How far off are the Chicago Bears in the NFC North? Brad Biggs’ 10 thoughts after the Week 16 win on Christmas Eve.
Save for a couple of fourth-down disasters, it doesn’t take much for the mind to wander and think about the possibility of the Chicago Bears riding a six-game winning streak with two weeks remaining in the season.
The failure to close out close games has been examined from every angle, and the Bears didn’t allow Sunday’s meeting with the Arizona Cardinals to turn into that, finishing a 27-16 victory at Soldier Field. They improved to 6-9 and have won five of their last nine games after a brutal start.
In the spirit of the holiday season, here are 10 thoughts after the win with a look at how far off (or not) the Bears are in the NFC North.
1. The NFC North was formed in 2002 when the league expanded to eight divisions, and the Detroit Lions just clinched for the first time.
The Green Bay Packers have won the division 12 times with the Minnesota Vikings owning five crowns and the Bears at four — and still trying to “take the North and not give it back,” as general manager Ryan Poles said when he was hired.
The Lions are 11-4 and a half-game behind the San Francisco 49ers (11-3), who hosted the Baltimore Ravens on Monday. The Bears beat up the Lions pretty good in Week 14, a 28-13 win at Soldier Field, and had a 12-point lead in Detroit on Nov. 19 before blowing the game late.
If the Bears are evenly matched with the Lions in head-to-head play, are they closer than a five-game difference in the standings suggests?
“We’re a young team and we’re in kind of the same position they were in last year where you just take it one day at a time and try to be in the best position you can,” left tackle Braxton Jones said. “They’re starting to figure it out. Even though we did whip on them that last time, we can’t live in the past. Just look forward and what we can do now and moving into next year as well.”
I checked in with a senior personnel man familiar with the division for his thoughts on where the Bears stacked up, even though there is a big gap in the standings.
“The Bears are not that not far off,” he said. “They’ve found a way to match up really well with the Lions when they’ve played them. That’s a positive sign. They are a young team with a lot of developing talent. They’ve got key players in key positions.
“Look, the right tackle is solidified. They’ve got a playmaker at wide receiver and a good tight end. They still need to work on the interior of the offensive line. Right now, their defense is really good. Lot of young players under contract. They have to take care of Jaylon Johnson.
“They are a team that is not far away from competing for a division title. They’re not that far.”
I would imagine inside Halas Hall, the belief is progress is being made as the Bears have now doubled their win total from last season. They’re probably not looking closely at the division daily, not at this point in the season, but they’re aware of how they stack up and I guarantee a major emphasis will be put on the Week 18 finale at Lambeau Field no matter what is at stake for the Packers.
The Bears have won three of their last four games and have kept the focus moving forward instead of letting the meltdown in Cleveland — a loss that ended any chatter of the playoffs — consume them.
“That’s three out of the last four now that we’ve finished the fourth quarter, going back to Minnesota, the Lions and obviously this one here, and we were real close to getting it done last week,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “I can certainly see growth. The guys are understanding it and believing it and they are doing the things necessary to get that done, and that’s the proof that we have.
“All you have is what you do on tape and what you do on the practice field, and they are doing those things and now it’s starting to pay off.”
It’s going to be a fascinating offseason because the Bears have an opportunity to dramatically enhance the roster with draft capital and free-agency moves, and the personnel man pointed to that.
“It’s just what they decide to do in March and April,” he said. “You cannot watch that game today and say that Justin Fields threw for 35 yards in the second half against that Arizona defense — that might be the worst secondary I have seen this season — and say he’s the quarterback. You can’t. It’s just not good enough.
“In Detroit, they’ve got Jared Goff and I think we all understand he’s limited when you get people around him. He’s struggled at key moments this year. He still acts fragile inside the pocket when he gets people at his feet.
“So the Lions are a very good football team. The Lions look like they are a quarterback away from being a potential championship team. Then you’ve got a bigger gap between them and the Bears if that somehow happens.”
The Vikings (7-8) have one of the older rosters in the league and a huge question at quarterback with Kirk Cousins set to be a free agent. They can’t use the franchise tag on defensive end Danielle Hunter, who leads the team with 15 1/2 sacks, so there are a lot of questions in Minnesota.
