Defense breaks down, Bears lose to Vikings 23-20

For more than 55 minutes, the defense was good enough for the Bears to build a 20-13 lead over the Vikings.

But, in the final five minutes, a colossal defensive collapse led to a 23-20 loss, the Bears' fifth in seven games.

Quarterback Jay Cutler had just fired up his teammates and most of the 59,195 fans at sun-splashed Soldier Field by lowering his shoulder at the goal line and knocking Vikings safety Harrison Smith into the endzone.

Cutler's 4-yard TD run with 4:55 remaining gave the Bears their final points of the day. And that seemed to be more than enough when Pernell McPhee got the Bears' only sack of the game, dropping Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater at his own nine-yard line.

But Bridgewater scurried 19 yards on the next play and the Bears' foundation started to crumble.

Five plays later, Bridgewater found Stefon Diggs for what looked like a 10-yard gain. But the rookie spun away from Sherrick McManis, who tackled air as Diggs sprinted another 30 yards into the endzone to tie the game with 1:49 left.

"McManis had Diggs in coverage," Bears coach John Fox said, "and the guy made a good play."

McManis started three of the first five games as a third cornerback when the Bears opened in nickel defense but had since lost the nickel corner job to undrafted Bryce Callahan. When Callahan suffered a concussion late in the fourth quarter, McManis was pressed into service.

The six-year veteran out of Northwestern was quick to accept blame.

"It doesn't matter if I'm coming off the bench or I'm starting, I've got to make the plays out there," McManis said. "You've got to hold yourself accountable on every play. And that was on me."

The Bears' offense, which overcame a slew of injuries, got the ball back with 1:49 left but went three-and-out, using up just 49 seconds.

One minute later the defense was in ruins. Bridgewater tossed up a deep jump ball down the west sideline and 6-foot-2, 217-pound Charles Johnson outfought the Bears' 6-foot, 206-pound safety Antrel Rolle, who had the play in front of him, for a 35-yard gain.

"We were in a Cover-2," Rolle said. "I saw the ball was underthrown. I thought it was just a for-sure layup. I couldn't even see the receiver on the outside of me. I just reached for the ball, (and) it came. I jumped up and I guess he had a running start coming from outside in, and he just made a (heck) of a catch."

That set up Blair Walsh's game-winning 36-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the Vikings to 5-2.

The Bears allowed just 195 yards of total offense in the first 55 minutes but 127 in the final five minutes.

"We didn't close it, and we know that," said McPhee, who has supplied most of the Bears' inconsistent pass rush, with 5 of the team's 12 sacks. "We didn't close it the week before last (in the 37-34 overtime loss to the Lions).

"We have to get play-makers in here to make plays. It starts in practice. We just have to make plays in practice and carry it to the game."

Each of the Bears' past four games -- two wins and two losses -- have been decided by 3 points or less. Typical for any NFL season, as Fox pointed out.

"We were in the game, much like the last four," Fox said. "We won two, but then we didn't finish the last two weeks, and then you lose. Down the stretch, you have to coach them better, and you have to make plays when they are there to be had."

The defense made its share of plays, just not enough of them and not when they were needed most.

Cornerback Kyle Fuller got the secondary's first interception of the season just before halftime. His 15-yard return gave the offense the ball at the Vikings' 34-yard line and set up the 21-yard Jay Cutler-to-Alshon Jeffery TD that created a 10-10 tie.

Although the Bears allowed Adrian Peterson to rush for 103 yards on 20 carries, he didn't have a run longer than 12 yards.

Fox said the goal remains the same.

"To get better," he said. "It didn't change after (we started) 0-3, and it's not going to change at 2-5."

Fox was right on the mark with his message to a team that now faces back-to-back games at San Diego and St. Louis.

"Coach said, 'Great teams know how to win close games and good teams know how to give away close games,' " McPhee said. "We have to try to get over that hump to be a great team."

That hump could be the wreckage of a defense that was very good Sunday - until it wasn't.