Bears vs. Vikings: Studs and duds from Chicago's OT loss

The Chicago Bears lost another one-score game -- this one a 30-27 overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings (9-2) Sunday at Soldier Field.

The Bears had a strong first quarter, holding the Vikings without any points and scoring for the first time in a game for the first time this season on a 1-yard rushing touchdown by running back Roschon Johnson. But Chicago wouldn't have the lead again in this game, where Minnesota outscored them 24-3 between the second and third quarters. But the Bears had a sensational fourth quarter, where they scored 17 unanswered points to extend the game.

Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams had another impressive outing, throwing for nearly 350 yards, protecting the football and making some sensational throws that bode well for his career. He even led the Bears back from down 11 points, which included a 1-yard touchdown to Keenan Allen and a 48-yard game-tying field goal by Cairo Santos to force overtime. But, as bad teams do, the Bears found a way to lose as their defense just collapsed in overtime.

There were plenty of standout performances, that were wasted, in this overtime defeat. We’re taking a look at the studs and duds from the Bears' loss vs. Minnesota:

Stud: QB Caleb Williams

The Bears might not win another game this season, but at least they've found their franchise quarterback. Williams had another sensational game against a top Vikings defense. He completed 32-of-47 passes (68.1%) for 340 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions for a 103.1 passer rating. He added six carries for 33 yards. Williams also became the Bears' rookie single-season passing yards leader, as he now has 2,356 yards through 11 games. He made some impressive throws that show he's going to be a special talent once the right coaching staff is in place.

Stud: WR DJ Moore

Moore had his best game of the season, where he led the Bears with seven catches for 106 yards and a touchdown. He almost nearly had a passing touchdown on a trick play to rookie Rome Odunze in the end zone that was broken up. Moore excelled in the screen game, where he had some big pickups and conversions. But his biggest play was a 27-yard reception from Caleb Williams to set up the game-tying, overtime-forcing field goal in the final seconds of the game.

Stud: WR Keenan Allen

Allen's dominance against this Vikings defense continued with the Bears, and he was a big part of the team's early offensive success, where his chemistry with Caleb Williams was on full display. Allen had his best game with Chicago, hauling in a team-high nine receptions for 86 yards (second to only DJ Moore) and a touchdown. He was also one toe away from hauling in another impressive reception that likely would've set up another touchdown. This was the Keenan Allen the Bears signed to help their rookie quarterback, and the veteran came up clutch.

Stud: CB Kyler Gordon

Gordon has been a stud for this Bears defense when healthy, and he had another impressive outing against this Vikings defense while primarily covering All-Pro receiver Justin Jefferson. Gordon had two tackles and two pass breakups, including one on Jefferson in the first quarter on fourth down that gave Chicago the ball in prime field position. Gordon has thrived at the nickel cornerback position, and he was flying all over the field against the Vikings. He's established himself as a core piece of this defense and was one of the bright spots in a disappointing defensive effort.

Stud: DE DeMarcus Walker

Walker had an impressive outing along the defensive line, where he had several key plays that led to big stops. He finished with five tackles, including one tackle for loss, one sack and two QB hits. Walker played a key role on Jonathan Owens' forced fumble and recovery, stuffing running back Aaron Jones to allow Owens to make the play. Walker now has 3.5 sacks on the season, which matches his total from the 2023 season.

Dud: KR/PR DeAndre Carter

The self-inflicted mistakes continued for the Bears, where Carter called for a fair catch on a punt and let it bounce into him and it was then recovered by the Vikings at the Chicago 14-yard line. Carter should've been benched as a result -- like how the team handled Velus Jones Jr. in the past -- but the coaching staff doesn't understand accountability, so he was right back out there. Carter later redeemed himself with an impressive 55-yard kickoff return that set the Bears up on the Minnesota 40-yard line. But that doesn't excuse his actions in what was a costly turnover at a critical point of the game.

Dud: STC Richard Hightower

Special teams lost this game for the Bears, and Hightower deserves plenty of blame for not having his unit prepared. Whether it was Cairo Santos having another field goal blocked due to his low trajectory -- something that supposedly a focal point this week but happened on his first field goal attempt in this game -- or in-game mistakes, most notably DeAndre Carter's mishap in letting a punt bounce into him that resulted in a turnover that set the Vikings up for a touchdown.

Dud: Third down defense

The Bears defense surrendered the most points they have this season (30), but the biggest reason they lost is because they couldn't get off the field -- particularly on third and long situations. That included in overtime on third-and-9, when Vikings receiver Jordan Addison hauled in a 12-yard reception to keep the drive moving, which ended in the game-winning field goal. Chicago had chances to win the game, but ultimately the defense just made too many mistakes and couldn't come through when it mattered most.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Vikings: Studs and duds from Chicago's OT loss