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Ten thoughts after the Bears beat the Bills 41-9 Sunday afternoon at New Era Field, reaching the midpoint of their schedule with a 5-3 record and placing first in the NFC North.
1. Are you ready for the return of the Bears in prime time? According to what I have heard, it is possible that the Bears game against the Vikings of November 18, which should begin at noon, is a prime opportunity for NBC. The league could make an announcement no later than Tuesday, 12 days before the start of the game. At the present time, the Steelers (5-2-1) schedule in the Jaguars (3-5) in this coveted niche, but this match, a rematch of their wild encounter in the divisional round of January, has lost its appeal. with the Jaguars on a four-game losing streak.
Of the 11 games scheduled this Sunday, only two teams have won records: 5-3-1 Vikings 5-3 Bears and 6-3 Texans 5-3 Redskins. It remains to be seen if the bears have received the call. It should be noted that they quickly took a turn for a Thanksgiving match at 11:30 in Detroit. Would pushing their previous seven-hour match be a factor? I do not know, but I know that at Halas Hall, there is at least a belief that the match could be moved to Sunday night. Another factor may be at play here. NBC currently has the Packers at the Vikings on November 25th. Does the league want to introduce the Vikings to its place of choice in the coming weeks?
The Bears are better than expected (and with more star power: see Khalil Mack) when the television schedule was set in April. If they continue to win, they may end up in a prime-time game at some point. The question is when? Their games against the Giants and 49ers will not be moved in prime time. They are two opponents who struggle about the same degree as the modest Bills. The Rams game makes perfect sense when they go to Soldier Field in the 14th week. This is certainly a more interesting game than the one currently in the niche: the Steelers in the Raiders. However, the Rams are scheduled for the same time slot on Sunday at prime time next week, when they host the Eagles. Again, would the league want the same team to be in this slot two weeks in a row? Would the NFL consider moving the Rams in prime time against the Bears, and then change the game in the 15th week?
As you can, there are many variables at play, but if the Bears take care of the one they control – win – they will almost have the lock to play again on a Sunday night.
2 Bears must love where they are in the middle of the season: 5-3 and first place in the NFC North. Of course, there are only a few games to play on the score of 7-1, one in Green Bay and another (many could have done) in Miami, but that's life in the NFL, where so many games are decided at seven or fewer points.
The next step is a crucial step for the Bears, a situation that could put them in the driver's seat for December, or that could let them catch up over the last month. They have three consecutive games to come against NFC North's enemies for the first time since 2007, having played Lions, Packers and Vikings in weeks 4-6.
It will be a three-game series that will run for only 12 days and end with the Thanksgiving match in Detroit. What bears need to do? They have to go 2-1 or better to get in a good position for the series race and potentially the division crown. If they have a record of 1-2 or worse, they could end up catching up with only five games left (two in the division) remaining.
Set the schedule and the ranking:
Sunday November 11 Lions at Bears
Sunday 18 November Vikings at Bears
Thursday, November 22 The Lions Bear
Bear: 5-3 (0-1 NFC North)
Vikings: 5-3-1 (1-0-1)
Packers: 3-4-1 (1-1-1)
Lions: 3-5 (1-1)
It's a new Bears team this season with a familiar problem. They are incredibly bad 6-25 in division games since the start of the 2013 season. No wonder they have spent the previous four seasons in the NFC North winery. They have dropped nine of their last 10 games against the Lions, six out of seven against the Vikings and 15 out of 17 against the Packers. I do not know how much history applies here, but the Bears will have to show up and play well to defeat the Lions on Sunday. The Lions are 2-0 against Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers and 1 to 5 against the rest of the NFL. They have at least demonstrated their ability to organize impressive matches.
"Honestly, I did not look at it," said Bears defensive end Akiem Hicks, when I asked questions about the impending slate. "I'm not a guy on the schedule. I know some guys are full of clichés, "One game at a time," but I do not look at them. I never look at the future calendar. I did not even know.
"Are we playing in Detroit and then in Minnesota? Can Detroit again? It's great, man. It takes a lot of momentum, especially if, say, we play against Detroit first and we eliminate them, when we come back, two weeks later, they will be ready to kick our ass. It's big. You are doing well, you could have a lot of momentum. Otherwise, the season could be over. "
Daniel Brown said, "This is an opportunity for the division to start playing. I think few teams in the division have clashed. From the fans' point of view, it's a cool race to watch. "
Free Security Eddie Jackson has not lost important moments in his schedule. For a sophomore, he is very well trained as a coach.
