4 Vikings Positives from the Bears Loss
There is no sugar coating it, the Week 11 loss to the Chicago Bears felt season-defining for the Minnesota Vikings – and not in a good way. That doesn’t mean there weren’t any positives for Vikings fans to cling to.
Four Minnesota Vikings positives emerged from the Bears’ loss, highlighting key bright spots on offense and defense despite an otherwise rough Week 11 outing.
It was a bad day in the Twin Cities, and any hope of a playoff run seemed to fade away. The Vikings could have won it after taking the lead with only 50 seconds left on the clock, but they didn’t.
Vikings-Themed Positives from Week 11
This just doesn’t look like a team, with their young quarterback and sloppiness evident all over the team, that is about to go on a run. Still, four positives should offer optimism for the team’s long-term future.
The Offensive Line
It was a rough day for JJ McCarthy, but there can be no looking at the Vikings’ offensive line for an excuse. The unit possibly had its best game of the season with a settled five. The Pro Football Focus Grades were all good, as shown below.
*PFF grades set out as follows: overall/run block/pass block
| Christian Darrisaw | 70.2/70.5/78.1 |
| Donovan Jackson | 73.7/67.2/82.9 |
| Blane Brandel | 76.8/75.2/78.2 |
| Will Fries | 77.8/79.4/60.1 |
| Brian O’Neill | 69.6/72.3/76.0 |
Good grades all around, with rookie Donovan Jackson’s pass blocking grade of above 80 being a real standout. The Vikings OL allowed 6 pressures, with Will Fries accounting for half. McCarthy wasn’t sacked at all by the Bears’ defense. It was also an impressive day for Blake Brandel, and with Ryan Kelly closing in on a return, it will be interesting to see what happens with the experiment to turn Brandel into a center.
Dallas Turner
Dallas Turner — the “other” 2024 first-round draft pick — saw an increased role because of Jonathan Greenard’s absence through injury and produced his best performance as a Viking.
Turner’s ascension to what is expected of a first-round edge defender has been slow, and he’s seen plenty of criticism sent his way. The signs it’s starting to come together are there, including an impressive display against Chicago, where he tallied 7 tackles, 3 QB Hits, 5 pressures, 2 tackles for loss, 1 Sack, and 1 pass defended.
Kevin O’Connell spoke about Turner’s improvement during his weekly chat with Paul Allen on the team’s X’s and O’s: “As things ramp up and the best in the world take the field what they do in the NFL, there is constant chase of improvement and Dallas Turner keeps doing that. He’s doing a great job and growing every opportunity he gets out there.”
If Turner can keep improving and be that effective with a fully healthy Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel on the team, Minnesota will have a very good defense on the edge.
Myles Price
After a double fumble game against the Ravens, Myles Price bounced back against the Bears with a solid outing as a returner. It was a game without incident where Price got to showcase his skills as a returner, both on kickoff and punt returns. A season-long, 48-yard punt return set the Vikings up in the Chicago 24-yard line, giving the offense the spark it needed to get their first touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Finishing with four kick returns for 93 yards and three punt returns for 79 yards, the rookie is one of the players who can be pleased with his efforts on Sunday. Price is a dynamic returner capable of a game-changing play. He needs to make sure the fumbles don’t become a regular habit.
Jordan Mason
The Vikings’ effort to run the ball mostly centered on Aaron Jones, despite Jordan Mason averaging 5.5 yards per carry against the Baltimore Ravens and on the first two carries against Chicago.
Mason was handed the ball on 2nd and 2 in the fourth quarter and ran the ball in for a 16-yard touchdown – the Vikings’ first of the game. He finished with 45 yards off of just six carries at an average of 7.5 yards per carry. Mason has been very efficient running the ball in the last two games, without being given too much opportunity. Going forward, O’Connell needs to make sure both his RBs are getting double figures in carries.
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