How to Enjoy a Relaxing Bears-less Sunday and Other Bullets

Nov 25, 2018

This is a mood:

When it’s Sunday and you realize there’s no Bears football … because they already played (and won!) this week. pic.twitter.com/29EOdnclQI

— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) November 25, 2018

It’s a Sunday of Bearslessness and I’m almost unsure what to do with myself. I suppose I could kick back, relax, and enjoy the show that is an NFL Sunday without a direct rooting interest. Or I could cut into my to-do pile and get some stuff done around the house that I’ve been putting off. On second thought, I think I’m just going to lounge around and keep tabs on what’s happening around the league.

If things stay true to the current standings and the Bears win the NFC North as the No. 3 seed in the conference, then they will host the No. 6 team on Wild-Card Weekend. With that in mind, the early game to watch from a Bears perspective is the noon kickoff between the Panthers (6-4) and Seahawks (5-5) in a game that could essentially be a knockout game. The Panthers have a 59.6 percent chance at making the playoffs, while the Seahawks are on the radar with a 43.9 percent shot. If either team is going to make the postseason, it will be via a Wild Card spot because the Saints and Rams have virtually locked up their respective divisions. According to Football Outsiders’ playoff odds, Carolina has a 21.7 percent chance to make it in as the No. 6 seed, while Seattle’s odds sit at 20.6 percent. In other words, there’s a real decent chance one of these two teams will square off against the Bears if things hold up. Of course, there is a plenty of time between now and then to decide matters. There are games to play and the Bears have business to take care of in their final five games of the year.

Later, we’ll get to the matchup that means the most when it comes to the Bears’ future – the Sunday Night Football showdown between the Packers and Vikings.

If you’re looking ahead to future Bears opponents, San Francisco (Week 16) travels to Tampa Bay in what the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas figures to be the highest-scoring matchup of the day. The over/under for that one is set at 54.5. Or you could get an advanced look at the Giants (Week 13) traveling to face the Eagles in a battle of teams trying to climb up the NFC East standings.

An update on Mitch Trubisky via ESPN’s Adam Schefter:

After missing the Thanksgiving game vs. the Lions, Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky is hopeful to play next Sunday vs. Giants but it is not certain he will and missing one more game is possible, per source. If he were to miss that one, he would be expected to return the following week.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 25, 2018

We discussed the likelihood of Trubisky’s Week 13 return yesterday, but cautioned that there are still some hurdles to clear before he gets back into the swing of things. Trubisky must show he has strength in his shoulder to make the necessary throws before the Bears can put him back in the mix. This is where the player – no matter how much he wants to get back into the fray with his teammates – must be honest with his coaches, training staff, and most importantly, himself. Everyone wants to be a hero, but players who gut it out through injuries they shouldn’t play through tend to hurt their team more than help.

The Bears’ investment in Chase Daniel seems to be paying off in more ways than one:

“It’s one of the reasons why you spend the money that you spend on a backup quarterback.” – @7BOOMERESIASON highlights Chicago’s ability to beat a divisional opponent with Chase Daniel.
Get to @CBSSportsNet right NOW for the second half of #TOPS. pic.twitter.com/1wuL2n82DM

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) November 25, 2018

On the other side of the ball, Eddie Jackson has picked up a major endorsement in his quest to win the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award:

DPOY https://t.co/nV6ZkGDAvr

— Khalil Mack (@52Mack_) November 25, 2018

The Bears could clean up on the awards circuit during the offseason if they finish strong. Check out this Brian Baldinger breakdown of Roquan Smith film from Thursday’s win against the Lions:

.@ChicagoBears @RoquanSmith1 is becoming that MIKE that the #Bears have been looking for. Sideline2sideline. This group is beginning to look like championship material. Can you “feelit” ChiTown? #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/7Q2WBXVeV3
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) November 23, 2018

REMINDER: Smith is doing big things without having participated in training camp or the preseason. He is only beginning to test his powers and the middle of the Bears defense will only get better as he continues to improve.

I get warm-fuzzy feelings when I see guys take time off to visit their alma mater during the season. It makes me want to visit my old stomping grounds:

Former Georgia great Roquan Smith of the @ChicagoBears honored during today’s Georgia-Georgia Tech game. pic.twitter.com/4Nhb6Rgsfp

— Anthony Dasher (@AnthonyDasher1) November 24, 2018

While you’re not watching the Bears, you can take some time out of your schedule and vote your favorite players into the Pro Bowl:

https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/1066738963174420480

It’s been a while since the Bears had multiple players worthy of being voted in, so reward those who deserve it. Hopefully, they’ll get in, but won’t be able to play because they’ll be ineligible due to their upcoming Super Bowl appearance.

LOL:

I spent Thanksgiving in Wisconsin and these were the three most common things said to me:

1. “Happy Thanksgiving!”
2. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”
3. “I wish the Packers had offered more for Khalil Mack.”

— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) November 25, 2018

Remember when rumors linked Jim Harbaugh and the yet-to-be-open Bears job? Fun times:

Ohio State's 62 points are the second-most that Michigan has ever allowed in a game; the Wolverines beat Illinois 67-65 in 2010.

62 points are also the most points scored against a Jim Harbaugh coached team (including his time as coach of Stanford and the San Francisco 49ers). pic.twitter.com/6bbOdMYyls

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 24, 2018

I wanted to enjoy Michigan-Ohio State but that game felt like it was over early.

The most enjoyable game on Saturday’s college football slate was this 7-OT thriller between LSU and Texas A&M:

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1066567720039325698

There was plenty of pro talent on display in Saturday’s USC-Notre Dame game and the Bears’ GM was there to take it all in:

Found Ryan Pace at the #NDvsUSC game @thekapman @chrisbleck @KjellRules pic.twitter.com/RO1jzmSQoD

— Anthony Bortoli (@abort83) November 25, 2018

Meanwhile, Head Coach Matt Nagy was posted up at the Northwestern-Illinois game:

This game is (unsurprisingly) sparsely attended, but one notable face is in the crowd: Bears head coach Matt Nagy.

(h/t @leoweldon1 ) pic.twitter.com/oNbvPbruDu

— Inside NU (@insidenu) November 24, 2018

Speaking of the state of college football in Illinois, ex-Bears coach Lovie Smith received a two-year extension that will keep him at the University until 2023:

#Illini Director of Athletics Josh Whitman announced today a two-year contract extension for Head Football Coach Lovie Smith to keep Smith at Illinois through the 2023 football season.https://t.co/jaLiubLXQJ
— Illini Football (@IlliniFootball) November 25, 2018

It’s a move that will probably come with mixed reactions. Smith is 9-27 overall, but took the team from a 2-win 2017 to a 4-win 2018. At the surface, Illinois exceeded admittedly low expectations for this season. But in the context of the big picture, things could have (and should have?) gone better this season. Frankly, it doesn’t look great for the Fighting Illini. Perhaps this extension cools the talk of Lovie being on the hot seat and allows him to focus on recruiting without the possibility of being axed looming over his head. To be clear, I have no dog in the fight and no emotional ties to Illinois. But I had no issues with Lovie as a Bears coach and I feel as if my friends who are Illinois football fans probably deserve better than what they’ve received in recent years. Good luck, folks. It looks like you’ll need it.

written by

Luis C. Medina

Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.

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