"(Three games) are not our goal," Jackson said. "We know that if we play our game, everything will take care of itself. We will enjoy it for 24 hours, enter, focus on Detroit and do what we need to do. "
The Cornerback Prince Amukamara at least admitted that the division matches had extra weight, knowing that the division record is the second decisive match after the face-to-face record.
"These count twice," said Amukamara. "Our division is a bit to be won. Of course, every game is crucial, but those are the ones that matter most. "
Figure that the Bears need two wins in their next three games.
3 I think there is a good chance that linebacker Khalil Mack will come back to the game against the Lions. This is the atmosphere that I had players in the locker room, but it remains to see where things will be in the week ahead. Coach Matt Nagy is doing a good job in answering questions and making some clarifications, but he made it clear, especially in season, that he did not have much to say about players on the road. shelf. When asked if Mack and wide receiver Allen Robinson, who was playing a second consecutive game due to a groin injury, were ready to face the Lions, Nagy went round in circles .
"I hope so but I can not … again, I think you'll see with them, it's going to be very similar to what it was these past few weeks. That's where we are with that. "
It would certainly be good to give Mack a little more training time than in the last two weeks, to prepare him to face a Lions team that awarded a franchise record to 10 Vikings sacks Sunday at US Bank Stadium, but above all, bears must be careful with Mack.
The defense coordinator, Vic Fangio, said that Mack had tried to resist with what I had been told, it is a sprained ankle.
"To his credit, he tried to play with," Fangio said Thursday. "Some people would say that we were wrong to play against him after being injured early in Miami, and then wrong to play against him in the next game (against the Patriots). But there is another goal to look at. Many people think that players do not play with injuries, etc., and this guy says he can go. I prefer to look through the lens that this guy is trying to fight and play. And he does not let an injury take him out. Looking back, should we have released it earlier? Probably. But a guy says he can go there, he can go and we have to see him. "
We'll see if Mack is going for the Lions, but it's clear that the Bears plan was to take advantage of the games against the Jets and Bills, a pair of troubled teams from AFC East, to give it a bit of rest for the most important ones. games against what happens to be also better competition.
4 Suddenly, the bears seem to be able to use a tight body. That's why the moment Adam Shaheen has recovered from his ankle injury is decisive. Shaheen's rehab has progressed enough and I think there's a good chance the Bears will nominate him to come back from the injured reserve this week, which would give him a three-week period for practice. If the Bears nominate him to return this week, he could play this Sunday against the Lions. However, given the time lost by Shaheen, the Bears could slow down the game a bit and try to train a bit more before putting it back on the list of 53 players? Shaheen suffered a right ankle injury during the 3rd week of the preseason in Denver. He has been away for two and a half months.
Nagy said Dion Sims was probably heading for the concussion protocol after being replaced late in the game by Daniel Brown. Sims was absent for two weeks in August while he was involved in the concussion protocol. He missed two games in 2016 and three in 2015 with the Dolphins because of the concussions.
Ben Braunecker did not travel with the team because of a concussion, leaving Trey Burton and Brown as the only opponent in good health. That may be what drives the Bears to push Shaheen if he deems it necessary. I do not think they would let him train this week if he's not ready. Maybe bears bring someone for a look. Colin Thompson was on the list during the off season and preseason.
Provided there are no setbacks, I expect Shaheen to return to the band soon. Even though the Sims were healthy, I predicted that Shaheen would soon start playing with him. This is a position to watch this week for sure.
5 I've seen a lot of questions on social media before and after the game. about Kevin White being inactive. White, the seventh pick in the 2015 draft, was a good scratch. If you just follow the team by chance, this is the best reminder that White Days with the Bears are counted since the team's decision in the spring to decline its fifth year option. By numbered, I mean that the maximum number of remaining games in the regular season is eight. If I had a $ 5 bill every time I was asked why Josh Bellamy played as much playing time as White, I would go first class for the remaining games on the road. I therefore put the question to the coordinator of the offensive, Mark Helfrich, this week.
"We will always play the best guy," Helfrich said. "It's by situation, and we have the ability to look at them in practice and see that happens. (Bellamy) is actually more versatile and has a deeper knowledge of the system. He is probably a guy with three or even four positions in terms of versatility. Again, I do not speak negatively about Kevin, it's just a fact. Josh's experience in the system, all of those things, comes into play. "
I asked if Bellamy had better speed and better lateral movement as a receiver.
