Nick Foles injured as Bears lose to Vikings
Bears quarterback Nick Foles was carted off the field after being thrown to the ground with under a minute to play. (Credit: Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports)

Nick Foles injured as Bears lose to Vikings
by - Senior Writer - Tue Nov 17 01:34:01 GMT-05:00 2020

CHICAGO — While the Chicago Bears (5-5) suffered a 19-13 loss in their Week 10 matchup versus the Minnesota Vikings (4-5), it was a different kind of loss endured by the Bears that will potentially have long-term ramifications. Starting quarterback Nick Foles was carted off the field after getting slammed to the ground during the Bears' final offensive possession, and, with backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky already out due to injury, the Bears might not have the services of either gunslinger for quite some time.

The Bears' lone touchdown of the contest at Soldier Field came on special teams, with Cordarrelle Patterson tying an NFL record by returning the opening kickoff of the second half to the house. Chicago and Minnesota committed two turnovers apiece in the NFC North battle, which did not feature much offensive success, but Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins' pair of touchdown passes to wideout Adam Thielen made the ultimate difference. In the end, Cousins came away with a win on "Monday Night Football" for the first time in his career.

Play-by-Play Summary:

First Half:

Vikings, fumble: A promising Vikings drive was upended by the usually sure-handed Kyle Rudolph losing a fumble for the first time as a pro. Danny Trevathan punched the football loose, and Tashaun Gipson recovered it at the Bears' 27-yard line.

Drive: 8 plays, 47 yards, 4:38

Score: Vikings 0, Bears 0

Bears, interception: Just two plays after the Vikings turned the ball over, Foles gave it right back to Minnesota. A high pass by Foles was intercepted by Harrison Smith and returned to the Chicago 41.

Drive: 2 plays, 0 yards, 0:48

Score: Vikings 0, Bears 0

Vikings, touchdown: Pulling off a spectacular one-handed catch, Thielen hauled in a 17-yard touchdown pass while warding off a defender in the end zone.

Drive: 6 plays, 41 yards, 3:05

Score: Vikings 7, Bears 0

Bears, field goal: An efficient drive stalled out in the red zone. Lamar Miller, who made his Bears debut and filled in for the injured David Montgomery at running back, tallied a seven-yard reception on the possession. Foles was able to recover a botched snap and complete a short pass soon after that. Foles later completed a perfectly placed pass to Allen Robinson near the sideline for a gain of 24. A nine-yard reception by Patterson, a former Viking, set up first-and-goal at the 7-yard line, but the Bears were forced to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Cairo Santos.

Drive: 14 plays, 70 yards, 5:57

Score: Vikings 7, Bears 3

Vikings, punt: Justin Jefferson found room to run after catching a short pass and gained 23 yards. The Bears held the Vikings in check after that and forced a punt.

Drive: 6 plays, 29 yards, 3:29

Score: Vikings 7, Bears 3

Bears, punt: A couple of Patterson carries, including a wildcat rush, helped the Bears move the chains. Foles rolled out and, with a defender barreling down on him, fired a dart to Cole Kmet on third-and-2, keeping the drive alive. Artavis Pierce tabbed a six-yard gain on the ground, but Foles wound up getting sacked on third down, bringing the punt unit onto the field.

Drive: 8 plays, 26 yards, 5:31

Score: Vikings 7, Bears 3

Vikings, interception: Yet another promising Vikings possession ended with a turnover. Out of the two-minute warning, Thielen, who caught an 11-yard pass on the previous play, was unable to corral a short pass that he should have caught. As a result, Khalil Mack picked it off and rumbled 33 yards to the Minnesota 45.

Drive: 9 plays, 52 yards, 4:41

Score: Vikings 7, Bears 3

Bears, field goal: Anthony Miller scampered for 21 yards after securing a catch over the middle. The Bears were unable to pick up any additional yardage, though, and Santos capped off the possession with a 42-yard field goal.

Drive: 5 plays, 21 yards, 1:02

Score: Vikings 7, Bears 6

Vikings, end of half: A couple of Dalvin Cook carries ran out the clock and ushered in the intermission.