The Packers (7-8) have the youngest roster in the league and quarterback Jordan Love has shown positive signs in his development throughout the season. He’s starting to look poised and comfortable in the pocket. He has good mobility. He could be a very good player, and they have young pieces around him.
“That’s a team that is lying in the weeds right now, along with the Bears,” the personnel man said. “Green Bay, at least it would appear, already has the quarterback position figured out. That’s the difference.
“But the Bears are a lot closer in the division than just a glance at the standings right now would otherwise suggest. I believe that.”
A tangible benefit in closing out the season strong is having young players find ways to make plays late in games. This season was done in by the late losses to the Browns, Lions and Denver Broncos. Now the Bears have to find more paths to victory in the fourth quarter, so hopefully the roster — with a lot of pieces in place for 2024 — isn’t searching for answers in unfamiliar territory a year from now.
“We’re focused on this year right now and where we’re at and trying to just keep stacking wins, keep playing good football,” weak-side linebacker T.J. Edwards said when I asked about the gap between the Bears and Lions. “We’re just focused on the moment and being present with these guys.
“December football is where it’s at. We’ve got to keep playing good football. We’re focused on enjoying the holidays with family and then getting right back to work. We definitely want to take some lessons from some of those tough losses we had. I think we’ve shown some growth.”
2. Tyrique Stevenson and Terell Smith continue to make plays and show growth.
It’s impressive considering opposing quarterbacks go at them and try to avoid Jaylon Johnson on the other side.
What’s evident when you see how the rookies interact is that it’s a healthy competition in which they’re rooting for one another and not quibbling over playing time and opportunities. Cornerbacks coach Jon Hoke held a very brief meeting with them earlier in the season in which he laid out the plan. Both had done well enough in training camp to earn playing time. Both were going to be on the field. Both were expected to improve.
Smith had two pass breakups — one on a critical Arizona possession late in the fourth quarter when the Bears led 24-16 — and Stevenson had one on the Cardinals’ second possession, during which Johnson and Kyler Gordon also had PBUs in a six-play stretch against Kyler Murray.
On Smith’s last pass breakup, he beat wide receiver Michael Wilson to the spot on an out route on third-and-6. On fourth down, he shadowed Greg Dortch deep downfield before the receiver stumbled and the Bears took over on downs.
“That’s just growth for him,” Matt Eberflus said. “The more you do that, the more confident you’re going to get. We have a lot of first- and second-year players that are getting that experience to rise and take that next step as a football team, and we are going to need those guys. And (Smith) is one of them. He’s done a really good job coming in there, executing, attention to detail.
“Coach Hoke has done a wonderful job since he’s been there with those corners. If I was going to be a rookie corner in the NFL, I’d pick one coach and that would be Coach Hoke. He’s done a really good job with developing those guys.”
It was a good moment for Smith after Stevenson made a diving interception last week in Cleveland. He spoke fondly of the bond developing between them.
“We’re both going out there to put our best foot forward,” Smith said. “We’re both cheering for each other. We’re both happy when the other guy makes plays. It’s a good dynamic. It’s more than just football. We’re close friends off the field too.”
Said Stevenson: “Hoke was upfront. We both knew coming off camp, both earned a spot on the field. We knew we were going to rotate. We didn’t know how it was going to go and we really didn’t pay attention to that. It’s about going out there, taking advantage of our opportunities.”
With playing time at stake — and everyone wants to be on the field — it can get a little uncomfortable at times if everyone isn’t invested.
“I love Smitty and I know Smitty loves me,” Stevenson said. “Every guy in the room knows we have two good rookies that are unselfish. What type of guy would I be to block anyone else’s blessings?”
3. The Bears rolled up 250 rushing yards for just the fourth time since 1988.
The previous three were all last season, when the team set a franchise rushing record.
Khalil Herbert, who scored on an 11-yard run around the left side, carried the ball a season-high 20 times for 112 yards, and Justin Fields had 97 yards on nine carries with one nifty 39-yard run down the east sideline. Roschon Johnson added 37 rushing yards as the offense totaled 420 yards.
Asked about his 1-yard touchdown reception midway through the second quarter that pushed the Bears lead to 21-0, tight end Marcedes Lewis instantly shifted the conversation to the running game.