"As a road racer," said Helfrich. "It's something we're working on with Kevin, we're just playing the clock. Guys have this problem all the time. "
While Allen Robinson was still absent due to a groin injury, Bellamy was targeted twice against the Bills but failed to get a pass. In my very rough notes, I had Bellamy for 32 shots, so he had a lot of action while White was watching. Javon Wims also saw the pitch briefly. I had Wims for six shots and it is possible that he had some others but not many. The bottom line: The Bears are now more interested in Wims, a seventh round, than White.
"Kevin, our coaches and myself, we had some discussions in the direction in which we decided to go for this game," Nagy said. "Nothing is permanent. He will just continue to work hard. Kevin is well placed and I appreciate it being like that. We will just continue to fend for ourselves. "
6 What about the appearance of Eddie Jackson in attack? The Bears scored the second and eleventh points of the 14-Bills line in the third quarter when Jackson entered the field as a slot machine receiver in a formation that included defensemen Tarik Cohen and Jordan Howard, Trey's half-tight Burton and Taylor Gabriel wide receiver. Jackson arrived in motion in front of quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who was accompanied by Cohen in the shotgun while Howard was lined up in the slot. Jackson then turned back behind Cohen in the direction from which he came. Trubsiky threw the ball to Cohen, who was away from Jackson, and the attacking midfielder amassed a modest three-yard gain.
"I'm just happy to have had an offensive game," Jackson said when I asked him if he was disgusted, but that he had not had the ball.
He demonstrated good skill with the ball in his hands in the free field, and could be a decent punt reverser for sure. Jackson was the lure of the game, but he quickly pointed out that he had been offended at the Boyd Anderson High School in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida. In fact, many colleges have recruited him as a receiver.
We will see if Jackson will have more time in attack. Already this season, we have seen formations with two quarterbacks, several formations with three halves, and now a two-way player in Jackson. If nothing else, Nagy keeps everyone on his guard.
7. Bryce Callahan's goal early in the season was to prove her durability. It is does a great job until there. As a corner nickel midfielder, Callahan has played every game and has been on the field for the majority of strikes as Nickel is the new base defense, certainly for the Bears. Callahan recently made a change of agent by signing with CAA Sports and agents Todd France and Ben Renzin. It was a match that the veteran corner, Prince Amukamara, had helped to make. Amukamara is also part of CAA and has just completed an adventure in the field of free agencies.
"I just want to put myself in the best place for a better opportunity," Callahan said.
At this point, the Bears would covet Callahan's return more than any of their players in the open market. He was a very good player for them, and although some would prefer Adrian Amos, nickel corner is more important than security in the post hierarchy. Callahan said the Bears had not bid on a new contract for him. Often, when a player gets as close to the free market, he is more than willing to play the string and see what is available in free agency.
"I have blinkers right now," sad Callahan. "I do not worry about that. I'm just trying to stay healthy and succeed 16 (games). The goal, at this point, is simply to stay healthy. I'm trying not to look beyond that. "
8 Aaron Lynch seemed to be doing well with the 15-yard penalty he had inflicted on the fourth quarter for unsportsmanlike conduct after his bag dancing. Lynch decided to involve her pelvis. Officials ruled that it was NSFW, so they launched the flag. Lynch sacked Bills quarterback Nathan Peterman three-and-sixteenth on the Bills' 19-yard line for a two-yard loss. The corner player, Prince Amukamara, has been reported for illegal contact. The Bills opted for the 15-yard penalty against the 5-yard penalty. If Lynch had not celebrated or drawn a flag, his bag would have been erased by Amukamara's penalty and would have been considered "no play". Because the Bills turned down Amukamara's penalty and accepted Lynch's offense after the match, they had to accept Lynch's bag. The flag kept Lynch's bag, his third of the season, intact.
"I asked an (official) and I was," Hey, did you throw it? "Lynch said. "I forgot who started it because I was so angry. He said, "No, I did not throw it." I barely did it. It was as if I had done it two or three seconds. It does not matter. I just hope that I got the bag because it was a dead ball penalty so I hope to be credited. That's all I'm worried about right now.
I then asked if the bag was worth a potential fine of the NFL. Steelers receiver Antonio Brown was fined for a fatal blow two seasons ago.
"I want the bag," said Lynch, who has had more sacks this season than the 2½ he's combined in 14 games in his previous two seasons with the 49ers. "Everything is fine. If they want to pay me a fine for entertaining me by doing something I like, then fine me. You know what I mean? That's it, but let me take the bag too.
