Vikings' abysmal performance leaves HC Kevin O'Connell with huge decision

With November coming to a close, the Minnesota Vikings desperately needed a win Monday night at home against the Chicago Bears to remain in prime position for a wild-card berth and within striking distance of the Detroit Lions (8-3) in the NFC North.

Instead, Minnesota dropped to 6-6 with an ugly 12-10 loss to the Chicago Bears. While the Vikings still occupy the seventh and final playoff spot in the NFC, they're only a half-game ahead of the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams, who are each 5-6 after back-to-back wins.

The main culprit for Minnesota's loss was quarterback Joshua Dobbs. The "Passtronaut" — who's filling in for the injured Kirk Cousins (Achilles), who's out for the season — had been the feel-good story of 2023. He led the Vikings to wins in each of his first two appearances after his trade from Arizona.

Since then, however, Minnesota has dropped back-to-back games, with Dobbs committing six turnovers in that span. Four of those turnovers came Monday against a suddenly clutch Chicago defense that has seven interceptions over its last two games.