Chicago
Bears
7-9
37
FINAL
35
Minnesota
Vikings
4-12
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Week 18 matchup, the Chicago Bears narrowly defeated the Minnesota Vikings with a final score of 37-35. This victory secured the Bears' place in the playoffs, while the Vikings faced the disappointment of an early offseason. The stakes were high as both teams fought for position in the competitive NFC landscape.
Caleb Williams was the star of the night for Chicago, throwing for five touchdowns and showcasing his elite playmaking ability. He connected with Zavion Thomas for an impressive 243 receiving yards, making them a formidable duo that kept the Vikings' defense on its heels. Despite a lackluster ground game, with D'Andre Swift managing just 12 rushing yards, the Bears’ aerial attack proved more than enough to secure the win.
Defensively, the Bears were led by Montez Sweat, who recorded three sacks, constantly pressuring Minnesota’s quarterback. Dillon Thieneman contributed solid support with five tackles, but the game’s pivotal moment came from the Bears' ability to stifle the Vikings' final drive. Minnesota's J.J. McCarthy threw for 411 yards and kept it close, but ultimately, the Bears' defense held firm when it mattered most, sealing the victory and a postseason berth.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J.J. McCarthy | QB | 38 | 21 | 55% | 411 | 4 | 5 | 88.7 |
| Caleb Williams | QB | 26 | 15 | 58% | 357 | 5 | 4 | 102.2 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D'Andre Swift | HB | 11 | 12 | 1.1 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Joe Mixon | HB | 3 | 9 | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Caleb Williams | QB | 7 | 6 | 0.9 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Zavion Thomas | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Myles Price | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Colston Loveland | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zavion Thomas | WR | 9 | 243 | 27.0 | 133 | 4 | 83 | 0 |
| Jordan Addison | WR | 6 | 145 | 24.2 | 52 | 1 | 52 | 0 |
| Jauan Jennings | WR | 5 | 110 | 22.0 | 1 | 3 | 27 | 0 |
| Justin Jefferson | WR | 5 | 60 | 12.0 | 26 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Luther Burden III | WR | 2 | 59 | 29.5 | 19 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
| Tai Felton | WR | 1 | 47 | 47.0 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 0 |
| Cole Kmet | TE | 1 | 31 | 31.0 | — | 1 | 31 | 0 |
| T.J. Hockenson | TE | 2 | 29 | 14.5 | 4 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| Rome Odunze | WR | 1 | 18 | 18.0 | 8 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Aaron Jones Sr | HB | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Josh Oliver | TE | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Colston Loveland | TE | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyler Gordon | CB | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Harrison Smith | FS | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Montez Sweat | LEDG | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaylon Johnson | CB | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dillon Thieneman | SS | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Isaiah Rodgers Sr | CB | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| T.J. Edwards | WILL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Xavier Woods | FS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Andrew Van Ginkel | REDG | 1 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh Metellus | SS | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Redmond | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Pierre | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Blake Cashman | MIKE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jack Sanborn | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dallas Turner | LEDG | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Keyshaun Elliott | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Skyler Thomas | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Byron Murphy Jr | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Tyrique Stevenson | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jay Ward | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Caleb Banks | DT | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Devin Bush | MIKE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Grady Jarrett | DT | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cairo Santos | K | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Will Reichard | K | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 |

