Bears start rookie LT Kiran Amegadjie, who gets beat for strip sack fumble

MINNEAPOLIS — Forced to choose between starting a rookie who might be able to help the Bears next year and a veteran who won’t, the Bears put third-round pick Kiran Amegadjie at left tackle Monday night.

They knew his first start would be a trial by fire: playing in a loud stadium against the league’s most aggressive blitz defense.

‘I’m sure he’ll have his rookie moments,” general manager Ryan Poles on the team’s official ESPN1000 pregame show. “But he’s a guy who’s resilient who will continue to fight as the game goes on.”

It didn’t take long for Amegadjie to prove the first part right. Midway through the first quarter, Amegadjie was beat around the end by edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, who sacked quarterback Caleb Williams and forced a fumble that teammate Blake Cashman returned 17 yards.

Amegadjie, who had quad surgery 14 months ago while at Yale and wasn’t cleared to practice until midway through training camp, had played only 58 offensive snaps before Monday.

The Hinsdale Central alum’s promotion came on short notice. Starting left tackle Braxton Jones reported concussion symptoms Sunday that Poles reiterated Monday stemmed from the 49ers game. Poles wasn’t concerned that he was harmed in practice, saying the Bears don’t have a lot of “high-intensity movements” during the week this late in the season.

The Bears chose Amegadjie to start instead of Larry Borom, who filled in for Jones at left tackle for two games this year. Borom is in the final year of his contract.

Stevenson picks

Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson — of “Fail Mary” fame — recorded his first interception since Week 1 when he picked off Sam Darnold’s pass on fourth-and-3 heave from the Bears’ 23 in the second quarter. The quarterback escaped pressure and lofted a pass toward two receivers. Stevenson intercepted the pass and returned it for a yard. Had he knocked it to the ground, though, the Bears would have started their drive seven yards farther down the field.

Notes

• The Vikings debuted their “Winter Warrior” uniforms — a white helmet, a white jersey with purple numbers trimmed in silver, and white pants with a purple stripe inside a thicker silver stripe. It marked the first time the Vikings had ever worn white helmets.

They brought in a special guest to celebrate the “icy” uniforms: rapper Vanilla Ice, who performed at halftime.

• The Bears don’t have a single player ranked in the top 10 at their position in Pro Bowl fan voting.

• Former Vikings receivers Cris Carter and Jake Reed, the team’s honorary captains, carried a purple Randy Moss jersey out for the coin toss. Moss revealed last week he had surgery to treat bile duct cancer.

• Bears defensive end Darrell Taylor was fined $16,883 for hitting quarterback Brock Purdy in the head last week, for which he was flagged.