It wasn’t a great night of football across the board, but Week 15 of the NFL season is officially over.
The Minnesota Vikings defeated Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears 30-12 on Monday night at US Bank Stadium. Both Aaron Jones and Cam Akers ran in short touchdowns for the Vikings, and Sam Darnold threw another to Justin Jefferson en route to the dominant win.
Darnold went 24 of 40 for 231 yards and threw an interception for the Vikings, who are now 12-2 on the season. Williams threw for 191 yards with a late touchdown, although it wasn’t enough to carry the Bears to what would have been their fifth win of the season.
The Vikings officially clinched a postseason berth on Sunday, though they still trail the Detroit Lions in the division. However, the Lions are dealing with numerous injuries that seem to keep coming, which could open the door for the Vikings to pounce and host a first-round matchup if they can win and overtake them.
In the second game, the Atlanta Falcons won a pretty sloppy battle with the Las Vegas Raiders. The Falcons earned a 15-4 win at Allegiant Stadium that snapped a four-game losing skid and kept their playoff hopes alive.
Kirk Cousins went just 11 of 17 for 112 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and Bijan Robinson had 125 yards on 22 carries on the ground. Desmond Ridder threw for 208 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and he put the Raiders in position late in the fourth quarter to have a shot at victory.
Both the Raiders and Bears have already been eliminated from the playoffs. However, the Raiders are currently ranked No. 1 in next spring’s draft, so that’s a positive after their tough campaign.
The Falcons are now 7-7, which puts them in second in the NFC South race. Their performance on Monday night wasn’t great at all, but they got the win. That’s all that matters.
A win is a win in the NFL. Just don’t expect Atlanta to cut this one for the highlight reel.
Click on the photo to read more about the Falcons’ win over the Raiders on Monday night.
Click on the photo to read more about the Falcons’ win over the Raiders. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Vikings roll over Bears to get to 12-2
The Vikings continue to surprise with another win over the Bears, who failed miserably. The two franchises are in very different places.
Click on the photo to read more about the Vikings’ victory over the Bears on Monday night.
Click on the photo to read more about the Vikings’ win over the Bears. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
Final: Valken 15, Raiders 9
A few last-ditch shots failed and the Falcons will escape with a narrow victory. It wasn’t great, but their four-game losing skid is over.
Desmond Ridder just hit Jakobi Meyers for a 22-yard gain, and the Raiders are suddenly at the Atlanta 35-yard line with 10 seconds left. Here we go…
Raiders aren’t done yet
Somehow, the Raiders aren’t out of this yet. Abdullah just converted in 4th and 8th, and their last ride is still alive…
Final: Vikings 30, Bears 12
The Vikings have now won seven in a row and are 12-2 on the year.
Vikings 30, Bears 12
The Vikings pad their lead with a 46-yard field goal, and we’re almost done here. The Bears get the ball back with 72 seconds left.
Touchdown, robbers
Ameer Abdullah just caught a 5-yard touchdown pass and suddenly we have a game in Las Vegas. The Falcons now lead 15-9 after their extra point was blocked with about 3 minutes left.
Touchdown, bears
It took until fourth down, but Caleb Williams just hit Keenan Allen for a 16-yard reception. The Vikings lead is now 27-12 after a failed two-point conversion with about 5 minutes left.
Falcons-Raiders: Desmond Ridder throws a terrible INT
Desmond Ridder just threw a terrible interception for the Raiders, and Atlanta will take it back midway through the fourth.
Bears-Vikings: Chicago with a huge blocked punt
The Bears just blocked a punt, and Robinson completely screwed Wright in the process. It was a legal block, as he got it clean before making contact, and the Bears will now take over in great field position with about 6 minutes left.
Falcons-Raiders: A tough night for Las Vegas
Well, this isn’t great…
An almost unbelievable statistic that was just shown on the broadcast: It’s the 4th quarter and the Raiders wide receivers have combined for zero catches.
The Falcons’ drive stopped there, but they extended their lead on a 48-yard field goal by Younghoe Koo. They now lead 15-3 early in the fourth quarter.
Touchdown, Vikings
After a pass interference penalty, Cam Akers punched in a 1-yard touchdown run to increase the Vikings’ lead.
They are now up 27-6 in the fourth quarter, and this quarter should be about over.
Can Falcons extend their lead?
The Falcons got the ball back near midfield late in the third quarter after forcing another Raiders punt. Can they convert good field position into points? A touchdown would almost certainly put the game out of reach. Atlanta leads, 12-3.
Vikings 20, Bears 6
Caleb Williams took a huge hit there on third down and the Bears had to settle for a field goal. The Vikings’ lead is now down to 14 with 13 minutes remaining.
Bears-Vikings: Keenan Allen with a wild grab
Keenan Allen somehow pulled this in, and the Bears finally move here to start the fourth quarter.
Falcons trap again
The Raiders have the ball against their own goal on the 3-yard line after another Falcons punt. Atlanta still leads 12-3 with 4:15 left in the third quarter.
Raiders kick, with success this time
The Raiders stalled at midfield and punted back to the Falcons. This time there was no blocked punt. Atlanta takes over at its own 8-yard line and has a 12-3 lead midway through the third quarter.
Bears-Vikings: Aaron Jones TD
The Vikings capped their long 12-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown run from Aaron Jones, and they now suddenly lead 20-3 late in the third quarter.
Sam Darnold set up that touchdown run with a perfect shot to Justin Jefferson on the goal line.
