Craig Peters

MINNEAPOLISA furious Vikings rally that resulted in a one-point lead proved not to be enough Sunday as Bears kicker Cairo Santos netted a 48-yard field goal as time expired for a 19-17 Chicago victory.

The Bears took over at the Vikings 40-yard line with 42 seconds remaining thanks to a 56-yard kickoff return by Devin Duvernay.

The long return by Duvernay immediately flipped momentum back after the Vikings had driven 85 yards in 2:24 and taken a 17-16 lead with 50 seconds remaining after J.J. McCarthy went 6-for-8 for 76 yards and found Jordan Addison for a 15-yard touchdown.

McCarthy had converted a fourth-and-4 during the possession with a 5-yard pass to Addison for the receivers first catch of the game on his sixth target.

The comeback by Chicago, which led 10-3 at halftime and 16-3 going into the third quarter, spoiled Harrison Smith becoming the sixth player to appear in at least 200 regular-season games for the Vikings.

Minnesota fell to 4-6 on the season, 1-4 at home and 2-1 in the division missing a chance to sweep Chicago, which improved to 7-3.

Here are four more observations.

1. Picks lead to and deny points

McCarthy was intercepted twice in the final four minutes of the first half, but the Vikings defense limited the Bears to three points off the turnovers.

The first interception occurred when McCarthy targeted Jefferson on a throw over the middle on first-and-10 from the Minnesota 31. The QB was hit by Grady Jarrett as he threw the ball, and Kevin Byard III nabbed his NFL-leading fifth interception of the season. Byard returned the ball 24 yards to the Minnesota 25.

The Vikings defense responded with a tackle for a 2-yard loss by Jay Ward on first down and forced a 38-yard field goal by Cairo Santos at the 2-minute warning.

Minnesota followed by driving from its 34 to the Chicago 35 thanks to a 28-yard completion to Jefferson, but after being awarded a fresh set of downs at the 30 due to a holding penalty, McCarthy targeted Addison with a throw to the end zone that was nabbed by former cornerback Nahshon Wright for a touchback with 35 seconds remaining.

The Vikings would have been within Will Reichard's range to add a field goal before halftime if not for the second interception.

2. Defense does everything but get a takeaway

Minnesota's defense produced multiple stops, despite playing from behind and being on the field for 36:59.

But the group again failed to muster a takeaway.

The Bears fumbled an exchange one time late in the first quarter, but Rome Odunze pounced on the ball at the Chicago 10-yard line. The drive ultimately ended with a punt, allowing the Bears to flip the field and prevent Minnesota from building on an early 3-0 lead.

Blake Cashman recorded 15 tackles, Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner each sacked Caleb Williams once, and Minnesota totaled 10 tackles for loss, but it wasn't enough.

Turner played well in place of Jonathan Greenard, who was sidelined with a shoulder injury from Week 10.

3. Inconsistency on offense

The Vikings offense struggled to build and maintain momentum, which has been a theme for all three phases of this team.

McCarthy finished 16-of-32 passing with 150 yards, one touchdown and the two picks. His final passer rating was 47.7.

He suffered a couple of overthrows but also had numerous opportunities end with drops.

Passes that hit the hands of Justin Jefferson, Addison, T.J. Hockenson and Aaron Jones, Sr., all resulted in drops.

The Vikings ran the ball 22 times for 115 yards.

Minnesota finished 3-for-11 on third downs.

4. Split day for special teams

The long kick return and game-winner by the Bears will be the final takeaways, but the Vikings also had a couple of impressive returns by rookie Myles Price.

Price returned three punts for 79 yards, highlighted by a 43-yarder in the fourth quarter. He averaged a whopping 26.3 on those opportunities.

Price also returned four kickoffs 93 yards with a long of 28. His average of 23.3 would have been longer if not for a holding penalty.

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