“To be quite honest, I really don’t even think about (the touchdown),” said Lewis, who scored the 40th of his career. “I put a lot of good stuff in the run game on film today. Touchdown is cool, but I just think throughout the entire game, I like what I put on film and we got the ‘W,’ so that is what matters.
“I can’t wait to watch the film. We were getting after it in the run game. That’s something we talk about all the time, just imposing our will, especially in December. Teams don’t want to come out here and play. Let’s give them a reason to quit and go out there and try to be the most physical team every time we step on the field.”
Said left tackle Braxton Jones: “I’m not surprised. When we communicate and we’re all on the same page, we’re really good running. When you’re on point like that and just don’t blink even when we do have a setback or anything like that, just come back out and do the same thing.”
When the Bears can run the ball like this, they do a nice job of staying ahead of the sticks and it contributed to going 8-for-15 (53.3%) on third down.
“It starts up front,” Matt Eberflus said. “I liked (Herbert’s) tempo and the way he brought it to the game. Everything starts with passion. That’s the No. 1 thing, and he did a really good job with that.”
The Bears have been solid on the ground all season. Yes, they haven’t been super in short-yardage situations (more on that in a bit). But they entered Week 16 fifth in the league in rushing, averaging 134.4 yards per game, and this solidified they can be a machine, especially when Fields gets loose as he did against the Cardinals, who struggled to contain him in the pocket.
“The offensive line did a great job,” Fields said. “In the first quarter, we were dominating the run game. I felt like, shoot, after I toss the ball or hand the ball out, Khalil had a lot of space to run. They were like high school out there.
”The Cardinals adjusted well in the second half and there weren’t as many big gaps as there were in the first half. But the O-line did a great job blocking. Khalil, Roschon, they did a great job running the ball. Really credit to those guys for working hard and attacking practice each and every day like they do.”
4. The Bears hope tight end Cole Kmet avoided a serious knee injury in the second quarter.
He was checked out in the medical tent, did some running on the sideline and returned for one snap before being declared questionable to return and then quickly downgraded to doubtful.
“We’ll know more (Monday),” Matt Eberflus said.
Kmet was questionable during the week with a quadriceps injury and it looked like Cardinals safety Budda Baker put a big hit on his thigh, but it was ruled a knee injury. That ended a big game as Kmet caught four passes for a career-high 107 yards, the first time in his career he reached triple digits.
The Bears believe this isn’t a serious injury, and I’m sure Kmet takes great pride in his streak of 65 consecutive games played. I bet he will do just about anything to extend it, if possible.
Kmet had a 53-yard reception on the first play of the second series when Justin Fields created time by moving out of the pocket and Kmet ran deep behind safety Jalen Thompson, shielding the defender to make the catch and set up a 3-yard touchdown run by Fields.
“(Thompson) was just panicking there,” Fields said. “He wasn’t even looking back at me. I looked up, gave Cole a shot and he came down with it.
“Cole does a great job with extended plays and stuff like that. You all saw that last week. I fully trust Cole. It was a pretty easy decision with me just down there, him one-on-one and throwing it up and he made a play.”
They connected for another big play, a 29-yard shot to the Arizona 7-yard line, when Kmet was injured on the hit by Baker as the ball hung up a little while.
“Good play design by Luke (Getsy),” Eberflus said. “That was kind of a hideout play, and that was a good gainer, too, into the red zone.”
Fellow tight end Robert Tonyan said Kmet was in good spirits after the game — he was not on the sideline during the second half — and that’s another positive sign.
“Cole is a young professional,” Tonyan said. “He had a lot put on him, being a high draft pick and stuff like that. When I came into the league, I had Marcedes (Lewis) helping me out. When Cole came out, he sort of had it all — well not all figured out, he’s still learning — but he’s a professional and our room is solid and we don’t ever have to worry about each other. He’s been on his own doing it and it’s a credit to him how he’s been a professional.”
5. Two weeks ago the Bears had arguably their best defensive game of the season.
They intercepted Jared Goff twice and recovered a fumble by the Detroit Lions quarterback. Free safety Eddie Jackson went out with family members to celebrate, a fitting end to Jackson’s 30th birthday.
