Bears vs. Vikings: Good, bad and ugly from Chicago's Week 12 loss

We have once again found ourselves reflecting a game that could’ve been a win for the Chicago Bears (4-7), who fell 30-27 in overtime to the Minnesota Vikings (9-2). While they usually lose games like this after being in the drivers seat, the Bears found themselves playing catch-up in the final minutes against the Vikings.

The Bears faced the fourth best defense in the NFL and still put up 27 points. More impressively, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams not only had his best pro game as of yet but led the charge for Chicago’s — almost — comeback for a third time this season.

This now marks five straight losses for the Bears, dating back to the heartbreaking Hail Mary in the loss to the Washington Commanders. All we can do is focus on now, so here’s the good, bad and ugly from the Bears' loss to the Vikings.

The Good

Caleb Williams: The rookie QB had a rough start to the season, then found his groove, then things turned bad again. But now in the two games since the Bears have fired Shane Waldron and moved on to Thomas Brown, Williams looks legit. He looks like he’ll be the man in Chicago for — hopefully — years to come. Williams is getting the ball out much quicker, taking less sacks and getting easy completions. On top of that, he’s using his legs and athleticism much more to extend — and save — possessions. Against the NFL’s fourth best defense, Williams completed 32-of-47 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns. The future is bright in Chicago with Williams behind center.

Thomas Brown: This man has saved the offense. Not just on the field, but off it as well. The mojo is better, there are smiles on the sidelines and most importantly there are points on the board. Brown has also saved the development of Williams. In the last two games, the Bears have put up 391 yards and 398 yards, respectively. Chicago has also put up 46 combined points in those games — Waldron led the Bears to a combined 27 games in the three games prior. The ball distribution has been one of the biggest takeaways from Brown’s two games calling plays. D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, Cole Kmet and Rome Dounze all had at least five receptions against Minnesota. The Bears need to keep Brown around in some fashion next season. His expertise and fire obviously have a major impact on Chicago’s offense.

The Bad

Defense, all around: I’ll give the defense this, this pass rush got somewhat better. Montez Sweat looks like he;s back at 100% and DeMarcus Walker and Gervon Dexter Sr. had great games. Despite sacking Darnold three times, the defense didn’t get a ton of pressure on him. This same issue was prevalent against the Green Bay Packers, and was literally the reason Jordan Love saw some success in that game. Coverage wise, there’s a big fall off. Jaylon Johnson may be CB1 in the entire NFL after holding Justin Jefferson to two receptions for just 27 yards. Johnson had him covered so well he was only targeted five times. But that opened up an opportunity for Jordan Addsion to take major advantage against Tyrique Stevenson and torch the Bears for 162 yards on eight catches.

The Ugly

Matt Eberflus: There’s no debating that Chicago needs a new head coach. The Bears took a step in the right direction after firing Waldron. I don’t expect Eberflus to be fired before the end of the season, but he needs to be gone. He’s 14-31 as a head coach and somehow, someway, found a way to lose another one-score game. Eberflus is coined as a defensive head coach and is even the signal-caller for defense, but can’t make adjustments to stop Addison and keep the Vikings from scoring in clutch situations. That’s been a theme all season.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Vikings: Good, bad and ugly from Chicago's Week 12 loss