Putting Bears’ Underwhelming Offensive Showing vs. Vikings In Perspective

The Chicago Bears started Week 1 hot, scoring 59 points in their win over the Carolina Panthers. But what went wrong in their 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday? Chicago fell to NFC North foe Minnesota in a defensive standoff, struggling to score through the rainy conditions as quarterback Caleb Williams also went down with a hamstring injury. The Bears went scoreless over the final three quarters, putting up just 297 yards of total offense. In a battle of respective masterminds, Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores got the best of Bears head coach Ben Johnson. As a result, Johnson couldn’t do anything but tip his cap to Flores following Sunday’s game. “Early on, you could feel what he wanted to do. That’s what makes going against him so challenging,” Johnson said of Flores after the loss. “We gained momentum out of halftime and drove all the way down, but then gave it up with points in the bag. Facing a good defense like that, we have to capitalize on every single opportunity.” So, just how drastically bad was the Bears’ offensive showing on Sunday? Well, compared to Week 1, it was one of the largest offensive scoring outputs for a team in back-to-back games in NFL history. Chicago’s 56-point difference is the third-largest difference in points scored in a team’s first two games of a season in NFL History, per FOX Sports Research. The largest difference in points in a team’s first two games of a season (in either direction) was 62 points by the 1973 Falcons (62-7 win then 31-0 loss). Before today, the largest difference in points for the Bears in their first two games of a season (in either direction) was 34 points in 1940 (41-10 win then 21-7 loss). Sunday also marked the second-fewest points scored by a team with Johnson as offensive coordinator or head coach. The Detroit Lions were shutout by the New England Patriots when Johnson was their offensive coordinator in 2022. There were some other notable tidbits to emerge from the Bears’ loss. Sunday was the Vikings’ seventh straight road win at Soldier Field, tied for the second-longest road win streak at Soldier Field in NFL history. The Vikings are also the first team in NFL history to win four straight games (regular season and playoffs) with four different starting quarterbacks (Max Brosmer, J.J. McCarthy, Kyler Murray, Carson Wentz).The Bears now turn to another home game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3.