Category: Latest Bears News

Bears players show support for Bills S Damar Hamlin

There’s been an outpouring of support and prayers for Bills S Damar Hamlin, including from Bears players.

Monday night’s matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals was billed as the “Game of the Year” by many. But it soon became a nightmare following a terrifying on-field incident involving Bills safety Damar Hamlin.

Hamlin collapsed following a routine tackle on Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. Hamlin was administered CPR on the field and taken to a local hospital. The Bills provided an update early Tuesday morning saying he suffered cardiac arrest — his heart beat was restored on the field — and is in critical condition.

It was a terrifying moment for everyone involved or watching, and it reminded us that there are things so much more important than football. There’s been an outpouring of support and prayers for Hamlin, including from Chicago Bears players.

Bears’ updated 2023 NFL draft order after Week 17

Here’s where the Bears are currently sitting in the 2023 NFL draft order after Week 17.

The Chicago Bears are sitting at 3-13 with just one game left in the 2022 NFL season, where things have been rocky in the first season under Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus.

But that was to be expected. This season is all about development, including quarterback Justin Fields, who has emerged as one of the league’s most exciting young players. So while the Bears will finish with one of the worst records, they’ve already won this season.

With just one game left to be played, we’re winding down on the 2022 season and looking ahead to a busy 2023 offseason. That includes the NFL draft, where Chicago is trending toward a top-2 draft pick to address an important need.

If the season were to end today, the Bears would hold the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. With Chicago’s loss to the Lions, they’ve maintained control of the second overall pick and locked down (at worse) a top-four selection.

The Bears remain in contention for the No. 1 overall pick heading into the final week. If the Texans beat the Colts and Chicago loses to the Vikings, the Bears would land that first overall selection.

Here’s a look at the current draft order, after Week 17, courtesy of Tankathon.

NOTE: With the Bills-Bengals game being suspended Monday night, only picks 1-25 are up to date.

  1. Houston Texans (2-13-1)
  2. Chicago Bears (3-13)
  3. Seattle Seahawks; via Denver Broncos (4-12)
  4. Arizona Cardinals (4-12)
  5. Indianapolis Colts (4-11-1)
  6. Detroit Lions; via Los Angeles Rams (5-11)
  7. Atlanta Falcons (6-10)
  8. Las Vegas Raiders (6-10)
  9. Carolina Panthers (6-10)
  10. Philadelphia Eagles; from New Orleans Saints (7-9)
  11. Tennessee Titans (7-9)
  12. Houston Texans; from Cleveland Browns (7-9)
  13. New York Jets (7-9)
  14. Washington Commanders (7-8-1)
  15. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-8)
  16. Green Bay Packers (8-8)
  17. Detroit Lions (8-8)
  18. Miami Dolphins (8-8) FORFEITED
  19. Seattle Seahawks (8-8)
  20. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-8)
  21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8)
  22. New England Patriots (8-8)
  23. New York Giants (9-6-1)
  24. Baltimore Ravens (10-6)
  25. Los Angeles Chargers (10-6)
  26. Cincinnati Bengals (11-4)
  27. Minnesota Vikings (12-4)
  28. Dallas Cowboys (12-4)
  29. Denver Broncos; from San Francisco (12-4)
  30. Buffalo Bills (12-3)
  31. Kansas City Chiefs (13-3)
  32. Philadelphia Eagles (13-3)

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Bear Necessities: Does Justin Fields’ chance to break rushing record impact Week 18 status?

Bears QB Justin Fields is 64 yards away from breaking Lamar Jackson’s rushing record. Will that play a role in whether he plays vs. Vikings?

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Following Sunday’s loss, Bears coach Matt Eberflus said quarterback Justin Fields would start in the season finale against the Vikings, as long as he was healthy.

Granted, Fields probably hasn’t been 100 percent for awhile. He’s been sacked 55 times and has taken a number of big hits, including a left shoulder injury that sidelined him for a game.

