough of that this season. I’d rather focus on what makes the future brighter than the present.

These are the five biggest Chicago Bears takeaways from the 12-10 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 12.

1. Montez Sweat is worth every single penny that the Chicago Bears gave up for him.

Tell me when I’m telling lies: Montez Sweat has been unbelievable in the three short weeks we’ve been fortunate enough to call him a Chicago Bear.

I know I’ve sung his praises prior, but with each game that passes, it becomes glaringly obvious to anyone who can see or hear that Montez Sweat was worth everything the Bears gave up acquiring and signing him.

While he didn’t have a sack against the Carolina Panthers on a short week of practice, he still got after the quarterback and nearly murdered rookie Bryce Young with a shove. Then, despite issues with his snap count, he registered his first official sack as a Bear last week against the Detroit Lions.

As if he was competing with himself, Sweat turned up the heat even more this week as he casually had 1.5 sacks against the Minnesota Vikings while constantly being a thorn in Vikings QB Joshua Dobbs’ side.

Every time he is on the field, it is all too apparent that he has the effect of being a “multiplier” on the defensive line – a guy who makes everyone around him better. As a whole, the Chicago Bears’ defense has been stunningly better with Sweat on the field. Pressure matters!

In the initial fallout after the trade, many fans and media pundits had an issue with what the Bears did to acquire Sweat. Whether it was the price, the fit, the player, or all three, many had an opinion of the Sweat acquisition and much of it was not positive.

Fast forward three weeks later, and good luck finding those naysayers now. Montez Sweat has been as advertised in every sense of the phrase. He is absolutely vital to this new version of the Chicago Bears.

Quite simply, it’s a pleasure to watch him play football on our team.