Drive: 2 plays, 0 yards, 0:49

Score: Vikings 7, Bears 6

Second Half:

Bears, touchdown: The Vikings have experienced their fair share of special teams blunders on the season, and another such mistake came to fruition when Patterson faced little resistance on his record-tying 104-yard return. Matching the NFL record for most career kickoff return touchdowns, Patterson took a kick to the house for the eighth time in his professional tenure. He was able to cruise into the end zone with no defenders in close pursuit after finding plenty of room to run beyond midfield.

Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:14

Score: Vikings 7, Bears 13

Vikings, punt: Jefferson hauled in a 14-yard catch on third-and-8, but the Vikings came up short on the next third down they faced. However, Dwayne Harris flipped the special teams script by muffing the ensuing punt. The Vikings recovered at the Chicago 20, and Miller handled the Bears' punt return duties the rest of the way, as Harris suffered a triceps injury on his ill-fated return.

Drive: 6 plays, 23 yards, 3:02

Score: Vikings 7, Bears 13

Vikings, field goal: After gaining just one yard, the Vikings settled for a field goal. Dan Bailey kicked a 37-yarder through the uprights.

Drive: 4 plays, 1 yards, 0:54

Score: Vikings 10, Bears 13

Bears, punt: The Bears' offense has been unbelievably lackluster in the third quarter of contests all season long, and a trio of three-and-outs in the third quarter of Monday's loss saw that trend continue. A three-yard possession brought forth the first of three Chicago punts in the period.

Drive: 3 plays, 3 yards, 1:37

Score: Vikings 10, Bears 13

Vikings, punt: On third down, Roquan Smith hustled through the line and sacked Cousins for a loss of six. Miller returned the subsequent punt 12 yards to the Vikings' 46.

Drive: 3 plays, -4 yards, 2:12

Score: Vikings 10, Bears 13

Bears, punt: On second-and-11, Patterson recovered a Foles fumble and was able to get back to the line of scrimmage and then some, bringing up third-and-10. An incomplete pass led to a punt.

Drive: 3 plays, 0 yards, 1:49

Score: Vikings 10, Bears 13

Vikings, field goal: The Bears' defense did an excellent job of limiting Cook's production on the night. Cook finally broke off a lengthy run, but the 36-yard carry was called back due to holding. Then, on third-and-11, Cousins connected with Jefferson, who picked up a bevy of yards after the catch, for a gain of 54. Akiem Hicks suffered a hamstring injury on the next play and never returned to the action. At the end of the drive, Bailey nailed a 43-yarder to even the score.

Drive: 7 plays, 60 yards, 3:20

Score: Vikings 13, Bears 13

Bears, punt: A direct snap to Patterson resulted in a loss of one on second down, and Foles was sacked for a loss of nine on the play that followed.

Drive: 3 plays, -5 yards, 2:03

Score: Vikings 13, Bears 13

Vikings, touchdown: Cook was shaken up at the end of an eight-yard carry, as he briefly fumbled the ball and fell on it while making a fumble recovery. Also, Jaylon Johnson suffered an ankle injury on the play. Both players were able to walk off the field under their own power, and Cook picked up 13 yards on the ground soon afterward. Following a holding penalty that went against the Vikings, Rudolph gained 22 yards on first-and-20, with the passing play moving the sticks. Next, Jefferson collected a 14-yard reception, and a six-yard run by Cook advanced the football to the Chicago 6-yard line. A few plays later, Thielen made a much simpler touchdown catch than his first one of the evening. Following the six-yard score, a special teams snafu on the point after kept the Vikings' lead at six. A bad snap resulted in a desperation heave on a failed two-point attempt.

Drive: 9 plays, 63 yards, 4:43

Score: Vikings 19, Bears 13

Bears, punt: Patterson fielded a line drive kickoff and returned it 31 yards to the Bears' 37. Chicago was unable to pick up a first down, however, and was forced to punt.

Drive: 3 plays, 5 yards, 1:31

Score: Vikings 19, Bears 13

Vikings, punt: A seven-yard run by Cook was followed by an eight-yard completion from Cousins to Cook. Two plays later, Cousins scrambled for 15 yards, but a holding call erased the sizable gain. Cook garnered 14 yards on a third-and-20 handoff that preceded a punt. A 32-yard return by Miller set the Bears' offense up at the Vikings' 46.

