In a post-game locker room interview, Powell was reluctant to acknowledge the Bears' defense for its performance in slowing down the Vikings' sixth-ranked passing attack during primetime.
"Man, the Chicago Bears [defensive backs] are trash," Powell told the Star Tribune's Andrew Krammer. "That's just plain and simple. They were trash. We just hurt ourselves, that's all."
Powell had the most significant gain of the game for the Vikings, making a spectacular 28-yard catch over Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon. This play showcased the potential of the talented wide receivers group but was an exception in a game where the Vikings' passing offense struggled. Josh Dobbs threw for only 185 yards passing that night, while in a previous game on October 15, Kirk Cousins was limited to just 181 yards in a 19-13 Vikings win in Chicago. Notably, this was the Vikings' first game without Justin Jefferson due to a hamstring injury.
Powell's criticism of the Bears' defense came after an on-field altercation between him and Kyler Gordon, a fight that went unnoticed until the Bears' social media team released footage from Gordon's mic'd up segment.
The video shows Powell grabbing Gordon's face mask and throwing punches as both players head towards the sidelines. After several Vikings players separated them, Gordon returned to the field without his helmet, resulting in a 15-yard penalty despite his attempts to signal that his face mask was broken.
The fact that Gordon received a penalty for having his face mask grabbed and being punched left many Bears fans on social media furious, with some pointing out previous instances where similar infractions went unpunished. One example cited was when Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed was caught without his helmet on against the Vikings in Week 5 but was not flagged on the field. Although Sneed was later fined by the NFL, the missed call could have impacted the outcome of the game, which the Vikings lost.
POLL | ||
30 NOVEMBRE | 39 ANSWERS Vikings Wide Receiver Criticizes Kyler Gordon of the Bears Following On-Field Altercation [WATCH] Was Kyler Gordon in the wrong there? | ||
Yes | 2 | 5.1 % |
No | 37 | 94.9 % |
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