3 Takeaways from Bears' Week 5 Loss vs. Vikings
The Chicago Bears suffered their second straight one-possession loss on Sunday at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings.
Chicago was close on the scoreboard, but it looked outmatched in certain parts of the matchup with its divisional rival.
The Bears were unable to keep Justin Jefferson in check, and they let the Vikings get too far ahead in the first half.
The first-half struggles are nothing new for the Bears. They have found themselves dealing with large deficits throughout parts of the 2022 campaign.
Chicago has been able to move the ball on the ground despite some of the struggles to put up points, but that was not there for the Bears to rely on at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Bears managed a season low of 78 rushing yards and that was one of the many factors that dropped the team below .500 for the first time this season.
Could Not Contain Justin Jefferson
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Justin Jefferson did whatever he wanted against the Chicago secondary.
Jefferson finished with 12 catches on 13 targets for 154 receiving yards. The only thing missing from his Week 5 stat line was a touchdown.
Kirk Cousins showed no fear against the Bears secondary by targeting Jefferson on four occasions on the first drive.
Jefferson torched the Chicago defense for gains of 16, 14, 16 and nine yards to start the game.
Minnesota's top wide receiver had two 15-yard receptions on the next drive that led to Dalvin Cook's second rushing touchdown.
Chicago conceded three more double-digit yard plays to Jefferson for the rest of the game and its inability to stop him from the start puts its own offense in a hole that it could not dig out of in the first half.
Scoring Struggles Continue in First Half
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The Bears scored more than 10 points in the first half once in five games.
Chicago's best first-half output was 13 points in the Week 3 home win over the Houston Texans.
The Bears barely had a response for Minnesota's first two scoring drives. They settled for a field goal and then punted after three plays on the two drives after Dalvin Cook's two opening touchdowns.
David Montgomery's touchdown with 1:08 left in the first half put the Bears within striking distance right before halftime, but they still faced an 11-point deficit at that point.
Justin Fields and Co. deserve credit for fighting back in the second half, but they should not be in that situation in the first place.
Chicago needs to find ways to be more effective in the first half so that it can be the dominant side in some games, especially those that it can win in the coming weeks, starting with Thursday's clash against the Washington Commanders.
Rushing Offense Lacked Punch
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David Montgomery scored one of the Bears' two touchdowns, but that was one of the few impact plays made by the team's running backs.
Montgomery and Khalil Herbert combined for 31 rushing yards on 16 carries. Justin Fields made up for the lack of a rushing game with 47 yards on eight carries.
Fields should not be the leading rusher in any contest the Bears are involved in with Montgomery and Herbert on the field.
Chicago's rushing attack was one of its few strengths to start the season. The Bears ran for 180 yards in Week 2, 281 yards in Week 3 and 149 yards in Week 4.
The Bears can't afford to have an inefficient rushing attack when their quarterback is not throwing for massive totals. Fields produced a season high of 208 passing yards, but he was still playing from behind in the second half.
Ideally, the Bears would love to have Montgomery and Herbert thriving on the ground to set up Fields' aerial prowess.
All of the offensive pieces could come together later in the season, but they were not there on Sunday.
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