Drive: 6 plays, 19 yards, 3:34

Score: Vikings 19, Bears 13

Bears, turnover on downs: A 10-yard pass from Foles to Patterson started the drive. Patterson produced runs of three and two yards, respectively, on the next two snaps. On third down, a pass to Robinson behind the line of scrimmage resulted in a loss of four, but Chicago then opted to go for it on fourth-and-9 from the Minnesota 35. Narrowly getting a pass off before getting sacked, Foles slightly overthrew Miller downfield, with the ball grazing Miller's outstretched fingertips.

Drive: 5 plays, 11 yards, 2:57

Score: Vikings 19, Bears 13

Vikings, punt: A 21-yard pass from Cousins to Rudolph resulted in the Bears taking their first timeout of the half. Three short carries by Cook followed, and the Vikings punted from Bears territory.

Drive: 5 plays, 25 yards, 1:20

Score: Vikings 19, Bears 13

Bears, turnover on downs: After a touchback on the punt, the Bears began their final drive at their own 20. With no timeouts to work with, Chicago needed to drive 80 yards in 44 seconds. Any hope of a game-winning drive was all but lost when Foles was thrown down by Ifeadi Odenigbo on the first play of the possession. Foles was able to get rid of the ball before taking a sack, but he was unable to shake off the injury suffered as a result of the big hit. Following the incompletion, Foles was carted to the locker room, and Tyler Bray took over at quarterback. Bray completed an 18-yard pass to Ryan Nall on his first play, but, after spiking the ball to stop the clock, he went on to throw three straight incompletions.

Drive: 6 plays, 18 yards, 0:41

Score: Vikings 19, Bears 13

Vikings, end of game: Chicago's turnover on downs allowed Cousins to kneel on the game's final play, giving the Vikings the win in their first of two meetings with the Bears this year and their third consecutive victory overall. As for the Bears, they have now lost four games in a row and definitely have their work cut out for them in their playoff push.

Drive: 1 play, -1 yard, 0:03

Final Score: Vikings 19, Bears 13

Statistical Breakdown:

Chicago Bears: 1st Downs: 10; Total Plays: 50; Total Yards: 149; Total Drives: 11; Yards per Play: 3.0; Passing Yards: 108; Rushing Yards: 41; Red Zone: 0-1; Penalties: 1-5; Turnovers: 2; Defensive/Special Teams TDs: 1; Time of Possession: 24:10

Minnesota Vikings: 1st Downs: 19; Total Plays: 70; Total Yards: 385; Total Drives: 13; Yards per Play: 5.5; Passing Yards: 286; Rushing Yards: 99; Red Zone: 2-3; Penalties: 4-35; Turnovers: 2; Defensive/Special Teams TDs: 0; Time of Possession: 35:50

"Bear Down" Team MVPs:

Passing: Nick Foles (QB): 15/26, 106 YDS, 4.1 AVG, 0 TD, 1 INT, 2-16 SACK, 51.1 RTG

Rushing: Cordarrelle Patterson (WR): 12 CAR, 30 YDS, 2.5 AVG, 0 TD, 6 LONG

Receiving: Allen Robinson (WR): 6 REC, 43 YDS, 7.2 AVG, 0 TD, 24 LONG, 9 TGTS

Defense: Roquan Smith (LB): 14 TOT, 8 SOLO, 1 SACKS, 3 TFL, 0 PD, 1 QB HITS, 0 TD

Special Teams: Cordarrelle Patterson (KR): 2 NO, 135 YDS, 67.5 AVG, 104 LONG, 1 TD

Up Next: Following a bye in Week 11, the Bears will return to action in Week 12 and take on the rival Green Bay Packers (7-2) for their first of two matchups against them this season. Set to kick off at 7:20 p.m. CST, the contest at Lambeau Field marks the lone "Sunday Night Football" appearance for the Bears this year and the final primetime outing of the regular season for Chicago. The weather on the "Frozen Tundra" in Green Bay, Wis., is sure to be cold and windy on the night of Sunday, Nov. 29, making for fitting conditions when the NFL's oldest rivals clash under the lights. The Packers lead the all-time series 99-95-6 and triumphed over the Bears in both of last year's meetings.

Highlights:

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