3 and Out: Bears rally after disastrous 1st half but fall to Vikings

The Bears overcame a 21-3 deficit to take a lead in the fourth quarter Sunday in Minneapolis, but the Vikings came back with a late touchdown to win 29-22. Here is what you need to know.

Three moments that mattered

1. Back to basics: Kirk Cousins scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard run with 2:26 left in the game. The Vikings converted the two-point conversion to take a 29-22 lead. The Vikings took over on its own 25 after trailing for the first time in the game, 22-21, with 9:26 left in the game, and put together a methodical game-winning drive.

2. Picking his moment: Kindle Vildor redeemed the Bears secondary when he intercepted a pass from Cousins with 12:44 left in the game. Vildor read Cousins and stepped in front of Vikings receiver Adam Thielen. The Bears went on to take a 22-21 lead after the interception.

3. Catch of the year: With 1:45 left in the second quarter, Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney caught a 39-yard pass with a one-handed, diving catch. The Bears were down 21-3 and took over at the 50-yard line before Justin Fields unloaded and Mooney made possibly the catch of the year. The Bears went on to score on a 9-yard run from David Montgomery to make it 21-10.

Three things that worked

1. Second-half offense: The Bears regrouped in the second half after only gaining 95 yards in the first half. They scored field goals on their first two offensive possessions of the third quarter and produced 191 yards in the second half. The Bears fumbled on their last drive to put the game away.

2. Defensive adjustments: After allowing Minnesota to do whatever it wanted offensively on its first three possessions, the Bears defense regrouped for much of the game, allowing Fields and the offense to get the back into the game. Vildor picked off a pass and Dominique Robinson also blocked a field goal attempt to keep the Bears in the game.

3. Welcome back, Cairo: Kicker Cairo Santos hit kicks when it mattered in his return to game action after missing last week for personal reasons. The kicker made a 50-yard attempt with 6:06 left in the first quarter to cut it to a 7-3 Minnesota lead. Santos hit a 43-yard attempt with 1:05 left in the third quarter to reduce Minnesota’s lead to 21-19 and a 51-yard kick to give the Bears a 22-21 lead.

Three things that didn’t

1. Starting slow: Although the Bears scored a field goal on their first possession, the team’s first three drives were something it will want to forget. The Bears looked disorganized and only had 14 yards on their opening drive with the exception of a 30-yard pass from Fields to David Montgomery and proceeded to lose 5 yards and the gain 15 on its next two possessions, respectively.

2. First-half defense: The first three defensive series for the Bears couldn’t have gone worse. Minnesota did whatever it wanted both in the air and on the ground, with the Vikings scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions. Cousins completed his first 17 passes.

3. Delayed first play: The Bears offense didn’t start the game on the right note. After the Vikings opened the game with a scoring drive that took up almost half of the first quarter, the Bears started their first possession with a delay of game penalty. That kind of stuff cannot happen to NFL teams.

What’s next?

The Bears host the Washington Commanders on Thursday. Kickoff is at 7:15 p.m.