Cairo Santos hit a 48-yard field goal as time expired to give the Chicago Bears a 19-17 win over the Minnesota Vikings on November 16, 2025, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Devin Duvernay’s 56-yard kickoff return with 50 seconds left — after J.J. McCarthy had just put Minnesota ahead on a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Addison — set up the winning drive and gave Santos a range he could work with.
The Bears finished with zero turnovers against a Vikings offense that threw two interceptions, both in the second quarter. Kevin Byard picked off McCarthy at the Minnesota 48 to set up Chicago’s second score. Nahshon Wright intercepted a fade to the back corner of the end zone with 42 seconds left in the half to kill what looked like a go-ahead drive. Those two plays turned a game the Vikings appeared to be managing into one they had to chase.
Caleb Williams went 16-for-32 for 193 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions, posting season-low marks in completion percentage and first downs generated. McCarthy matched him completion-for-completion at 16-for-32 but for only 150 yards, a 47.7 passer rating, and two picks in his fifth career start.
Chicago Bears: LB T.J. Edwards (hand/hamstring) was inactive. CB Jaylon Johnson (groin) missed his eighth straight game.
Minnesota Vikings: OLB Jonathan Greenard (shoulder) missed his first game in two seasons. CB Isaiah Rodgers left in the second quarter for a concussion evaluation after a head-to-head hit but returned for the next drive.
Pass Blocking Stats
Chicago Bears
Player
POS
PR
SK
HT
HU
PBLK
PR%
D’Andre Swift
RB
1
0
0
1
7
14.3%
Drew Dalman
C
1
0
0
1
36
2.8%
Joe Thuney
G
1
0
0
1
36
2.8%
Darnell Wright
T
2
0
0
2
36
5.6%
Jonah Jackson
G
2
0
0
2
36
5.6%
Theo Benedet
T
2
0
0
2
36
5.6%
Cole Kmet
TE
0
0
0
0
4
0.0%
Durham Smythe
TE
0
0
0
0
3
0.0%
Kyle Monangai
RB
0
0
0
0
3
0.0%
Colston Loveland
TE
0
0
0
0
1
0.0%
Ozzy Trapilo
OL
0
0
0
0
1
0.0%
Minnesota Vikings
Player
POS
PR
SK
HT
HU
PBLK
PR%
Will Fries
G
3
0
1
2
32
9.4%
Brian O’Neill
T
1
0
0
1
32
3.1%
Christian Darrisaw
T
1
0
1
0
32
3.1%
Blake Brandel
C
0
0
0
0
32
0.0%
Donovan Jackson
G
0
0
0
0
32
0.0%
T.J. Hockenson
TE
0
0
0
0
1
0.0%
Josh Oliver
TE
0
0
0
0
4
0.0%
Ben Yurosek
TE
0
0
0
0
1
0.0%
C.J. Ham
FB
0
0
0
0
5
0.0%
Aaron Jones
RB
0
0
0
0
2
0.0%
Run Defense Stats
Chicago Bears
Player
POS
STOP
TKL
AST
TFL+NG
MT
FF
ADOTK
Tremaine Edmunds
LB
3
5
1
0
0
0
4.8
Austin Booker
ED
2
2
0
0
1
0
2.0
Montez Sweat
ED
2
2
0
0
0
0
3.0
Noah Sewell
LB
1
4
3
0
1
0
4.2
Andrew Billings
DI
1
2
1
0
0
0
3.5
C.J. Gardner-Johnson
S
1
1
0
0
0
0
3.0
Tyrique Stevenson
CB
1
1
0
0
1
0
2.0
Grady Jarrett
DI
0
1
0
0
0
0
8.0
Dominique Robinson
ED
0
1
0
0
0
0
7.0
Jaquan Brisker
S
0
1
1
0
0
0
14.0
Minnesota Vikings
Player
POS
STOP
TKL
AST
TFL+NG
MT
FF
ADOTK
Blake Cashman
LB
2
8
1
1
0
0
3.8
Byron Murphy Jr.
CB
2
3
1
1
0
0
2.7
Dallas Turner
ED
2
4
1
0
1
0
5.2
Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins
ED
2
2
1
1
0
0
1.0
Andrew Van Ginkel
ED
1
1
4
1
1
0
-2.0
Eric Wilson
LB
1
1
3
1
0
0
-3.0
Isaiah Rodgers
CB
1
2
1
1
0
0
3.0
Jalen Redmond
DI
1
2
0
1
1
0
0.0
Javon Hargrave
DI
1
1
1
0
0
0
3.0
Jay Ward
S
1
1
0
1
0
0
-2.0
Jonathan Allen
DI
1
1
2
0
1
0
6.0
Josh Metellus
S
1
4
0
0
0
0
6.2
The numbers that decided this game were not particularly complicated. Chicago held possession for nearly 37 of 60 minutes, ran 73 offensive plays against the Vikings’ 54, and turned the ball over zero times on a day when McCarthy threw two interceptions that killed drives in back-to-back Vikings possessions in the second quarter. Minnesota’s offense generated an EPA per passing play of -0.42, landing in the fourth percentile league-wide for Week 11. The Vikings did move the ball late — their final drive covered 85 yards on 10 plays in two minutes and 24 seconds — but the math required a perfect kickoff return after a go-ahead score, which is not a sustainable game plan.
Santos made four of five field goals on the day, with his only miss coming from 45 yards at 8:08 of the fourth quarter when the Bears led 16-10. That miss kept Minnesota’s deficit at six points rather than nine, which is what gave the Addison touchdown meaning. The 48-yarder as time expired, his longest attempt of the game’s final minutes and the one with the most at stake, went through cleanly after Duvernay had already done the hardest part.
Chicago’s season-long turnover margin sat at plus-16 through 10 games. In the Bears’ seven victories that year, the differential was plus-20. Those figures explain this game as well as any individual stat line from either side.
Cornelia Lindqvist is a Swedish-American sports journalist with 4 years of experience covering professional athletics. She previously worked at Sports Illustrated before joining Newzire. Cornelia reports on the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, international football, and cricket, covering game results, roster moves, trade deals, playoff standings, and player statistics. Her sports analysis background helps readers understand the strategies and numbers behind wins and losses.
