Gotta admit, in our week-long breathless preview of the Chicago Bears’ NFC North showdown against the Minnesota Vikings we didn’t mention Cairo Santos very much and Devin Duvernay not at all. Let’s give them their flowers now, shall we?
On the verge of another heartbreaking loss thanks to another J.J. McCarthy fourth-quater rally, Duvernay gave the Bears a stay of execution with a long kick-off return and Santos atoned for an earlier fourth-quarter miss with a field goal on the final play as the Bears stunned the Vikings, 19-17.
Ben Johnson’s surprising Bears have now won seven of eight and improve to 7-3 with third consecutive win in the final two minutes. A look at the biggest studs from Chicago’s biggest win of the season:
After McCarthy threw his second touchdown of the fourth quarter, the Vikings led 17-16 with only 50 seconds remaining. But before Bears fans could calculate how damaging another late loss to Minnesota would be, Duvernay was changing the narrative.
His 56-yard kick-off return up the sideline to Minnesota’s 40 just may be the Bears’ biggest play of the year.
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Ice in his veins 🥶 pic.twitter.com/PVDGn731Q6
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 16, 2025He was thiiiissss close to winding up in our “Duds” story. The kicker – who almost lost his job to fill-in Jake Moody earlier this season, missed a 45-yarder early in the fourth quarter that could’ve pushed Chicago’s lead to nine points.
Instead, helped by D’Andre Swift’s crucial 7-yard run, Santos barely sneaked a 48-yarder inside the left upright as the clock expired. The game – and perhaps his job – was riding on that clutch kick.
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The veteran defensive tackle was only credited with two tackles and one quarterback, but his constant pressure in McCarthy’s face was the key to two early interceptions. The Bears didn’t sack McCarthy in 32 drop-backs, but they applied enough pressure to frustrate him for three quarters.
It was Swift who picked up the game’s most important seven yards, but Monangai got the toughest yards and the Bears’ only touchdown on a 1-yard plunge. It’s not often a running back averaging only 1.9 yards gets gus flowers, but this was a hard-nosed, black-and-blue division throwback game.
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Devin Duvernay / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
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