I can not imagine that this is a big problem for Nagy, but you can bet he would be shot if the penalty, which extended the only touchdown of the Bills, affected a close match. The punishments were terrible for the Bears Sunday, as they were summoned to a season high of 14 for 129 yards. It is a hidden distance in the box that is not so hidden when so many flags are thrown. The good news is that the Bears have been one of the most disciplined teams in the league this season. Even with this push, they were called to the number of eighths in the NFL with 50. The Bears have not had more than 14 penalties in a match since September 26, 1999, when they were called 17 in Oakland. The Bills were claimed for 10 penalties for 163 yards, a franchise record for penalty yards in a game. Phillip Gaines, the cornerback, received two interceptions for two assists, which put them well to qualify.
9 One day after Kyle Long was placed on the injured reserve, Eric Kush started on the right. The oldest of the Longs may return to the game after being injured on the right foot. This is the final of the regular season against the Vikings on December 30th. If the Bears are still hunting and the game makes sense, I guess the player and the club will do everything in their power. possible for him to come back there. The Bears will have to manage in the meantime, and although Kush started, he shot with Bryan Witzmann in the division of each series. That's what Kush was doing on guard with James Daniels before Kush missed the Jets game with a neck injury that has plagued him since the second week. The rotation of Kush and Daniels at the guard was set up to slowly work the rookie in the second round to move on to action. I wonder if the Bears wanted to relieve Kush of his injury or if they let Kush and Witzmann fight to pick the best player.
"I think they're both unique," Nagy said of the two current options to the right guard. "Kush coming back from his injury, they both know the offensive, and Witzmann being new to the team, he knows the games and knows the offense. Harry (Hiestand) (Offensive Line Coach) and I discussed the direction we want to take with these guys, their feelings and the way they play. It does a great job of monitoring, and that's exactly what we did today. "
I guess they will soon choose a starter, but I was a little surprised that they shared the action between Kush and Daniels for three games, so we'll have to see what happens.
ten. Congratulations to Zach Miller, who spent time before the match with injured athlete Allison Mazur. She is a senior sprinter at the University of Buffalo. She had an infection in her left leg that turned into a serious injury. Mazur learned that her recovery – she had been forced to wear an external fixator, a metal structure that kept her leg tight after surgery – was similar to what Miller suffered after his terrible injury last season in Nova Scotia. Orleans. She connected with him via Instagram and his family turned to the Bills to see if they could contact Miller before the match if he was part of the Bears roving group. Miller discovered the situation and the way it was organized surprised Mazur and his family on the ground.
"She had the external fix, the external fixator, the same kind of mechanism as me," said Miller. "She had seen my story and saw that I had it, so we were connected that way. It's the beauty of social media. She is just trying to push back her shin.
"We had similarities just because, I mean, I had never seen an external fixator of my life before having one attached to the leg. So, I think most people in this situation are like, "What is that?" She does the same thing. We were able to inspire ourselves a bit. "
10a. The most worrying thing about Mitch Trubisky's recent play is his accuracy. He is 54 out of 99 in the last three games. It's a small sample, but with better opponents and some with good defenses (think Minnesota), it will have to be better.
10b. The Bears did not just use attacking midfielder Taquan Mizzell as a goaltender on kickoffs. Mizzell was promoted Saturday in the 53-man roster to replace Long. He was also active in the backfield, and during a game with four halves – Mizzell, Howard, Cohen and back Michael Burton – the Bills took a timeout.
"I've been working hard in the training team, be it a scouting team or whatever," said Mizzell. "I arrived and saw two or three pieces on the offensive and made sure I would not spoil them."
10c. Some people wondered why the starters were present during the fourth quarter of the blast. All can not leave the field. Only 46 players are active. The Bears had almost all defensive starters off the field in the end. But it is not that simple. For example, the Bears only played 46 offensive pieces and wanted to tackle some of the things they had planned in the game plan.
10d. After three consecutive seasons with eight defensive interceptions, the Bears have 14 out of 10 players. I think the 10 players have more points than the 14 choices, which are in second place behind the 15 Dolphins. Twelve players have at least one full bag after linebacker Isaiah Irving. The Bears have 24 sacks, ranking seventh in the league.
10th. A little note from my game column that you may not have seen. How strange was it that the Bears scored 41 points despite winning just 190 yards in total? I've plugged the numbers on profootball-rereference.com, and it was the first time that a team scored at least 41 points with 190 yards or less since the St. Louis Cardinals had defeated the Eagles 41-10 on October 2, 1966. at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. The Cardinals returned two steals and one punt for touchdowns during the day.
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