3 Bears who deserve the most blame for Monday Night Football loss to the Vikings

Any time a Sunday passes without the Chicago Bears losing a game, it's a cause for celebration. The Bears did not lose on Sunday, but that's only because they didn't play until Monday. You can guess how that went.

Yes, Monday's 30-12 beating at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings was the eighth loss in a row for the Bears, but if there's any consolation to the dismal performance we all witnessed, it's that the season that once had Bears fans so excited (can you believe that?) is one week closer to being over.

Nobody in the world would ever admit to being jealous of New York Jets fans, because what kind of sicko would say such a thing? Gang Green does have one thing that Bears fans don't, though: a cool acronym for their misery (actually two, if you count naming your fanbase after a disgusting affliction that makes your toes fall off). J-E-T-S, Just End The Season. Bears fans need something that conveys their sadness just as effectively. I'll work on it and get back to y'all.

In the meantime, let's ease our collective suffering by doing the only thing that feels good when your football team is 4-10 and six godforsaken games out of THIRD PLACE IN THE DIVISION — pointing fingers at the world-class athletes that have failed us as we've lived vicariously through them.

It's been over a full calendar year since the Bears last won a road game. Monday night's performance had few if any bright spots, but what's so sad is that it was just more of the same thing that Bears fans have become used to. Classic TV fans will remember an old theme song's lyrics going, "Sunday Monday happy days," but it doesn't seem to matter what day it is, the story has just stayed the same for Bears fans. Without further ado, here are the three Bears most responsible for yet another losing performance.

Kiran Amegadjie

If we wanted to be fair to Kiran Amegadjie, we'd point out that Monday night's game was the first time he's started in his pro career. The rookie third-round pick took some time to get to full speed after recovering from an quad injury that cut short his final collegiate season, and with Braxton Jones entrenched as the starting left tackle, it appeared that he'd have the whole year to ride the pine and learn about life in the NFL.

That all changed when Jones reported concussion-like symptoms this week and was ruled out against the Vikings. This thrust Amegadjie into a starting role in a hostile environment against one of the most creative and aggressive defenses in the league. which was a recipe for disaster that not even Carmy Berzatto could save.

Amegadjie may have a future in the league, and it would be unfair to judge him off of the impossible situation that he was put in. Still, this was an ugly performance, full of penalties, missed blocking assignments, and one play in particular in which he nearly aided and abetted Jonathan Greenard in severing Caleb Williams' throwing arm at the elbow.

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Greenard generated seven pressures on the night, with five of them coming against Amegadjie. The former Yale Bulldog also had four penalties, one of which was a holding call inside the 10 that forced the Bears to settle for a field goal in the third quarter for their first points of the night.

The coaching staff deserves most of the blame for putting Amegadjie in this situation and not giving him adequate help, especially against a Brian Flores-coached defense. Even so, this was a rough outing.

Keenan Allen

Only one man scored a touchdown for the Bears on Monday night, and his name is Keenan Allen. Only one man made a sick tightrope catch on the sideline for the Bears on Monday night, and his name is Keenan Allen. Why then is he one of the players most responsible for the loss? Because other than those two plays, he was a drop machine.

Allen could not hold on to the football, which made an already frustrating game even worse. We're talking hit-in-the-hands, yards-to-be-gained, but Allen put it on the U.S. Bank Stadium turf again and again.

Caleb Williams was not especially accurate in this game, but part of me wonders if the times he missed Allen were because he figured, "He won't catch it when I throw it right at him, let's try a foot to the side and maybe that'll work."

It didn't work. Nothing really worked, again, as the Bears were shut out for the third consecutive first half. If they did move the ball, they shot themselves in the foot with drops and penalties. On third and fourth down combined, they were 2-15, because they just can't execute as a team with any consistency.

Allen may be new in Chicago, but a veteran with his resume should be more dependable than he has been. Everything the Bears do on offense looks so difficult, and on the rare occasion when the line blocks, Caleb gets the ball out on time and there are no penalties, you need your receivers to make plays.

Allen has talked about running it back next year, but it's clear that his best days are behind him.

Tyrique Stevenson

I understand that Tyrique Stevenson is in an unenviable position. He's a second-year starting cornerback that plays opposite All-Pro Jaylon Johnson on a team without a strong pass rush, and as such, he's bound to get a lot of balls thrown his way.

I wouldn't even be all that upset if Stevenson got lit up by the constant barrage of Justin Jefferson crossing routes and Jordan Addison sideline comebacks, because most players would have a difficult time holding up in that situation.

What disappoints me about Stevenson is that he committed one of the all-time "What are you doing?!" plays in NFL history just seven weeks ago, and it's clear that even after being benched in the wake of his selfish Hail Mary play against the Commanders, he still just doesn't get it.

Jefferson and Addison were solid if not spectacular in this game, not necessarily because Stevenson played well, but because the Vikings didn't need to push the ball down the field to win against a team that came in having lost seven straight.

The play that drives me crazy about Stevenson occurred late in the third quarter, when he intercepted a ball intended for Addison in the end zone but was called for pass interference instead to set up a Cam Akers one-yard touchdown plunge two plays later.

It was a clear foul, as Stevenson extended his arm and sent Addison flying out the back of the end zone. After the call was made though, Stevenson didn't get back to the huddle. He didn't pat his chest and say, "My bad." Instead he stayed in Addison's face to talk trash in a game in which the Bears already trailed 20-6. Read the room, kid!

Stevenson had an outstanding rookie season, and he looked like he was the longterm solution opposite Johnson. He needs to do some self-reflection this offseason though and figure out if he's in it for the team, or he's in it for himself. Bad football teams are loaded with players that do things like this, and if the Bears have any hope of ever becoming good, Stevenson's continued behavior issues have to go, one way or another.