The Vikings overwhelm the Bears, the Falcons fend off the Raiders in the Monday Night Football doubleheader
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The Vikings overwhelm the Bears, the Falcons fend off the Raiders in the Monday Night Football doubleheader

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

It wasn’t a great night of football overall, but Week 15 of the NFL season is officially over.

The Minnesota Vikings defeated Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears 30-12 on Monday night at US Bank Stadium. Both Aaron Jones and Cam Akers scored short touchdowns for the Vikings, and Sam Darnold threw another touchdown to Justin Jefferson en route to the dominant win.

Darnold went 24 of 40 for 231 yards and threw an interception for the Vikings, who are now 12-2 on the season. Williams threw for 191 yards with a late touchdown, but that wasn’t enough to help the Bears to their fifth win of the season.

The Vikings officially clinched a postseason spot on Sunday, despite still trailing the Detroit Lions in the division. However, the Lions are dealing with numerous injuries that seem to keep cropping up, which could open the door for the Vikings to jump up and host a game in the first round if they can win and overtake them.

In the second game, the Atlanta Falcons won a pretty sloppy battle with the Las Vegas Raiders. The Falcons earned a 15-4 win at Allegiant Stadium, snapping a four-game losing streak and keeping their playoff hopes alive.

Kirk Cousins ​​went just 11 of 17 for 112 yards with one touchdown and one interception, and Bijan Robinson had 125 yards on 22 carries on the ground. Desmond Ridder threw for 208 yards with a touchdown and an interception to put the Raiders in position to score a win late in the fourth quarter.

Both the Raiders and Bears have already been eliminated from the playoffs. However, the Raiders currently hold the No. 1 pick in next spring’s draft, which is a positive after their difficult season.

The Falcons are now 7-7 and in second place in the NFC South race. Their performance on Monday night wasn’t great at all, but they got the win. Nothing else matters.

The live broadcast has ended57 updates

  • Falcons limp past Raiders

    A win is a win in the NFL. Just don’t expect Atlanta to cut this film out for the highlight reel.

    Click on the photo to learn more about the Falcons’ win over the Raiders on Monday night.

    LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 16: Kirk Cousins ​​#18 of the Atlanta Falcons appears to pass during an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on December 16, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 16: Kirk Cousins ​​#18 of the Atlanta Falcons appears to pass during an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on December 16, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)

    Click on the photo to read more about the Falcons’ win over the Raiders. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)

  • The Vikings overwhelm the Bears and go 12-2

    The Vikings continue to surprise with another win over the Bears, who failed miserably. The two franchises are in very different locations.

    Click on the photo to learn more about the Vikings’ win over the Bears on Monday night.

    MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – DECEMBER 16: Jonathan Greenard #58 of the Minnesota Vikings takes off Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears during the first quarter at US Bank Stadium on December 16, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Minnesota regained the ball in the game. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – DECEMBER 16: Jonathan Greenard #58 of the Minnesota Vikings takes off Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears during the first quarter at US Bank Stadium on December 16, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Minnesota regained the ball in the game. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

    Click on the photo to read more about the Vikings’ win over the Bears. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

  • Final: Falcons 15, Raiders 9

    Two shots in the last attempt failed and the Falcons will escape with a narrow victory. It wasn’t great, but the four-game losing streak is over.

  • Desmond Ridder has just hit Jakobi Meyers for a 22-yard gain, and the Raiders suddenly find themselves at the Atlanta 35-yard line with 10 seconds left. Let’s go…

  • Raiders aren’t done yet

    Somehow the Raiders aren’t out yet. Abdullah just converted on 4th and 8, and her last drive is still alive…

  • Final: Vikings 30, Bears 12

    The Vikings have now won seven straight and are 12-2 on the year.

  • Vikings 30, Bears 12

    The Vikings extend their lead with a 46-yard field goal and we’re almost at the end here. The Bears get the ball back with 72 seconds left.

  • touchdown, raiders

    Ameer Abdullah just caught a 5-yard touchdown pass and suddenly we have a game in Las Vegas. The Falcons now lead 15-9 after their extra point was blocked with about three minutes left.

  • Touchdown, Bears

    It took until fourth down, but Caleb Williams barely hit Keenan Allen for a 16-yard reception. The Vikings’ lead is now 27-12 after a failed two-point conversion with about five minutes left.

  • Falcons-Raiders: Desmond Ridder throws a terrible INT

    Desmond Ridder just threw a terrible interception for the Raiders, and Atlanta will strike back here midway through the fourth.

  • Bears-Vikings: Chicago with a massive blocked punt

    The Bears just blocked a punt and Robinson completely outran Wright. It was a legal block as it was clean before contact and the Bears will now take over in excellent field position with about six minutes left.

  • Falcons-Raiders: A tough night for Las Vegas

    Well, that’s not great…

  • Falcons extend their lead

    The Falcons’ push stalled there, but they extended their lead after a 48-yard field goal from Younghoe Koo. They are now up 15-3 entering the fourth quarter.

  • Touchdown, Vikings

    After a pass interference penalty, Cam Akers hit a 1-yard touchdown run to extend the Vikings’ lead.

    They are now up 27-6 in the fourth quarter and this quarter should be as good as over.

  • Can the Falcons extend their lead?

    The Falcons had the ball near midfield again late in the third quarter after forcing another punt from the Raiders. Can they convert the good field position into points? A touchdown would almost certainly put the game out of reach. Atlanta leads 12-3.

  • Vikings 20, Bears 6

    Caleb Williams took a massive hit there on third down and the Bears had to settle for a field goal. The Vikings’ lead is now down to 14 with 13 minutes left.

  • Bears-Vikings: Keenan Allen with a wild grab

    Keenan Allen somehow pulled that off, and the Bears finally pull here to start the fourth quarter.

  • The hawks sting again

    After another Falcons punt, the Raiders have the ball at the 3-yard line in front of their own goal. Atlanta still leads 12-3 with 4:15 remaining in the third quarter.

  • Raiders punt, this time successfully

    The Raiders stopped in midfield and punched back to the Falcons. There was no blocked punt this time. Atlanta took over at its own 8-yard line and led 12-3 midway through the third quarter.

  • Bears Vikings: Aaron Jones TD

    The Vikings capped their long 12-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown run by Aaron Jones and now suddenly have a 20-3 lead late in the third quarter.

    Sam Darnold set up that touchdown run with a perfect shot to Justin Jefferson at the goal line.

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