Scout the Westie, who’s getting a Bears jersey tomorrow. He’ll be thrilled, I’m sure.
It’s funny, last week I had mentioned to my brother that I’ve never been sick for Christmas.
That streak is gone.
From yesterday afternoon through this afternoon, I’ve felt terrible; the details aren’t important, nor are they appealing. Suffice to say I was suffering enough BEFORE I lost my fantasy championship game on the final, stupid, meaningless, pointless Hail Mary interception. Why would you call timeout on the field goal, Jim Harbaugh? Why? The game would have been over if they had kicked it. I just don’t understand.
But I digress. Really, the fact that my absence prevented a round-up post of reactions to the Sunday Night Football debacle is sort of a blessing. I might have been too depressed to continue at that point.
Here’s what you should know, if you didn’t already:
It was the worst performance of the season, in all three phases.
If the Bears win Sunday, they’re in the playoffs.
That’s it. There’s a matter of seeding, of course, but the Bears are actually still alive for the #3 seed, if they win and the Cowboys (likely behind Kyle Orton, although the Cowboys have yet to officially rule out Tony Romo) defeat the Eagles on Sunday night.
What else did we really learn from Sunday? The defense is bad? We already knew that. I guess we learned that the offense was capable of having a sub-par game, but I feel like that’s more of an outlier, considering they hadn’t had a performance like that up to this point. (In fact, the way the start unfolded, I’m sure the game plan was basically tossed out of the window. They had two unfortunate early series, but being down 21-0 was an unjust punishment. If the margin of error for the offense is that slim, we should be amazed that they have a chance to go 9-7.)
So it’s on to Week 17, essentially the first round of the playoffs for the Bears. Here are a few bullets to get things going; due to the illness and Christmas I’ll be taking it fairly easy tomorrow, but if anything important breaks I’ll be sure to jump on with an update. I’m sure I’ll also be checking Twitter more than my family and/or fiancée will appreciate, as well. What sort of breaking news might require a post?
How about the status of Aaron Rodgers for Sunday? Apparently that will be decided by the time the team practices on Thursday; or so Rodgers said on Tuesday on his Milwaukee radio show. ESPN’s Rob Demovsky has the recap of his comments here, and it’s worth a read if you want to play armchair psychologist. The Packers return to practice on Thursday, and apparently the decision will be made by that point; that means the news could come out at some point tomorrow. Rodgers seems frustrated on multiple levels; the relative slowness of healing, the constant questioning and scrutiny, and most interestingly by the leaking of reports about his condition. He asserted repeatedly that “only four people” knew all of the details: the team doctor, GM Ted Thompson, head coach Mike McCarthy, and Rodgers himself.
Bleacher Report’s Will Carroll covered Rodgers in his weekly Under the Knife column, and he noted that the leaks from multiple levels of the organization were rare for the Packers, not a notoriously leaky bunch. Carroll notes that while the bone has to be getting better, the Packers likely don’t want to risk a re-injury, and the risk/reward balance has yet to swing in favor of playing him despite concerns from the medical staff. Risk of re-injury is something Green Bay has to be aware of, considering this:
Clay Matthews re-injured his thumb on Sunday against Pittsburgh, and will likely be out for the remainder of the season. That’s obviously good news for the Bears; the Packers defense is in the bottom third of the league in basically every category, and with the Chicago defense being as bad as it the offense will need every bit of good fortune that comes their way. (We saw Sunday night what happens when the Bears play a decent offensive team while their own offense struggles. It’s not pretty.)
From that same post, Packer running back Eddie Lacy is on track to play after aggravating a previously sprained ankle. If he can’t play, James Starks would get the majority of the carries. Frankly, the way the Bears rushing defense has looked, I think Green Bay could suit up a 79 year-old Bart Starr and have him rush for 100 yards.
Injured Bears defensive tackle Henry Melton was arrested Sunday for his alleged involvement in a Texas bar fight. It’s been a rough year for Melton, who played this season under the franchise tag before tearing his ACL early in the year. He was charged with assault and public intoxication, but as detailed in that piece by ESPN’s Michael C. Wright, details are still murky, as other witnesses have apparently said that Melton wasn’t in the wrong. The process will obviously play itself out, and it might very well have an impact on what the Bears decide to do with Melton. Cynically, and unfortunately for Henry, the injury and this incident might combine to drive his price down to the point that the Bears can extend him for far less than he deserved after his Pro Bowl breakout in 2012.
That’s all I have for now. As I said, I’m sorry for my brief absence, and if breaking news warrants I’ll have an update for you. Other than that, expect a full return on Thursday as we get ready for the biggest Bears game in a long time; probably since the NFC Championship game. Certainly more is on the line for the Bears than in any single game since then.