The Bears have been surging on defense. Many improvements are linked to the arrival of defensive end Montez Sweat in a trade with the Washington Commanders, and rightfully so. Statistical improvements also can be tied to Jackson’s return from a foot injury.
The Bears did a nice job of corralling Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, who completed 24 of 38 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns but didn’t eclipse 200 yards until the final possession in garbage time. (Arizona took over on its 31-yard line with 62 seconds remaining, down 11 without timeouts.)
Except for a calamitous fourth quarter in Cleveland a week ago, when Browns quarterback Joe Flacco threw for 212 yards, the Bears pass defense has been one of the better units in the league. Mind you, no one is excusing what happened a week ago. The point is the Bears have been solid for a good stretch. Murray, Goff (223 yards in Week 12, when he had three turnovers) and the New Orleans Saints’ Derek Carr (214 yards on Nov. 5) are the other quarterbacks to top 200 yards since Week 10.
Sweat has invigorated the pass rush and the Bears have been tighter on the back end with coach Matt Eberflus, who is serving as the defensive play caller, having more flexibility and options for calls with the rangy Jackson on the field.
When Jackson missed four games and most of a fifth with a lingering foot injury, second-year pro Elijah Hicks replaced him and the Bears didn’t have the experience or the kind of player who can erase windows on the back end. Jackson is the only safety on the roster with post range who can close the middle of the field, the only one between the numbers who can pose a threat to quarterbacks. He has the kind of ball skills that can change the outcome of a game if a quarterback makes a poor decision.
Jackson’s presence allowed strong safety Jaquan Brisker to have a 17-tackle game against the Lions in Week 14 because the Bears could put Brisker in the box and not worry about being exposed with a single-high safety.
When a defense is forced to play without a rangy safety, it has to rely more on Cover-2 or risk allowing explosive plays, something the Bears have done a very good job of eliminating. Entering Week 16, the Bears were tied for third in the league in allowing the fewest explosive plays — defined as rushes of 10 or more yards and pass plays of 20 or more yards.
While schemes around the league differ, they’re all aimed at accomplishing the same goal: reducing big plays. It’s more important than an overall run defense in the minds of most.
That’s where Jackson, who had three tackles against the Cardinals, and his skill set come into play.
“Look at the first play of the Minnesota game (on Nov. 27),” Eberflus said. “They took a shot on our rookie (Tyrique Stevenson), which we always expect them to do early. (Jackson) did a nice job of ranging that out and making a play on that and getting that ball out (from Jordan Addison).
“Eddie’s been good. What’s great about Eddie is the communication. He really does a nice job of settling everybody down on the back end. We do have some checks to our calls based on formations and with certain calls, and he’s done a really good job with making the adjustments.
“He plays mostly in the deep part of the field. We don’t pressure him very much and those types of things. He’s made some good tackles in the run game when the ball squirted there. To play good run defense, you have to be able to do that. I think he’s done well.”
Jackson got his first interception of the season last week against the Browns, setting up the Bears’ only offensive touchdown. He stepped in front of an errant throw to Cedric Tillman and nearly scored, getting tackled at the Cleveland 1-yard line.
He got caught in the open field Sunday on Arizona’s second touchdown — a 38-yard reception for Greg Dortch — and couldn’t get an angle on the Cardinals receiver.
Jackson’s future will be interesting. He is under contract for one more season with a base salary of $14.05 million and a $100,000 workout bonus as part of the five-year extension he signed after the 2019 season. His salary-cap number for 2024 is $18.14 million. The Bears can cut him before June 1 and save almost $12.6 million in cap space.
They will be operating with plenty of room. Overthecap.com projects the Bears to have nearly $64 million in cap space for 2024, the seventh-most in the NFL. They can clear more than $9 million by releasing offensive lineman Cody Whitehair. A decision on Whitehair seems pretty obvious. Some thought will be involved when it comes to Jackson.
“It’s a big number,” Jackson said of his 2024 salary.
He knows how the business works. He was here before the Bears traded for edge rusher Khalil Mack and when the team traded Mack to clear cap space. He saw linebacker Roquan Smith traded. He has seen the Bears rise to prominence, fall to the worst record in the league and now begin the early stages of improvement.
