Did you watch the Bears on Sunday? Guess what, you weren’t alone:
The top-5 television programs last week were NFL Week 1 games, with Sunday night’s Bears-Packers tilt drawing 22.1 million viewers. The only game that had more eyes on it was the Cowboys-Panthers game on FOX, which received 23.3 million viewers.
Yeah, I’m ready to see the Bears in prime-time (again) in Week 2.
The Packers didn’t come away unscathed from their Week 1 win against the Bears, though the injuries sustained aren’t expected to keep players out of Sunday’s game against the Vikings:
Meanwhile, one of Rodgers’ top targets returned to practice in a limited capacity and sounds like he feels good enough to play on Sunday:
Lions pass-rusher Ziggy Ansah suffered a shoulder injury that caused him to miss a chunk of Monday’s loss to the Jets, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports it’s not a serious injury and the hope is that could play against the 49ers. And yet, Ansah did not practice on Thursday, according to ABC’s Brad Galli. This could have been a maintenance day for Detroit’s top pass-rushing option, but his status will be worth monitoring.
The same can be said for guard T.J. Lang, whose presence along the Lions’ offensive line shouldn’t be overlooked. Lang was a big addition to last year’s team and helped solidify what had been a weakness for the team in prior recent years.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford (shin) and running back LeGarrette Blount (shoulder) were full participants in Thursday’s practice and should be lined up and ready to go on Sunday.
Adrian Peterson used to feast on NFC North defenses while playing for the Minnesota Vikings. Even though Peterson is playing in Washington now (it’s his third team in two years), he has his eyes on surpassing Emmitt Smith’s all-time rushing record – which would be a pretty major feat. “I feel like it’s realistic you know very realistic,” Peterson said, via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. “In the great words of Kevin Garnett, ‘Anything is possible.’ So that’s how I view it. If I’m to continue to have success, stay injury-free and play three to four more years and I definitely see myself claiming that title and in order to achieve something you have to believe it, you know? So I’m a believer.” Peterson, 33, needs 5,984 yards to do it.
I’m trying not to look too far ahead in the schedule, but a couple of future opponents are making headlines because of young quarterbacks. Josh Allen is replacing Nathan Peterman as the starter in Buffalo, per ESPN’s Mike Rodak. Peterman went 5-for-18 for 24 yards, two interceptions, and a 0.0 passer rating in a 47-3 loss to the Ravens, so it’s not like Allen has a high bar to clear in order to surpass the signal caller he replaced.
Peterman was believed to be one of the more pro-ready quarterbacks in the 2017 NFL Draft class, but his numbers (43.3 percent completion rate, 275 total yards, more interceptions (7) than touchdowns (2), and yards per attempt (4.1)) don’t spell that out.
Allen is just one of several rookie quarterbacks the Bears might see this year. It’s not out of the realm of possibilities that Arizona trots out Josh Rosen in Week 3. Sam Bradford completed just 58.8 percent of his passes, posted a 57.6 rating, and averaged only 4.5 yards per attempt against Washington.
Unless an unforeseen injury pops up, the Bears will get Sam Darnold when they host the New York Jets in Week 8. The early returns for Darnold (despite throwing a pick-6 on his first pass attempt) are good:
A pair of notable injuries for the Bears’ Week 4 opponent have popped up. Buccaneers pass-rusher Jason Pierre Paul has a banged up right knee that is in a brace (per Rick Stroud), while cornerback Vernon Hargreaves has been placed on injured reserve. WTSP reports Hargreaves suffered a torn labrum in his shoulder, and it’s expected to be a season-ending injury. hat’s a bummer for the University of Florida product who was the 11th pick in the 2016 NFL Draft – two spots after the Bears selected Leonard Floyd.
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