3 Bears to blame for disastrous MNF loss to the Vikings

The early results of the post-Matt Eberflus era haven't been much better for the Chicago Bears, specifically in Week 15.

Chicago got trounced by the Minnesota Vikings in the first of two Monday Night Football games. Frankly, the Bears looked like they were in a different league -- in the worst way possible.

After putting up a respectable fight the first time they met in Week 12, the Bears came out flat in this one and never recovered. Before you know it, they found themselves in a 10-0 first-quarter hole. The Vikings never took their foot off the gas en route to an emphatic 30-12 victory to improve to 12-2 on the season.

No one did much of anything for the Bears, though the three mentioned below had notably rough days at the office.

3. Thomas Brown, Interim HC

Thomas Brown has gone from passing game coordinator to interim offensive coordinator to interim head coach since Week 11. The Bears have quickly run out of coaching promotions to offer him and put a lot of responsibility on his plate. And if the loss to the Vikings was any indication, the burden may be too great for the 38-year-old.

Brown's Bears failed to produce any points in the first half for the second consecutive contest. The slow starts have been killer, putting a lot of stress on the team to finish strong over the final 30 minutes of play. However, Chicago hasn't been able to do so and the acting sideline general hasn't helped matters.

Being asked to wear several hats with an increased workload, Brown is ostensibly (and reasonably) struggling to juggle everything simultaneously. He's focusing on having all three of the Bears units prepared, which has yet to pay off, plus it's impacting his play-calling.

Two turnovers on downs to cap off a pair of Chicago's first four drives was back-breaking. Brown questionably dialed up runs up the middle for D'Andre Swift, who's not necessarily an effective between-the-tackles rusher.

2. Caleb Williams, QB

Thomas Brown didn't put Caleb Williams and the Bears in positions to succeed, but that doesn't fully account for the rookie quarterback's shortcomings.

Williams completed 18-of-31 passes for 191 yards and a meaningless garbage-time touchdown. He took two sacks, losing 25 yards, in addition to losing a fumble on Chicago's second possession, giving the Vikings prime field position. But the most glaring aspect of the 2024 No. 1 overall pick's woes won't appear in the box score.

Inaccuracy plagued Williams. He failed to connect with Keenan Allen (at least) twice because of errant passes, including one that would've been a walk-in touchdown. Had the duo hooked up for the score, the Bears could've cut the deficit to six early in the third quarter. Instead, they had to settle for a field, largely because of a costly blunder by the next player on this list.

As easy as it is to condemn Brown and the scheme, Williams missing throws he's supposed to make falls on him. Coaching and personnel can only do so much (or little) if the 23-year-old can't stand in the pocket and sling the rock with precision.

1. Doug Kramer, OL

As previously alluded to, Doug Kramer's bone-headed mistake was essentially the nail in the coffin for the Bears. The offensive lineman lined up at fullback on a one-yard Swift touchdown plunge that would've put Chicago within striking distance. Alas, he failed to report himself as eligible to the officials before the ball was snapped, nullifying the score and pushing them back five yards.

Again, Brown and the Bears coaching staff are partially at fault. Whether they told Kramer to let the referees know about his alignment remains unclear. Nonetheless, this wasn't the first time Chicago deployed the third-string center in this role, meaning he should be aware of the procedure by now.

Kramer has been used sparsely in protection across his first two seasons as a pro. But the Bears' decision to release longtime fullback Khari Blasingame earlier this year created a need for him to block in I-formation situations. Still, as we saw, the former is ill-equipped to handle this role. Chicago learned that the hard way versus the Vikings.