Vikings rise up late to spoil Ben Johnson's Bears debut 27-24

The Bears found out in Ben Johnson's debut how fast a game can change.

Up 17-6 and dominating the game with their defense after Nahshon Wright's 74-yard TD return, it only took a missd 50-yard field goal by Cairo Santos to open the door.

J.J. McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings poured through for a 27-24 comeback victory at Soldier Field.

McCarthy threw two touchdown passes and ran one in during the fourth quarter, the 14-yarder on a bootleg to end a nine-play, 68-yard drive finished off the Bears by providing a 27-17 Minnesota lead.

Caleb Williams brought the Bears back late with a 1-yard TD pass to Rome Odunze to end a 65-yard drive, aided by a 31-yard pass to Cole Kmet. But the Vikings were able kill most of the clock and left Williams with only nine seconds to go 80 yards without a timeout.

Williams finished 21 of 35 for 211 yards and a TD.
McCarthy went 13 of 20 for 143 yards.

In his first career start, McCarthy was struggling against Bears pressure all night. Then he led a 60-yard TD drive after Santos' miss. It ended with a 13-yard touchdown throw to Justin Jefferson. After another failed Bears drive, he threw a 27-yard TD pass to running back Aaron Jones on the next Vikings possession and a two-point pass to Adam Thielen to give Minnesota the lead.

Wright had been burned in the first half twice on Vikings scoring drives Monday night, once on a long completion and the other time on a pass interference penalty.

He gained his revenge in the third quarter with the 74-yard interception return to put the Bears up 17-6.

McCarthy floated one toward Jefferson on third-and-8 from the Bears 32 and the former Cowboys-Vikings DB was off to the races.

The Bears had led 10-6 at halftime as their defense excelled despite the absence of starters Jaylon Johnson, T.J. Edwards and Kyler Gordon with injuries. It was Johnson who Wright replaced in the starting lineup.

They held the Vikings to a 31-yard Will Reichard field goal and then a 59-yarder just before the half, a kick that tied the longest ever made at Soldier Field.

Ben Johnson's offense did its part early, something the Bears weren't exactly known for under Matt Eberflus and Shane Waldron last year.

The Bears drove 61 yards for their first touchdown on an opening series since the 2023 finale, then spent the rest of the first half looking shaky, much like they did in training camp.

The touchdown was a broken play itself, as Caleb Williams scrambled 9 yards to the left pylon on third-and-6.

Later in the half, Johnson lost a fourth-down gamble when Williams threw wildly, but he had another chance later and allowed Santos to try and make a 42-yard field goal that gave Bears a 10-3 lead just before the long Reichard field goal.

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