LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The Bears offense continued to struggle mightily in Sunday’s 36-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, registering season-lows with 169 total yards and eight first downs. 

Chicago blew two golden opportunities to close the gap. Jay Cutler threw an interception in the end zone while facing a 17-7 deficit late in the second quarter, and the Bears had to settle for Robbie Gould’s 38-yard field goal after Johnny Knox returned the second-half kickoff to the Minnesota 8.

The Bears mustered just two yards on 12 plays in the second half, and they failed to pick up a first down rushing for just the fifth time in franchise history. The offense has now scored two touchdowns in its last three games.

Cutler’s two interceptions came in a 1:48 span late in the second quarter. The first occurred when he made the correct decision in changing a run to a pass at the line of scrimmage, but failed to take advantage of single coverage by underthrowing Knox in the left corner of the end zone.

The second interception came on a pass that was thrown into tight coverage. Linebacker E.J. Henderson drilled Earl Bennett just as the ball arrived, and it was plucked out of the air by defensive end Jared Allen.

“The one that he threw in the end zone that was picked, we had a run called,” said offensive coordinator Ron Turner. “It was a bad look for it, so he audibled. The corner bailed out, and [Cutler has] just got to get it out there more. Then the other one, the linebacker started to drop and Henderson made a good play. He jumped up on it, hit it, and the ball went flying in the air.”

Seeing red: The Bears offense continued to struggle in the red zone. But a bigger problem was that the unit failed to advance inside the Vikings’ 20 on its own. Chicago’s only red-zone possession of the game came after Knox's kickoff return.

After Matt Forte was dropped for no gain, Cutler was sacked on back-to-back plays, sandwiched around a false start penalty against Orlando Pace. The Bears then settled for Gould’s field goal.

Cutler wasn’t solely to blame for the Bears’ failure to score a touchdown in that situation.

“On second down, we call a pass play and his primary receiver that he’s looking for ran the wrong route,” Turner said. “So he’s looking for a guy who is supposed to be there who would have been wide open. He’s not there, so he gets sacked.

“It’s a matter of executing better and giving him an opportunity. When you give him an opportunity, he’s a hell of a player. But we’ve got to give him a chance on each and every play. We didn’t do that.”

After scoring eight touchdowns on 11 trips inside-the-20 (72.7 percent) during a three-game winning streak early in the season, the Bears have mustered just six TDs on 20 red-zone possessions (30 percent) in losing six of seven games.

More ugly numbers: Miserable performances on both sides of the ball on third down contributed to the Vikings holding embarrassing advantages in total yards (537-169), first downs (31-8), offensive plays (83-38) and time of possession (40:55-19:05).

While the Bears converted just 2 of 8 third-down opportunities (25 percent), the Vikings were successful on 12 of 18 chances (67 percent). Since halftime of last Sunday night’s loss to the Eagles, the Bears offense has converted only 2 of 15 third-down plays (13 percent).

Roster notes: Veteran Desmond Clark missed his second straight game with a neck injury. He was replaced as the No. 2 tight end by Kellen Davis.

The Bears made a lineup change up front, starting Frank Omiyale at left guard in place of Josh Beekman. Omiyale had started the first six games of the season before being replaced by Beekman.

With safety Kevin Payne returning to action after missing two games with a back injury, Craig Steltz was a healthy scratch for the first time this season. Other Bears inactives were wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias, cornerback D.J. Moore, linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa, guard Lance Louis, and defensive tackles Matt Toeaina and Jarron Gilbert.

Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield (foot) and right guard Anthony Herrera (concussion) missed the game due to injuries. They were replaced by Benny Sapp and Artis Hicks, respectively.