Bears flip the script after nearly repeating Week 1 collapse

On Sunday, the Week 11 matchup between the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings was almost a repeat of the Bears collapse in Week 1, but Ben Johnson's Bears are finally coming into their own.

The Bears continue to show grit and improvement

Chicago won, 19-17, on a walk-off 48-yard field goal from kicker Cairo Santos. For the majority of the game, the Bears had the lead over the Vikings, but could never land the final punch. In their first matchup this season, that was ultimately the Bears downfall.

In both games, Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy had a forgettable first three quarters — on Sunday, he had two interceptions and under a hundred yards passing in the first half — but came through in the fourth quarter. After McCarthy hit wide receiver Jordan Addison for a 15-yard touchdown pass to take the 17-16 lead, it seemed like a Week 1 rerun was on the broadcast, but unlike their last meeting, the Bears didn't fold.

A quality that has become evident as the team has grown comfortable with Johnson's leadership. And, more importantly, they're playing better complementary football and not waiting for one player to bail them out.

To set up the Bears game-winning drive, wide receiver Devin Duvernay returned the ensuing kickoff for 56 yards to the Minnesota 40-yard line with 50 seconds left in regulation. Second-year quarterback Caleb Williams didn't have to play heroics and handed the ball off to running back D'Andre Swift three times for nine yards to set up the game-winning field goal.