I’d like to wish everyone who reads a great Christmas, or if you have other beliefs, a great holiday season in general. I’m honored to count you as a reader.
Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here.
Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.
The latest from NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero is QB-heavy. And if you're a fan of the Chicago Bears, you will want the section dedicated to Caleb Williams. There is all sorts of good stuff about his play style, background,...
I'll say this about Taylor Swift: Surprise dropping a double album (with the second installment dropping at 1 a.m. CT) prepared me for how to best piece together Bears content at an unholy hour next week while simultaneously trying to...
I'm starting to wonder if maybe University of Texas star Byron Murphy II fits the bill as a Chicago Bears draft target.. In his latest at NBC Sports Chicago, Bears insider Josh Schrock wonders if Chicago's football team could be...
The idea of the Chicago Bears drafting a butt-kicking offensive tackle is something that continues to pop up. Perhaps Notre Dame's Joe Alt is something on the team's radar. NFL Network draft guru Daniel Jeremiah opines Alt could be someone...
The winds of change are howling through Halas Hall. After years (decades) of searching, the Chicago Bears appear set to finally land their franchise quarterback, Caleb Williams, with the top overall pick. This signals a new era for the Bears, but the...
The Chicago Cubs finished a winning road trip with a series win against the defending NL champs. Taylor Swift has a new album that drops at 11 p.m. CT. And the Chicago Bears will usher in a new quarterback era...
Only one week remains until the biggest event of the NFL offseason — the 2024 NFL Draft. Caleb Williams is going first overall unless something totally unexpected happens. But outside of that, there are still so many questions left to...
I had a great visit with my therapist today. Between that and an afternoon cold brew, I've got enough in me to power through an evening Bears post. Let's dig into some recent mock drafts that are giving off a...
For all the discussion about the big three wide receivers who could be on the Chicago Bears radar on NFL Draft weekend, a different high-profile pass-catcher is apparently garnering some interest from the team. All-American tight end Brock Bowers had...
The Chicago Bears continue building out their organizational staff around President Kevin Warren. And their latest addition arrives to Halas Hall with three Super Bowl rings in tow. The team announced the hiring of Ted Crews, who has spent the...
Today's NBA playoff schedule has four quality competitions on the docket. Among those contests is the Phoenix Suns playing the Minnesota Timberwolves.One of the most fun ways to wager on the NBA is via NBA player prop bets. There are...
On Saturday at 4:05 PM ET, Ketel Marte and the Arizona Diamondbacks (9-11) play Michael Conforto and the San Francisco Giants (9-11) at Oracle Park.The article below will provide you with everything you need to know to watch Arizona take...
The Los Angeles Dodgers (12-9), who will give the start to Gavin Stone, host the New York Mets (10-8) with Jose Butto on the hill, Saturday at 4:05 PM ET.If you're planning on watching this game, keep reading for TV...
The St. Louis Cardinals (9-11), who will give the ball to Miles Mikolas, host the Milwaukee Brewers (12-6) with D.L. Hall on the hill, Saturday at 2:15 PM ET.Keep reading to find out how to watch the St. Louis-Milwaukee matchup...
The Chicago Cubs (12-7), with Javier Assad on the hill, host the Miami Marlins (4-16) who will start Jesus Luzardo, at 2:20 PM ET on Saturday.Keep reading to find out all the details on how to watch Chicago play Miami...
Bailey Ober will take the ball for the Minnesota Twins (6-12) when they host starting pitcher Reese Olson and the Detroit Tigers (11-9) on Saturday, with first pitch at 2:10 PM ET.If you're trying to watch this game, keep reading...
Nestor Cortes Jr. takes the mound for the New York Yankees (14-6) when they host starter Zach Eflin and the Tampa Bay Rays (11-10) at 1:05 PM ET on Saturday.The article below will provide you with everything you need to...
On Saturday, Elly De La Cruz and the Cincinnati Reds (10-9) face Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels (9-11), with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 PM ET at Great American Ball Park.The article below will provide you with everything...
Logan Allen takes the mound for the Cleveland Guardians (14-6) when they host starting pitcher Alex Wood and the Oakland Athletics (8-12) at 6:10 PM ET on Saturday.See how to watch the Cleveland-Oakland matchup below.When is Guardians vs. Athletics and...
The Seattle Mariners (9-10), led by Mitch Haniger, visit Ryan McMahon and the Colorado Rockies (4-15) at 8:10 PM ET on Saturday.If you're trying to watch this game, keep reading for streaming and TV options for the Seattle-Colorado matchup.When is...
NEWSLETTER
