The last “Monday Night Football” doubleheader of the season is here.
Four teams will officially wrap up Week 15 of the regular season on Monday. First up, the Minnesota Vikings will host the Chicago Bears in an NFC North battle that could be significant for the Vikings in the playoff race.
The Vikings officially clinched a postseason berth on Sunday, though they trail the Detroit Lions in the division. The Lions are dealing with numerous injuries that seem to keep coming, however, which could open the door for the Vikings to jump up and host a game in the first round if they can win out and overtake them. The Bears, on the other hand, have already been eliminated from postseason contention.
In the second game, the Las Vegas Raiders will host the Atlanta Falcons. The Raiders have already been eliminated from the playoffs, too, and they’re in a battle with the New York Giants for the No. 1 overall draft pick. If they lose on Monday night, they’ll regain that spot.
Meanwhile, the Falcons are trying to snap a four-game losing skid. They’ve dropped to 6-7 and have fallen behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South race. A win on Monday would go a long way in their attempt at making it to the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 season, though they’ll need a much better Kirk Cousins to do so. The veteran has thrown eight interceptions over their losing skid, including six in the last two weeks.
Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings
When: 8 p.m. ET
Where: U.S. Bank Stadium | Minneapolis
TV: ABC
BetMGM lines: Minnesota -7, O/U 43.5
Atlanta Falcons at Las Vegas Raiders
When: 8:30 p.m. ET
Where: Allegiant Stadium | Las Vegas
TV: ESPN
BetMGM lines: Atlanta -6, O/U 44.5
Live23 updates
Desmond Ridder deep shot misses mark
Desmond Ridder took a rare shot downfield, but overthrew Brock Bowers on third-and-10. Daniel Carlson hits a 52-yard field goal to cut the Falcons’ lead to 7-3 early in the second quarter.
Bears-Vikings: Chicago stopped again on 4th down
Chicago gets bailed out by a running into the kicker penalty on Trent Sherfield on 4th-and-2.
From there, the Bears drive 42 yards in nine plays to the Vikings’ 29.
But again on 4th down, Chicago goes for it and is stuffed. D’Andre Swift gets stopped and the Bears turn it over on downs.
Falcons strike first on deep ball from Kirk Cousins to Drake London
Atlanta took advantage of good field position this time. Kirk Cousins found Drake London running wide open down the right sideline for a 30-yard touchdown. Blown coverage by Raiders cornerback Jack Jones let London break free. 7-0, Falcons with 14 seconds left in the first quarter.
Falcons in good field position after tipped punt
The Falcons will start the second of two drives near midfield after tipping a Raiders punt that traveled just 30 yards. They’ll start their second possession at their own 49-yard line. Will they score this time?
Bears-Vikings: Sam Darnold intercepted
Vikings were driving toward a score and go for it on 4th-and-3 from the Bears’ 23-yard line. But Sam Darnold is intercepted by Tyrique Stevenson at the 15.
Chicago takes over at its 16 after the turnover.
Sack of Kirk Cousins knocks Falcons out of FG range
Two bad teams are playing the part so far in Las Vegas. The Falcons were in field goal range after securing a fumble in Raiders territory. But Kirk Cousins took a third-down sack that knocked them out of range, and the Falcons punted instead of scoring points. 0-0 in Vegas after opening possessions for each team.
Raiders turn it over
Las Vegas’ good fortune didn’t last long. Raiders running back Alexander Mattison fumbled in Las Vegas territory, and the Falcons recovered the ball near midfield. Falcons take over possession at the Las Vegas 48.
Bears-Vikings: Aaron Jones makes a play on 3rd-and-17
A false start on Cam Robinson pushes Minnesota back to a 3rd-and-17, but Aaron Jones gets the first down after catching a short pass from Sam Darnold.
The Vikings have a 1st-and-10 at their 30-yard line as the first quarter ends.
Radiers gamble in own territory win
Bad teams with lost seasons are throwing caution to the wind tonight. The Bears went for it on fourth down in their own territory on their first drive and didn’t convert. The Raiders just did the same, but made a first down on a fourth-and-1 run by Desmond Ridder from their own 37. A new set of downs for Las Vegas.
Bears-Vikings: Caleb Williams nearly picked off
Harrison Smith nearly picks off Caleb Williams trying to hit Rome Odunze over the middle on 3rd-and-7.
After a 48-yard punt from Tory Taylor, Minnesota takes over at its 9-yard line.
Desmond Ridder ready to take field vs. former team
We’ll see Desmond Ridder soon. The second MNF game about to kick off. The Falcons won the toss and deferred. Ridder will lead the Raiders offense first in his first start for Las Vegas against a Falcons team he started for in 2022 and 2023.
Bears-Vikings: Justin Jefferson shouts out Randy Moss after TD catch
Bears-Vikings: Darnold to Jefferson for TD
The Vikings capitalize on Caleb Williams’ fumble with a 39-yard drive finished off by a Sam Darnold 7-yard TD pass to Justin Jefferson.
Minnesota now leads 10–0 with 5:04 left in the first quarter.
Bears-Vikings: Opening coin toss with Randy Moss tribute
Here’s a full look at Jake Reed and Cris Carter holding up a Randy Moss jersey to midfield for the opening coin toss.
Bears-Vikings: Caleb Williams gets sacked and fumbles
On 3rd-and-9 from the Bears’ 39, Caleb WIlliams is sacked by Jonathan Greenard and fumbles. Blake Cashman recovers the turnover and returns it 17 yards.
Bears-Vikings: Minnesota takes 3-0 lead
Following the Bears turning it over on downs, the Vikings take over. Sam Darnold throws two incompletions after a 5-yard gain by Aaron Jones and have to settle for a field goal.
Will Reichard kicks a 52-yarder to give Minnesota a 3–0 lead.
Bears-Vikings: Chicago stopped on 4th down
The Bears took the field first on offense and got to a 4th-and-1 on their 39. Chicago decided to go for it, but D’Andre Swift was stopped on a toss play to the left.
Bears-Vikings: Honorary captains pay tribute to Randy Moss
Former Vikings receivers Jake Reed and Cris Carter are honorary captains for tonight’s coin toss. As they walked to midfield, the duo held up a Randy Moss No. 84 jersey in tribute to their teammate.
Moss recently announced that he is battling cancer and took leave from his TV work on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Countdown.”
Bears-Vikings: Minnesota won 1st meeting in Week 12
Tonight’s matchup is the second of the season between NFC North rivals. The Vikings won their first clash in Week 12, 30–27, in overtime.
Minnesota had a 27–13 lead with 1:53 remaining in regulation. But Deandre Carter’s 55-yard kickoff return led the Bears to a touchdown (and 2-point conversion) with 22 seconds left. Chicago recovered an onside kick and Cairo Santos kicked the game-tying field goal as time expired.
The Bears won the coin toss in overtime but went 3-and-out on their first possession. The Vikings took over and drove 10 plays for the game-winning field goal from Parker Romo.
Caleb Williams threw for 340 yards and 2 TDs for Chicago, while Sam Darnold passed for 330 yards and 2 scores.
Desmond Ridder will be the third starting quarterback for the Raiders this season following injuries to Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell. He’s completed 28 of 44 passes for 239 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions in four games of relief work.
