The Bears have accomplished a feat that no NFL team has achieved in more than half a century.
For the second consecutive week, the Chicago Bears achieved something unprecedented in the history of the Super Bowl era. However, this time, they found themselves on the winning side of history.
According to OptaSTATS, the Bears became the first team since the merger of the NFL and AFL in 1970 to secure a road victory despite losing two fumbles, incurring 75+ yards in penalties, and failing to score any touchdowns. Prior to this, teams in such a situation had a daunting record of 0-46, making the Bears' accomplishment truly remarkable.
The key to the Bears' triumph was a remarkable defensive performance, an almost flawless performance from Cairo Santos, and a particularly clutch throw by Justin Fields. The defense intercepted Vikings quarterback Josh Dobbs four times in the 12-10 victory. Although the Bears only converted these turnovers into three points, they effectively prevented the Vikings from scoring and halted their chances of taking a commanding lead.
After missing his initial field goal attempt of the day, Santos bounced back to go 4-for-4, scoring all 12 of the Bears' points, including a career-high 55-yard field goal and the game-winning kick with less than 15 seconds left in the game.
Finally, Fields executed a crucial play to set up a comeback win, a rare fourth-quarter drive to seal the game for him this season. His 36-yard pass to DJ Moore during the team's final offensive drive was the longest play of the day for either side and positioned the Bears to kneel three times before Santos' game-winning kick.
In recent seasons, the Bears have seen too many potential victories slip away, but for a moment on Monday, it appeared that the same fate might befall them. They missed several opportunities to score points and establish a substantial lead over the Vikings. Then, they surrendered the game's only touchdown, along with their lead, with just under six minutes remaining. Had any of these circumstances played out differently, the Bears could have joined the ranks of the 47 teams that had previously lost under the aforementioned conditions.
It's worth noting that just last week, the Bears made history as the first NFL team to lose in regulation after possessing the ball for 40 minutes with a plus-three turnover margin, as reported by ESPN 1000.
| POLL | ||
28 NOVEMBRE | 74 ANSWERS The Bears have accomplished a feat that no NFL team has achieved in more than half a century. Would you prefer for the bears to tank? | ||
| Yes | 30 | 40.5 % |
| no | 44 | 59.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