There are many that believe Chicago should sit Fields for the finale to avoid an injury in a meaningless game ahead of an important offseason. While Eberflus insisted Fields will play Sunday, he sounded less certain when asked again on Monday.

He did note that conversations will take place this week with general manager Ryan Poles about all players — Fields included — about who will play against Minnesota.

But does the fact that Fields is 64 yards away from breaking Lamar Jackson’s single-season rushing record impact things?

“Yeah, that’s important,” Eberflus said Monday. “It’s an important factor, but it’s not end-all, be-all. Certainly the health of our team is the most important thing.”

While this season has been filled with plenty of lows, Fields’ success has been one of the more notable bright spots. He currently sits at 1,143 rushing yards, and he has a good chance to break Jackson’s record of 1,206 rushing yards. And if Fields is able to do that, it would be a positive to take into the offseason.

“That would be amazing to be part of something like that, as well,” said receiver Velus Jones Jr. “I’d be so happy for him.”

Rookie safety Jaquan Brisker would also love Fields to reach that milestone.

“Just a confidence booster for him also, and for his team,” Brisker said. “If Justin breaks his record, great. Happy to see people have success, especially your teammates.”

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Bears’ worst 10 defensive players in Week 17, per PFF

Here are the worst 10 Bears defensive players and what their PFF grades were following their Week 17 loss vs. Lions.

The Chicago Bears were defeated by the Detroit Lions, 41-10, on Sunday to drop to 3-13 on the season.

It was an embarrassing effort by the Bears, who struggled both on offense and defense in their worst game of the season. After jumping out to a 10-7 lead, Chicago was outscored 34-0 in the final three quarters.

Pro Football Focus handed out player grades for those who took a snap in the Chicago’s Week 17 loss. Here are the bottom 10 Bears defensive players and what their grades were.

Bears’ worst 10 offensive players in Week 17, per PFF

Here are the worst 10 Bears offensive players and what their PFF grades were following their Week 17 loss vs. Lions.

The Chicago Bears were defeated by the Detroit Lions, 41-10, on Sunday to drop to 3-13 on the season.

It was an embarrassing effort by the Bears, who struggled both on offense and defense in their worst game of the season. After jumping out to a 10-7 lead, Chicago was outscored 34-0 in the final three quarters.

Pro Football Focus handed out player grades for those who took a snap in the Chicago’s Week 17 loss. Here are the bottom 10 Bears offensive players and what their grades were.

Bears PFF grades: Best and worst performers in Week 17 loss vs. Lions

Here’s a look at how PFF graded the Bears offense and defense in their Week 17 loss against the Lions.

The Chicago Bears were defeated by the Detroit Lions, 41-10, where Chicago dropped to 3-13 on the season.

Pro Football Focus handed out player grades for those who took a snap in the Bears’ Week 17 loss (minimum 20 reps), and we broke them down by offense and defense, analyzing the three highest- and lowest-graded players on each side, as well as some other notable performers.

There were a few surprises — and then some not surprises — in terms of the highest- and lowest-graded players, both on offense and defense. Here’s a look:

Bears report card: How we graded Chicago in their Week 17 loss vs. Lions

Here’s a quick breakdown of what we saw during Sunday’s game and how we graded the Bears in their loss against the Lions.

The Chicago Bears (3-13) were defeated, 41-10, by the Detroit Lions (8-8), which marked their ninth straight loss of the season.

It was an embarrassing outing all around for the Bears, who looked like a team on the longest losing streak in franchise history. Unlike the previous two games, Chicago didn’t look prepared for Sunday’s game against the Lions. The lack of effort was evident and contributed to the brutal blowout. Justin Fields’ first quarter and Velus Jones’ 63-yard kickoff return were the highlights of the afternoon. Everything else was bad.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what we saw during the game and how we graded the Bears in this loss.

Bears QB Justin Fields can break Lamar Jackson’s single-season rushing record in Week 18

With one game left this season, Bears QB Justin Fields is poised to break Lamar Jackson’s single-season rushing record.

