The Bears lost quarterback Caleb Williams to a hamstring injury and fell to the Vikings 9-3 in an unexpected defensive battle Sunday at Soldier Field.
Williams was injured midway through the fourth quarter when he scrambled to his left on first-and-goal from the 6. He slid to the ground in obvious pain without being touched, was helped to the sideline and then carted to the locker room.
Three plays later, Cairo Santos' potential game-tying 23-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Isaiah Rodgers with 6:21 remaining.
After Will Reichard's 39-yard field goal increased the Vikings' lead to 9-3 with 1:09 left in the game, the Bears took over at their own 35 with 1:00 to play.
Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent completed four passes for 53 yards as the Bears reached the Minnesota 12. But on fourth-and-2 with :01 left, Bagent was sacked by edge rusher Dallas Turner.
The Bears (59) and Vikings (39) combined to score 98 points in their season-opening wins, the most in Week 1 by Week 2 opponents in NFL history. But Sunday's NFC North clash was an entirely different game, with neither team scoring a touchdown after combining for 13 TDs a week earlier.
The Bears committed eight penalties for 58 yards and were unable to score on possessions that reached the Vikings' 1, 5 and 12.
The Vikings took a 3-0 lead on the game's opening possession on Reichard's 35-yard field goal. Minnesota settled for the kick after Dillon Thieneman prevented receiver Justin Jefferson from catching a touchdown pass in the back of the end zone on third-and-6 from the 17, hitting the star receiver as the ball arrived.
The Bears tied the score 3-3 on Santos' 50-yard field goal. Holder Tory Taylor did an excellent job of pulling down a high snap. The kick came after Williams masterfully avoided multiple defenders on a nifty 6-yard scramble.
The Vikings retook a 6-3 lead midway through the second quarter on Reichard's 49-yard field goal.
While the Bears defense did not allow a TD in the first half, the offense mustered only three points and 93 total yards. On one possession late in the second quarter, the unit drew penalties on three straight and four of five plays.
The Bears opened the second half by marching to the Vikings' 1. But on first-and-goal, defensive lineman Jalen Redmond forced a D'Andre Swift fumble that was recovered by cornerback Isaiah Rodgers at the 1.
On the previous play, Williams had rolled to his right and then back to his left before lofting a perfect pass to receiver Kalif Raymond, who ran out of bounds at the 1 for an 8-yard gain on third-and-8.
The Bears will look to rebound next Monday night when they host the Philadelphia Eagles at Soldier Field.
