Vikes Views: Nincompoop of the Week – Vikings at Bears

The Minnesota Vikings dismantled the Chicago Bears offense to cruise to a 9-3 victory. There weren’t as many glaring mistakes as you’d typically see in such a low scoring game, but there’s always someone to blame. Here’s my nominees for Nincompoop of the Week.

Ben Johnson

All we hear about is the offensive genius Ben Johnson for the entire offseason, and even more so after Week 1’s scorapalooza in Carolina. Johnson had no response for the Vikings pass rush on Sunday. I know it’s a tall task, but the last play is a microcosm of their issues. The Bears tried to block Dallas Turner with a Tight End. Turner easily pushed him back into Bagent for the game sealing sack. Some of those play calls were head-scratchers, and if Caleb Williams wasn’t as elusive as he is, it could have been a lot uglier for the Bears.

Garrett Bradbury

Bradbury was called for two holds and two false starts on Sunday. I believe he was a little nervous facing his previous employer. One of those was offset because Levi Drake Rodriguez was held into Caleb Williams’ feet, but the officials can’t get them all right. His poor play basically single handedly ended a very promising drive after the Vikings took the lead 6-3 in the 2nd quarter. You could nominate the entire Offensive Line, but Bradbury stuck out amongst the muck. Not the first time he’s been nominated for NOTW.

D’Andre Swift

Swift made a crucial mistake that likely cost the Bears the game. After a long 11 play drive the Bears were at the 1. Swift was pushing through to the goal line and allowed the ball to be punched out by Jalen Redmond. It was a great play by Jalen Redmond, but ball security has to be the priority at the goal line. Points were at a premium and he likely cost the team there.

Caleb Williams

The stat line wasn’t terrible, but the interception to Byron Murphy gave the Vikings points in a game where every possession mattered. Flores had him uncomfortable all afternoon and his only answer was to take off from the pocket.

Theo Jackson

Another rought day for Jackson. He’s been given a larger opportunity and he’s responded with missed tackles and blown assignments. He’s the weakest link in a very strong defensive chain.

Honorable Mentions

KOC – emphasis on the OC. The offense looks terrible. If the Bears didn’t fumble at the 1 and the Vikings had to respond, we’d likely be talking about a loss today.

Bears OL – the entire line looked confused all day, but most OL do against the Vikings

Carson Wentz – he didn’t make the big mistake, or got lucky it was dropped when he did. The lack of offensive production will likely mean he’s headed back to the bench this week (or whenver Murray is cleared).