In a year where the Bears aren’t contending for anything aside from a top-two draft pick, quarterback Justin Fields has made things more exciting than believed possible in a 3-13 season.

Fields has been Chicago’s entire offense this season, where there are holes at receiver and along the offensive line that need to be addressed this offseason. And we’ve seen Fields develop into one of the NFL’s most electrifying running quarterbacks while making history on numerous occasions.

Heading into Week 18, Fields has a chance to make history once again when it comes to setting the single-season record for rushing by a quarterback.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson holds the single-season record with 1,206 rushing yards back in 2019. Fields is coming off a 132-yard rushing performance against the Lions, which put him well within reach of breaking the record.

Fields currently has 1,143 rushing yards on the season, and he’s just 64 yards away from breaking Jackson’s record.

While many fans have urged the Bears to rest Fields in a meaningless season finale against the Vikings, coach Matt Eberflus said Fields will play, if healthy. (Fields was notably getting his hip flexors worked on during Sunday’s loss).

Assuming Fields plays, he has a good chance of making history one final time before we wrap the 2022 regular season.

“I’m already deep into this year,” Fields said a couple of weeks ago, “so I might as well go and get that record.”

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Bears rookie LT Braxton Jones reflects on his rough outing vs. Lions

Bears rookie LT Braxton Jones was hard on himself after struggling vs. Lions. “I’ve got to keep Justin (Fields) up, it’s plain and simple.”

Bears fifth-round rookie Braxton Jones has done a solid job at left tackle through these first 15 games. But Sunday was easily his worst game of the season.

To be fair, Chicago’s entire offensive line struggled in pass protection in the blowout loss to the Lions, where quarterback Justin Fields was sacked seven times. But Jones especially had a notable, rough outing.

At one point, Jones allowed two sacks in three plays, and he was bullied by the Lions defensive front. After the game, Jones spent some extra time on the bench after the game, taking in his rough outing.

“[I was] just kind of reflecting on the game,” Jones said, via Shaw Media. “I didn’t do so well. Just have to play four quarters, not one quarter. Just thinking about where I went wrong, where I can execute better. Better pad level. Better pass [protection]. Just all that stuff. I’m not going to sit here and think about it too long, but just reflecting a little bit.”

Sunday’s 41-10 blowout loss was by far the Bears’ worst game of the season, where the offense and defense both struggled. Jones is going to use his rough performance as a learning moment.

“The entire season we’ve just been setting our jaw and keep on going back to work,” Jones said. “That’s what I’m going to do. There’s not much more you can do but reflect on the film. Go in Monday and put it to bed.”

Fields has been sacked 55 times this season — tied for the most in the NFL. And while Fields is responsible for several of those, the offensive line has done a poor job all season keeping him upright. It’s something Jones vows to fix, on his part.

“I got beat with my feet in the ground quite a bit,” Jones said. “Just keep my composure, keep going. I’ve got to keep Justin up, it’s plain and simple.”

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The Morning After…the Bears’ blowout loss vs. Lions in Week 17

Our Bears Wire staff shares their thoughts about Sunday’s loss vs. Lions, where the defense gave an embarrassing effort.

The Chicago Bears (3-13) suffered an embarrassing 41-10 loss to the Detroit Lions (8-8), where the Bears lost their ninth straight and are guaranteed a top-four draft pick regardless of next week’s outcome.

Chicago only showed up for one quarter before being outcoached and outplayed in the final three quarters, where Detroit outscored them 34-0. It was an embarrassing effort by a team that has typically held it together through this brutal losing streak. Justin Fields inched closer to breaking Lamar Jackson’s single-season rushing record, but at what cost? There were some questionable decisions by Matt Eberflus, including leaving his franchise QB in the game amid a blowout.

There was plenty to break down following Chicago’s loss against Detroit. Our Bears Wire staff is sharing their thoughts following the Week 17 game.

The Bears’ Week 17 loss vs. Lions