5 big takeaways from Chicago Bears' loss to Minnesota Vikings on Monday night

MINNEAPOLIS – DJ Moore has lost count.

“How many games we been losing?” Moore said after another defeat Monday night in Minnesota.

The answer was eight in a row.

“Eight? Shoot. You can keep sliding down or you can go up,” Moore said.

Right now, it’s hard to see the Bears going anywhere. They lost, 30-12, to the Vikings on Monday at U.S. Bank Stadium. Interim head coach Thomas Brown‘s team is now 4-10 on the season with three games remaining.

Here are the five big takeaways from another Bears loss.

1. Does Caleb Williams have anything left in the tank?

Quarterback Caleb Williams looked like most Bears fans probably felt. After taking a big hit on a third-down scramble, Williams went over to the Bears sideline and TV cameras caught him, at one point, laying on his side on the bench.

The rookie No. 1 overall pick was hit three times Monday, including two sacks. He leads the NFL with 58 sacks this season. Williams continues to take hits, even though the Bears have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

“I’ve got a couple bruises and contusions,” Williams said. “I think I’ve got to do a better job of hydrating and recovering throughout the week to try and flush out some of these bruises and things like that.”

The Bears have three more games and keeping the quarterback healthy has to be the top priority.

Williams said those hits aren’t taking any mental toll on him. Still, those 58 sacks are 13 more than any other NFL quarterback this season.

“Obviously physically, you put it into context, let’s say you get in three car accidents in a month, you’re going to feel it,” Williams said. “That’s what a hit is in football.”

2. Amegadjie struggles in 1st start

Part of the problem was a late change on the offensive line.

Bears left tackle Braxton Jones missed the game due to a concussion. Jones was not on the injury report this week, but he reported concussion symptoms on Sunday and the team sent him home.

So the Bears elected to go with rookie left tackle Kiran Amegadjie, a third-round draft pick out of Yale. The team had prepared all week with Jones as the starter. The Bears went with Amegadjie over veteran backup Larry Borom.

It was Amegadjie’s first career start, and it didn’t go well. On the first third-and-long that the Bears faced, Amegadjie whiffed against Vikings pass rusher Jonathan Greenard.

Greenard hit Williams and jarred the ball loose for a strip sack.

Things didn’t get any easier for Amegadjie. He drew four penalties throughout the game.

“Didn’t know I was going to be the starter this whole week, but I prepared like it,” Amegadjie said. “Just didn’t play within myself when it mattered most.”

3. Doug Kramer apologizes for goal-line miscue

The Bears trailed, 13-0, at halftime. If there was anything resembling a comeback effort, it was in the third quarter as the offense drove down to the 1-yard line. A touchdown would’ve made it a one-score game.

Then it all went backward.

Backup center Doug Kramer forgot to report as an eligible receiver on what appeared to be a 1-yard touchdown run from running back D’Andre Swift. The refs penalized the Bears, wiping away the touchdown, and the possession fell apart after that.

Teams can use a sixth offensive lineman if that lineman reports to the referees as an eligible receiver. Kramer said after the game that he simply forgot to report.

“Ran on the field,” Kramer said. “Clock was running down. I got in the huddle and ran the play. It’s an unacceptable mistake. Obviously, I apologized to all my teammates. Everyone on the offense. Things like that can’t happen and it’s 100% my error.”

It’s an unacceptable mistake. Obviously, I apologized to all my teammates. Everyone on the offense. Things like that can’t happen and it’s 100% my error.”

—  Doug Kramer, Bears offensive lineman

That formation, with Kramer lined up as the fullback, is one the Bears have used for most of the season. Kramer has reported as eligible numerous times before.

Amegadjie had another penalty on that same goal-to-go sequence and the Bears settled for a field goal.

“It’s difficult,” Kramer said. “Goal-line plays, especially when you’re that low on the goal line, are huge plays. They’re scoring plays. You just can’t make mistakes like that. Those kill you.”

4. Tyrique Stevenson’s interception

In one of the few positive moments for the Bears, second-year cornerback Tyrique Stevenson picked off Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold on a fourth-down play in the first half.

With Minnesota already leading, 10-0, and driving deep into Bears territory, coach Kevin O’Connell elected to be aggressive and keep his offense on the field for fourth-and-3 from the Bears' 23-yard line. Pressure from the Bears defensive line forced Darnold to loft a dangerous pass intended for Justin Jefferson.

It was Stevenson, though, who came down with the football. It marked Stevenson’s first interception since Week 1. It also marked his first big defensive play since the Hail Mary in Washington, when Stevenson appeared to be celebrating with fans as the final play was transpiring.

“To actually get an interception is kind of hard in this league,” Stevenson said. “The fact that I was able to get one, especially in a time of need that we needed it in the game, just overfilled with happiness. But definitely ended quick because we’ve got to play the game.”

Stevenson appeared to have another interception later in the game but was called for a pass interference penalty.

5. Quittin' time?

Brown took exception to the notion that his team is packing it in for the year. The Bears have three games remaining, all against teams with winning records. But Brown doesn’t think the Bears have quit on the season.

“I would disagree,” Brown said. “I think if you watch the tape, our guys battled until the very end.”

That might be the case, but it’s hard to square the late-game effort with what this team is showing early in games. The Bears were shut out in the first half for the third consecutive game. The offense went 1-for-12 on third down. The quarterback is getting clobbered.

“We’ve just got to find ways to be efficient in the first half,” Williams said. “Find ways to keep the ball moving. Find ways to simply put points on the board.”

While Brown defended his team’s effort, he also made clear that the results have not been good enough the past two weeks.

“Any time we’re not able to stay on the grass and move the ball and score points, I’m going to be frustrated,” Brown said.