Chicago
Bears
2-12
20
FINAL
21
Minnesota
Vikings
9-5
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Week 16 matchup, the Minnesota Vikings narrowly defeated the Chicago Bears 21-20, keeping their playoff hopes alive in a tightly contested game. With the stakes high, both teams fought hard, but it was the Vikings who ultimately prevailed on their home field.
Minnesota's J.J. McCarthy was instrumental in the victory, throwing for two touchdowns and efficiently leading his offense. Caleb Williams of the Bears matched him with impressive passing yards, racking up 251 yards, while Rome Odunze emerged as a key target, amassing 83 receiving yards. Kyle Monangai also contributed on the ground for Chicago, finishing with 58 rushing yards.
Defensively, the Vikings put forth a solid effort, highlighted by Isaiah Rodgers Sr.'s seven total tackles, which helped stifle the Bears' offensive momentum. The game's turning point came when Jakobe Thomas intercepted a key pass late in the fourth quarter, allowing Minnesota to maintain their lead and secure the victory. The defensive pressure applied by both teams kept the contest intense, but it was the Vikings who ultimately held off the Bears in a dramatic finish.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caleb Williams | QB | 35 | 21 | 60% | 251 | 2 | 1 | 89.1 |
| J.J. McCarthy | QB | 28 | 19 | 68% | 250 | 2 | 0 | 119.6 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Monangai | HB | 10 | 58 | 5.8 | 14 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Rueben Owens II | HB | 17 | 41 | 2.4 | — | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| D'Andre Swift | HB | 12 | 37 | 3.1 | 17 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Caleb Williams | QB | 3 | 14 | 4.7 | — | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Jeremiah Smith | WR | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | — | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| J.J. McCarthy | QB | 4 | 12 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Jadan Baugh | HB | 3 | 10 | 3.3 | 7 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Demond Claiborne | HB | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Colston Loveland | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rome Odunze | WR | 5 | 83 | 16.6 | 16 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| Jeremiah Smith | WR | 2 | 73 | 36.5 | 62 | 1 | 52 | 1 |
| Justin Jefferson | WR | 5 | 66 | 13.2 | 9 | 1 | 24 | 0 |
| Jelani Thurman | TE | 5 | 60 | 12.0 | 14 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Tank Dell | WR | 6 | 50 | 8.3 | 22 | 2 | 12 | 0 |
| Luther Burden III | WR | 4 | 46 | 11.5 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| Colston Loveland | TE | 3 | 46 | 15.3 | 5 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Jordan Addison | WR | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Demond Claiborne | HB | 2 | 16 | 8.0 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Cole Kmet | TE | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | — | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| T.J. Hockenson | TE | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Kyle Monangai | HB | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | — | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Rueben Owens II | HB | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| D'Andre Swift | HB | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jakobe Thomas | SS | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Isaiah Rodgers Sr | CB | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dallas Turner | LEDG | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dillon Thieneman | SS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leonard Moore | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jake Golday | MIKE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Kyler Gordon | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Abdul Carter | REDG | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Byron Murphy Jr | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Pierre | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rafael Harper | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Devin Bush | WILL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaylon Johnson | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sebastian Joseph-Day | DT | 1 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Caleb Banks | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Andrew Van Ginkel | REDG | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ivan Pace Jr | WILL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ashton Hampton | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Montez Sweat | LEDG | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T.J. Edwards | SAM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gervon Dexter Sr | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Antoine Winfield Jr | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eric Wilson | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Redmond | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rayshawn Jenkins | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Austin Booker | REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Peal | CB | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tuli Tuipulotu | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Reichard | K | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Chase McLaughlin | K | 2 | 2 | 2 | 48 |