“It’s definitely different when you look around and see everyone gone, knowing you’re the only person on that defense from 2018,” Jackson said. “It’s different. Just gives me a little more of a chip on my shoulder and also more knowledge to pass along to the younger guys, let them know how this city is when we’re winning and how things are here.
“And being in those situations with three different head coaches, two different GMs, being able to have that kind of experience and knowledge to pass to the younger guys and giving them things I’ve seen and tell them just to keep working.”
Brisker mentioned multiple times last year during his rookie season how Jackson mentored him inside the facility and after hours at his home. Brisker regularly would go to Jackson’s house to study film, and Jackson routinely has younger defensive backs over.
“Eddie’s been like a big brother since I got here,” Stevenson said. “Twice a week, probably, I will go over there and chill with him, go kick it. I just ask him questions. Sometimes we go on Thursday and watch games, we talk coverages and how we play and are preparing for the game on Sundays. He’s helped with all that.”
Jackson has a personal chef who prepares meals for the group. They study film, play video games and talk about life in the league.
“My door is always open,” Jackson said. “I just extend the invitation. Football, how it’s played in the NFL, it’s a little different than college. These relationships go by fast. So you build a relationship with a guy and the next thing you know, you look up and he’s gone. I feel like that’s important to keep that bond strong, especially with the younger guys, and just get them around us and being around each other, building chemistry.”
The Bears need to decide on Jackson’s future by determining what he offers on the field, not as a big brother. Assessing his play since he returned from the foot injury, Jackson said things have gone pretty well.
“As long as we are winning, we’re creating turnovers, my time is going to come,” he said. “It’s tough when you’re not getting (the ball as much as you want), especially after last year. You want to come back and pick up right where you left off, but you look around and you see the success that everyone is having, it’s crazy.
“I’ve been saying since training camp what kind of defense we have. We have a young secondary. The chemistry we’re building, we just want to continue to get better week in and week out. Everyone is back healthy. Everyone is rolling and everyone knows what the goal is.”
It seems unlikely the Bears would pay Jackson more than $14 million at age 30 for his eighth NFL season. He’s not oblivious to that. He understands a decision is coming.
“I haven’t really thought about it,” he said. “I’ve been around. I know how stuff goes. I would love to be here, would love to be a part of that — whatever that looks like in the future. I am going to leave that (to the team). Right now, we’re guaranteed (two) more games.”
I’ve wondered if there is a path for him to return in 2024. It doesn’t happen very often, but there are instances when teams will see if a player is amenable to a pay reduction to return. Those are difficult conversations, and if a team proposes a pay cut, it has to be prepared to move on if a deal cannot be reached.
It’s at least worth considering if the front office would mull the idea of seeing if Jackson would agree to return next season at a reduced number, perhaps with incentives tied to his availability so the team is protected in the event of an injury. In the rare instances when teams explore this option, egos and pride get involved. It’s hard to tell a player how valuable he is to a team and a locker room while also explaining he’s not worth all of the money in his contract.
“I would have to figure that out after the season,” Jackson said when I floated the possibility. “I love being here. I get it, the business of it. I love Chicago.”
Maybe the Bears like the idea of retaining Jackson and drafting a young safety with range to develop. Perhaps they are ready to move on and will replace him in free agency. Box safeties are easy to find just about anywhere in the draft. Finding a high-caliber free safety can be a little like finding a quarterback for the defense.
Think about how hard it is to find that centerpiece for an offense. You need that guy on your defense if you’re going to play any kind of single-high scheme, whether it’s Cover-3 or man. You need a threat over the top of your defense to scare the offense a little bit.
Jackson has been that player for the Bears. He’s guaranteed two more games.
6. Cairo Santos’ agent, Paul Sheehy, called Wednesday and informed him a potential deal could be coming together with the Bears.
The team had been working with Sheehy for a few weeks on an extension for the kicker, and Sheehy doesn’t like to distract clients until there’s something substantive to discuss.
Sheehy laid out general parameters of where the deal could fall — Santos ultimately signed a four-year, $16 million extension Saturday that includes $9.5 million guaranteed. It’s a $1 million annual raise from the three-year, $9 million base contract he got last time from the Bears. There are 12 kickers with an average annual salary exceeding $4 million and 10 with a guarantee above $9.5 million.
