📰 Table Of Contents
Bears @ Vikings
After being eliminated from postseason contention on Sunday, the Chicago Bears had nothing to play for other than pride. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings needed a win to keep pace with the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles for the NFC’s best record.
Chicago started with the football. The Bears decided to go for it on fourth down from their own 39 yard line, but the Vikes stuffed Chicago running back D’Andre Swift, giving Minnesota the ball.
The Vikings went three-and-out before kicking a 52-yard field goal to go up 3-0.
Chicago’s next drive looked promising, but quarterback Caleb Williams took a massive blindside hit and fumbled the football on a third down. The live ball was scooped up by Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman, who returned it to Chicago’s 39.
WHAT A HIT!@JonGreenard7 and @blockayyy team up for the strip-sack and fumble recovery.#ProBowlVote
📺: @ABC pic.twitter.com/PqY4f8fDQr
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 17, 2024
From Chicago’s seven, Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold hit superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson for a touchdown to give the Vikings a 10-0 lead.
Following a Bears punt, Minnesota gained 78 yards to reach Chicago’s 23 yard line. However, the drive ended after Sam Darnold threw an interception off of his back foot to give the Bears possession on their own 16.
After moving into Vikings territory, Chicago failed to convert its second fourth down attempt of the night, giving Minnesota the ball on their own 29 yard line.
Sam Darnold found tight end T.J. Hockensen three times on the ensuing drive to put the ball on Chicago’s 18 yard line with 26 seconds left in the quarter. A Darnold sack was nullified by an offsides penalty, allowing the Vikes to hit the field goal to go up 13-0 at the half. If the Bears hadn’t been flagged on that third down sack, the clock would have run out, and the half would’ve ended with Minnesota up 10-0.
The Vikings didn’t attempt their first punt until the third quarter after the offense opened the second half with a three-and-out.
After two more punts, Chicago took control of the football on its own 39 and made it down to the Vikings’ one yard line. But, a one-yard TD run was wiped out by an illegal substitution penalty, ultimately derailing the drive and forcing Chicago to take a field goal to make it 13-3.
Crazy couple of minutes for #HinsdaleCentral‘s Doug Kramer Jr., who blocks for a huge, desperately needed #Bears TD, but doesn’t report his eligibility to the refs.#BearDown @ChicagoBears #MNF pic.twitter.com/EjhCfn5imH
— Billy Krumb (@ClubhouseCancer) December 17, 2024
Aaron Jones then took over, picking up 34 yards on four carries to put the ball on Chicago’s 17. After a one-yard loss, Justin Jefferson caught a 17-yard pass to put Minnesota on the one yard line. Jones then finished off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run to put the Vikes ahead 20-3.
Chicago got the ball back and made it to the Minnesota 16 after the Bears converted their first third down of the night early in the fourth quarter. Chicago was flagged for a false start on a 3rd and 11, causing the drive to stall as the Bears kicked a field goal to make it 20-6.
On Minnesota’s next drive, Chicago committed a defensive pass interference in the end zone to give Minnesota the football on the Bears’ one. Two plays later, the Vikings scored a touchdown to go up 27-6 in the fourth quarter.
Chicago did block a punt and used the good field position to score a touchdown. But, they missed the two-point conversion, making it 27-12.
The Vikes kicked one more field goal to bring the lead to 30-12, which ended up being the final score.
With the win, the Vikings are just a half a game back from the Detroit Lions for first place in the NFC North.
Falcons @ Raiders
Both teams came into this matchup trying to end a losing streak. The Falcons, who were first in the NFC South a few weeks ago, wanted to snap a four-game skid while Vegas was trying to win its first game since September 29th.
The Raiders had some extra motivation because quarterback Aidan O’Connell was unavailable due to a knee injury. As a result, former third-round pick Desmond Ridder started at QB against the Atlanta Falcons, the team that originally drafted him in 2022.
After converting a 4th and 1 from their own 37 yard line, Raiders running back Alexander Mattison fumbled the ball away on the game’s first drive, giving Atlanta possession on Las Vegas’ side of the field.
Following two consecutive series ending in punts, Atlanta’s offense took over near midfield. Kirk Cousins would hit wide receiver Drake London near the sideline for a 28-yard TD – Cousins’ first passing touchdown since November 3rd – to put Atlanta up 7-0.
Prime time Drake 🔥#ProBowlVote x @DrakeLondon_
ESPN | NFL+ pic.twitter.com/KzZ0xyT6PD
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) December 17, 2024
Vegas answered with a 10-play, 37-yard drive that led to a 52-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3.
The Falcons pinned Vegas deep in their own territory after punting from the Raiders’ 43. This led to Alexander Mattison being tackled in the end zone for a two-point safety, giving Atlanta a 9-3 lead and possession of the ball on their own 35.
Neither team would do much for the rest of the quarter as the score remained 9-3 at halftime.
Kirk Cousins threw an interception on the first offensive play of the third quarter, giving Vegas the football on their own 46.
Highway robbery 💰#ATLvsLV | 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/0PNdk23wmw
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) December 17, 2024
Vegas’ drive ended with its second blocked punt of the night, giving Atlanta the ball on the Raiders’ side of the field. The Falcons picked up 15 yards before making a 40-yard field goal for a 12-3 advantage.
Vegas and Atlanta would exchange three punts before the Falcons took over again on the Raiders’ side of the field. The Falcons advanced the ball to Vegas’ 30 before making another field goal to go up 15-3.
Fast-forward to the fourth quarter, where a missed Falcons field goal led to the Raiders going on a 10-play, 68-yard drive that was capped off by a five-yard Desmond Ridder touchdown pass. A blocked extra point made it a 15-9 game.
The Falcons punted after burning 1:04 off the clock, meaning the Raiders would get the ball back with a chance to win the game.
Faced with a 4th and 8 from their own 34 yard line, Raiders running back Ameer Abdullah took a check-down pass nine yards for a first down at the 43. On the next play, Jakobi Meyers caught a 22-yarder to give Vegas the ball on Atlanta’s 35 with ten seconds left in the game. The last pass of the game – a heave to the end zone with two seconds left on the clock – was intercepted, securing the 15-9 victory for the Falcons.
With a 7-7 record and two head-to-head wins over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Falcons are now just one game out of first place in the NFC South.
At 2-12, the Las Vegas Raiders are tied with the New York Giants for the league’s worst record, meaning they’ll likely have a top-three pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
