The Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings had a high-profile NFC North game on Sunday, November 16, on the road, and it proved that first-year Bears head coach Ben Johnson is already getting his team to where they need to be to succeed in the league. The Bears took out the Vikings, with a 19-17 score, and even though Minnesota had a late rally, it wasn’t enough to overtake a strong Bears team.
The Minnesota Vikings still lead the series since its start, according to research from the Football Database, but all that matters now is that for the 2025-26 season, the Bears are on top. But, it wasn’t easy.
The Chicago Bears led 16-3 heading into the fourth quarter, but the Minnesota Vikings pulled off two late touchdowns, the second thanks to J.J. McCarthy’s 15-yard pass to Jordan Addison, giving the Vikings a 17-16 lead with just :50 left on the clock. But, Cairo Santos kicked a 48-yard field goal as the time went down to zero to give the Bears a riveting 19-17 win over the Vikings.
As great as it was to win against a challenger in the NFC North, that wasn’t the end of this fairytale story. The Bears woke up to some good news on Monday, November 17, and it’s surely putting a smile on Johnson’s face.
Even though the Bears won this game, during his postgame presser, Johnson emphasized that it got too close and that the team will learn from their mistakes. “It was very reminiscent of the first game where we ended up having a lead and then allowed it to get interesting there,” Johnson said. “We felt like we didn’t make enough plays there in the first game to earn that victory, and this one we did. I do feel like that shows growth as a football team.”
But, whether or not Johnson was 100% happy with his team’s performance, he’s smiling now, because following the Detroit Lions‘ loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, November 16, the Bears are No. 1 team in the NFC North. The Bears’ win gave them with a 7-3 record for the season, while the Green Bay Packers are No. 2 with a 6-3-1 record and the Detroit Lions are No. 3 at 6-4. The Vikings are last.
Even with the loss, Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell was complimentary after the game.
“You can feel it in the building. You can feel the momentum. That’s a great way to describe it when J.J. throws the touchdown to Jordan in the 2-minute drill,” Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell said. “As I told [McCarthy] earlier in the game, no matter what this game has been like, I’m going to tell you at the end of this, ‘Just move the ball down the field to help us win this game. And I’m proud of you.’”
He added, “And I told him that the result didn’t end up staying 17-16, and they beat us by making the play there and then making the kick.”
Now, the Chicago Bears get to play a home game, and it’s against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, November 23. The Steelers have a 6-4 record going into the game, while the Bears are 7-3.
Christian Izien’s absence from last week’s season opener at Atlanta is expected to end this week, with the Buccaneers defensive back set to return for Monday night’s showdown at Houston.
When asked about potentially deploying both cornerback Jacob Parrish and safety Izien simultaneously, Todd Bowles indicated it’s a possibility. Notably, Izien’s experience extends beyond his listed safety position, as he’s also played slot corner.
“Depending on the defense,” Bowles on potentially using Izien and Parrish at the same time. “Parrish is a nickel right now, but ‘Izzy’ will have some spots coming in as we go forward. We have to see what the game plans look like.”
With Izien’s return, the Buccaneers boast considerable depth in their secondary will enable Bowles to unleash creative blitz packages and unique coverages to counter C.J. Stroud. Given their previous encounter, however, it’s clear the Bucs’ defensive backs will need every advantage possible to keep up with the Houston QB.