Santos said Sheehy said he might be able to do better in free agency. One caveat: A lot of the teams with kicker issues might not be the ones to spend at the position. Plus, there are a couple of decent prospects in the draft.
“I trust Paul,” Santos said. “He knows me as a person, what my motives are. It’s not, ‘This is my number and this is where I rank.’ We want to have a partnership with the team. The team feels like it’s a great value that I add to the team, so there was no ego in that. It’s a lot of money. That’s the conversation we’ve had since Wednesday.
“We’ve gotten to this point and Paul said, ‘It’s your decision what you want to do. Your numbers are very good. There could be more.’ I didn’t feel like I needed it. It’s a deal that made me really happy and hopefully the team felt the same. I am thankful. Year 10 and I’ve got four more years.”
There is still money on the table for Santos. If he finishes the season making more than 90% of field goals, he will collect a $500,000 incentive that was written into his previous contract and remains in the reworked pact. That’s a good chunk of change, and with two games remaining it’s within reach.
Santos was 2-for-2 against the Cardinals, connecting from 49 and 29 yards. He’s now 29-for-31 on the season — 93.5%. That leaves him a little wiggle room down the stretch.
7. If there is a team envious of the Bears when it comes to 2024 draft capital, it’s the Cardinals.
The Bears were not the only team to acquire a future first-round pick when they traded the No. 1 pick last spring to the Carolina Panthers. The Cardinals, in Year 1 of their rebuild with GM Monti Ossenfort and coach Jonathan Gannon, also played the long game.
They traded the No. 3 pick to the Houston Texans (who used it on Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson), moving down to No. 12 and getting a 2024 first-round pick, among other selections in the return package. So the Bears and Cardinals have been eyeing the upcoming draft for nearly a full year.
A case could have been made back in the spring and over the summer that the Cardinals were better positioned than the Bears. Take a look at the opening win totals for the 2023 season released by Caesars Sportsbook in late March, about two weeks after free agency got going:
Bears: 7 1/2
Panthers: 7 1/2
Cardinals: 5 1/2
Texans: 5 1/2
The over/under for Bears/Panthers wins was 15 and for Cardinals/Texans wins was 11. That would have indicated an advantage for Arizona.
I would have guessed before the season the Houston pick headed to Arizona was a darn good bet to be a top-10 selection, maybe even top-five. The Texans had a rough roster coming out of last season and were starting over with a rookie head coach in DeMeco Ryans, a rookie play caller in Bobby Slowik and a rookie quarterback in C.J. Stroud. They have exceeded all expectations, and even with Stroud sidelined with a concussion, they’re 8-7.
The Cardinals are not in a bad position. Based on the current standings, they would own the Nos. 2 and 16 picks in the first round. But that’s not nearly as advantageous as where the Bears are at Nos. 1 and 8.
8. The Panthers fell to 2-13 on Sunday with a 33-30 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Rookie quarterback Bryce Young passed for 312 yards and two touchdowns, but Carolina couldn’t do better than tie the game late after trailing 30-16 early in the fourth quarter.
It has been a tumultuous season in Carolina, and I was curious about the opinion of two players on the Bears roster who spent last season with the Panthers.
Are you surprised by the depth of Carolina’s struggles, which will only benefit the Bears?
“Honestly, there are a lot of great people there,” said running back D’Onta Foreman, who has spoken glowingly of interim head coach Chris Tabor, the former Bears special teams coordinator. “But the struggles, I would say no, it’s not a surprise.
“I just feel like the group we had last year, to finish the year off with the head coach and where he was going and the way we were going, the camaraderie that we built, when you break that up and try to start it all over again ... it’s tough. That was tough.”
Foreman was referring to Steve Wilks, now the defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers and a former defensive backs coach for the Bears. He went 6-6 as the interim head coach after Matt Rhule was fired following a 1-4 start. Players liked Wilks. The Panthers played hard for him and finished 7-10, one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for first place in the NFC South.
“I won’t say I am surprised by it either,” said wide receiver DJ Moore, who spent the first five years of his career in Carolina. “Because what do you expect when you let most of the guys, most of the offense for last season, you let them go?
“I’m not really surprised by their record only because it was a topsy-turvy thing over there with the whole new coach situation.”
Moore keeps in touch with some former Panthers teammates.
