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Monday night, the Miami Dolphins defeated the Minnesota Vikings 12–10 thanks to a drive that was spearheaded by Justin Fields and ended with Cairo Santos making his fourth field goal of the contest.
NFL fans never want to see a game that is rife with turnovers and an ineffective offense. Every possession was crucial in the fourth quarter, though, as the game remained close.
Josh Dobbs had the worst performance of his Vikings career, but the “Passtronaut” had a chance to finally reverse the tables 9-3 at home when Minnesota’s defense forced Fields to fumble, his first of the game.
He succeeded in doing so, setting the tone for a 77-yard drive that culminated in a 17-yard touchdown pass from T.J. Hockenson to give the team a 10-9 lead.
Fields and the Bears may still go within field goal range to grab the lead, though, the way this game was going. His initial attempt at doing so, though, was unsuccessful as Josh Metellus charged in with a tackle that knocked the ball out, allowing the Vikings to recover.
On the subsequent drive, the Bears’ defense, which was strong throughout the game, once again proved to be crucial. With slightly more than two minutes remaining in the game, they forced the Vikings to commit a three-and-out, giving Fields another opportunity.
When the Bears reached midfield and Fields had no one to pass the ball to on first and second downs, things appeared hopeless. However, Fields hit D.J. Moore with a bullet on third-and-10, and Moore made the catch for 36 yards. Fields only needed to kneel down and wait for Cairo Santos to score the game-winning goal.
Fields had to spearhead the team’s game-winning drive after Santos missed one of his three field goals earlier in the contest from 48 yards out. However, this field goal from thirty yards out was straight down the middle, giving the Bears a much-needed win.
Fields led Chicago in rushes with 59 yards on 12 attempts and was 27 of 37 for 217 yards passing the ball throughout the game, helping the Bears improve to 4-8 on the season. Moore, who had 114 yards on 11 catches (13 targets), was his favorite target.
Dobbs, who has been outstanding for the Vikings since being acquired from the Arizona Cardinals, had a difficult night, as was previously noted. He had led Minnesota to two victories going into this game with four passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns, one in each of the games he had played.
However, the Bears dominated him on Monday night, forcing him to throw four interceptions, the first coming early in the second quarter when Jaylon Johnson dropped back into coverage and picked him off.
The Vikings’ next drive ended with Dobbs receiving no assistance from rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison, who was unable to catch a fastball from his quarterback. Jaquan Brisker won the tip drill and made his first interception of the season after it struck him in the hands.
Then Dobbs again threw back-to-back interceptions in the second half. It happened after the Vikings fumbled a down throw, and T.J. Edwards was poised to make the catch. The pass was intended for K.J. Osborn, but it bounced in the air again. Then, for his fourth pick of the game, Kyler Gordon pounced on a brief pass intended for C.J. Ham.
Hockenson led the Vikings with 50 yards on five catches, while Dobbs completed 22 of 32 passes for 185 yards and one touchdown. On ten carries, Alexander Mattison added 52 running yards.
Now 6-6, the Vikings will be unhappy that they were unable to win the low-scoring game at home before their bye week. But when they play the Las Vegas Raiders on December 10 in Week 14, they should have their All-Pro receiver Justin Jefferson back.
With a 4-8 record, the Bears are still in the running for the playoffs, and Fields will be hoping for payback against the Detroit Lions during their upcoming bye week.
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