Chicago Bears lose eighth straight game in blowout to Minnesota Vikings. Here’s what you need to know.

The Bears lost their eighth straight game Monday night, 30-12, to the Minnesota Vikings, tying the second-longest streak in franchise history in front of a national audience. Here’s what you need to know.

Three moments that mattered

1. Good night: Trailing 20-3 early in the fourth quarter, the Bears drove down to the Vikings 16-yard line hoping to somehow pull off another comeback against Minnesota. But the Bears rushed for no gain, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams missed a couple throws and rookie left tackle Kiran Amegadjie was called for a false start, forcing the Bears to settle for a field goal. The Vikings scored on their next drive to take a 27-6 lead.

2. Running out of words: The Bears thought they made it a one-score game when D’Andre Swift scored on a 1-yard run midway through the third quarter. But offensive lineman Doug Kramer failed to report as eligible and nullified the touchdown with an illegal substitution penalty. A holding call pushed the Bears back and Williams missed on two passes, forcing the Bears to settle on a field goal to make 13-3 Vikings.

3. Watch out: Williams and the offense seemed to build momentum on their second drive of the game in the first quarter. But facing third down at the Minnesota 38, Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard blew past Amegadjie and forced Williams to fumble the ball on a sack from his blindside. The Vikings took over on the Bears 39 and went on to score on a touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson to take a 10-0 lead.

Three things that worked

1. Stepping up: Bears defensive end DeMarcus Walker had one of his best games of the season on Monday and created consistent pressure on Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold in the pocket. Walker tied his career-high with four quarterback hits, which he set against the Titans in Week 1 this season, to go along with a tackle for loss. He finished with half of the Bears quarterback hits.

2. Give me the ball: Although the defense has regressed during the Bears’ losing streak, the unit has still managed to force takeaways. Cornerback Tyrique Stevenon intercepted his second pass of the season in the second quarter when he picked off Darnold. The Bears have forced at least one interception in every game this season except against the Commanders.

3. Keeping the streak alive: Monday was far from Williams’ best game during his rookie season, but he continued an impressive streak against the Vikings. Williams didn’t throw an interception for an eighth straight game, last throwing a pick against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 6. He has also thrown for at least one touchdown for a fourth straight game when he found Keenan Allen for a score late in the game.

Three things that didn’t

1. Another first-half dud: Once again, the Bears offense couldn’t find a way to score a touchdown in the first half, let alone score points. The Bears made progress after a dismal first half against the 49ers last week with 106 total yards of offense Monday, but that didn’t lead to a touchdown or a field goal. They have not scored a point in the first half since Week 12 against the Vikings.

2. Making a play: Another tough Bears offensive showing came as a result of poor execution on third and fourth down. Although they picked up 16 first downs, the offense finished 1-for-12 on third down and 1-for-3 on fourth down. The Bears converted on third down for the first time early in the fourth quarter also finished the game 1-for-3 in the red zone.

3. Finding a stop: After bending but not breaking for much of the season, the Bears defense couldn’t pick up many stops for a second straight week. The Vikings went 7 for 14 on third down and scored a touchdown on three of their four trips to the red zone. Minnesota converted on three third downs where the Vikings needed at least 10 yards to pick up a first.

What’s next?

The Bears return to Soldier Field for the first time in a month Sunday against the Detroit Lions when they play their second of three games in 11 days.