“They say it’s getting better,” he said. “But it’s going to take some time and they want instant results. It’s going to be interesting.”
9. A late win for the New England Patriots on Sunday moved the Bears closer to gaining the No. 1 pick in the draft from the Panthers.
The Patriots won 26-23 in Denver on a 56-yard field goal in the closing seconds.
With two games remaining, the Panthers are 2-13 and close the season at the Jacksonville Jaguars and at home against the Buccaneers. The Jaguars suddenly look like they are in the tank after the Bucs walloped them 30-12 — but the Bucs could have an NFC South crown on the line in the season finale, so there is something to play for there.
The Cardinals are 3-12, but the tiebreaker is strength of schedule and there’s enough of a gap between Carolina and Arizona that it looks like that would go the Bears’ way in the event the teams end up with the same record.
The Cardinals are at the Philadelphia Eagles this week and host the Seattle Seahawks to end the season.
As far as the Bears’ own pick, they dropped to No. 8. If they continue to win, it’s possible they would slip outside the top 10, but their strength of schedule is so low they likely would win any tiebreaker and have the best possible pick among teams they are tied with.
10. The Bears tried a wildcat play with a direct snap to Roschon Johnson on third-and-1 from their 34-yard line with 5:18 remaining and a 24-16 lead.
He was stopped for no gain and it highlighted a struggle. Entering Week 16, the Bears had run the ball 13 times on third-and-1, gaining 23 yards and generating 10 first downs. That’s not great but it’s also not bad. On fourth-and-1, they had run eight times for 8 yards with four first downs. That’s bad.
They’ve struggled to pick up 1 yard in have-to-have-it instances. I wonder if part of the issue is center Lucas Patrick struggles to move opponents off the ball. Remember, left guard Teven Jenkins (concussion) also missed Sunday’s game. That makes a QB sneak tough to call and it has shown in Luke Getsy’s play calling.
He has started to be a little funky in short-yardage situations, and that can tell you he doesn’t trust the offensive line to get a yard. He has tried plays to get to the perimeter. He has used motion. It’s fair to criticize the Bears here, but the coaches know the players best — and they’re struggling to get downhill in these situations. It’s telling when they turn to a wildcat play in this moment.
10a. Kudos to Illinois high school principals who voted to make girls flag football an IHSA-sanctioned sport beginning in 2024. According to the IHSA, there are already more than 100 high school girls flag football teams across the state with most of them in the city and surrounding metropolitan area. The number of programs playing flag football doubled from the previous year.
The Bears deserve credit for being extremely supportive in helping promote growth and the initiative of the game over the past couple of years and then recently in promoting it to reach the IHSA level. The Bears helped launch the program locally in 2021 and hosted state championships (not IHSA sanctioned) at Halas Hall in 2022 and 2023. It will be interesting to see how the number of programs multiplies and how participation among student-athletes increases. Well done by everyone involved.
10b. Got a cool description from wide receiver Tyler Scott about his role on Justin Fields’ 39-yard run when he wound up being out front and blocking.
“It was a wild play,” Scott said. “The original call, I had an underneath route. I saw him kind of move out of the pocket and felt a guy kind of trailing me so at that point, I’m thinking scramble rules. I break out kind of running toward Justin. I was going to break upfield to come back but as I looked at Justin, he kind of gave me like a pump (the ball) or something. I was like, ‘OK, should I go? Is he trying to throw it?’ I had to turn it upfield and he takes off. I tried to turn and see, ‘OK, did he throw it?’ I see he’s running and then I saw a whole bunch of open grass.
“There were like four or five defenders so I’m trying to figure out, ‘Which one of these guys is the greatest threat?’ Do I turn back and block this guy? Or do I block this guy? I saw Budda Baker ahead and I thought Justin could outrun these other guys so it’s probably best to get the guy that is right in front of me. Budda can come and bring it every time so I knew I had to bring it. I hit him and then I see Justin ended up sliding. I was like, ‘You could have at least cut or something to make me feel like I did something.’”
Scott was joking. He’s happy to see Fields slide down and avoid a hit.
10c. The Bears opened as three-point favorites at Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas over the Atlanta Falcons for Sunday’s game at Soldier Field.
10d. Happy holidays and thank you for reading.
