Former Bears players, coaches in Super Bowl LVIII

Here’s a look at the former Bears who are playing or coaching in Super Bowl LVIII:

The 2023 NFL season comes to a close tonight when the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs face off in Super Bowl LVIII for a chance to be world champions.

There will be some familiar faces for Bears fans to watch on Super Bowl Sunday, including Matt Nagy, Dave Toub, Tashaun Gipson, Deon Bush and more.

Here’s a look at the former Bears who are playing or coaching in Super Bowl LVIII:

4 things the Minnesota Vikings can learn from the NFC Championship game

Four things the Minnesota Vikings can learn from the 2024 NFC Championship game.

The San Francisco 49ers went against all odds and completed their comeback against the Detroit Lions to punch their ticket to Super Bowl LVII.

San Francisco rattled off 27 unanswered points in the second half after being down 24-7 at the halftime break. With how  Detroit played, it looked like everything had to line up perfectly for San Francisco to get to Las Vegas to avenge their Super Bowl LIV loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

It did. 

Back in the NFC North, the Minnesota Vikings are approaching one of the more crucial points in team history. General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has a unique chance to map out the short-term and long-term direction of the Vikings with their decisions this off-season.

These decisions also come with tough questions: Is the roster ready to compete now? If they are, how do they maximize the current window to compete? If they aren’t, how do they build towards competing sooner rather than later?

There is no right or wrong answer, but there are different ways to go about building this roster, and there are some real lessons that can come from watching a thriller like the Lions had against the 49ers.

Studs & Duds for the Lions playoff loss to the 49ers

Here are the Detroit Lions Studs and Duds as they fall one game short with the their loss to the San Francisco 49ers

The Detroit Lions’ remarkable season concludes on a heartbreaking note as they surrender a 17-point lead in a 34-31 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game.

In the first half, the Lions asserted control with a commanding 24-7 lead, showcasing an unstoppable offense and a defense that made crucial stops at opportune moments. However, the narrative took a sharp turn in the second half, as everything that could go wrong for the Lions seemingly did, creating a deficit they couldn’t overcome by the game’s end.

While the Lions’ season exceeded expectations, their inexperience and missed opportunities became evident in this critical game, leaving them just one step shy of a Super Bowl berth.

As we bid farewell to the season, let’s reflect on the Studs and Duds in the Lions’ loss to the 49ers in the NFC Championship.

Seemingly everyone is rooting for the Baltimore Ravens to beat the Kansas City Chiefs

Lamar Jackson and this Ravens squad are the heroes for everyone who is not a Kansas City Chiefs fan.

Success is a funny thing, especially when it comes to competitive leagues such as the NFL. Everyone loves an underdog story but not everyone likes to see incredibly sustained success, as we witnessed during the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick era. With Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid reaching their sixth straight championship game, the resentment is bound to follow. It doesn’t help that the Chiefs have found themselves in the spotlight multiple times with the arrival or Taylor Swift and the likes of Jackson Mahomes continuing to create headlines.

If we spend any amount of time on the football side of social media it is becoming clear that the vast majority of fans have become big Lamar Jackson fans over the last week. With memes ranging in comedic value scattered across the confines of sports twitter. The Baltimore Ravens aren’t necessarily underdogs going into this matchup given most people view them as the best team in the entire NFL and they are the number one seed in the playoffs, but the recent history of Patrick Mahomes tells you that to count Kansas City out of this game would be a fools errand.

It’s always fun to see which teams fans will temporary pick up and root for once their own team has been eliminated from contention, and this year shows a replica of the New England Patriots’ dynasty era in so many ways. Win or lose on Sunday the Chiefs are currently in a dynasty, and the fans are going to be rooting against them every step of the way as history begins to repeat itself.

https://twitter.com/RavensHead_/status/1751396994684428421

Former Bears playing in 2024 AFC, NFC Championship Games

Here’s a look at the former Bears who are playing in the AFC and NFC Championship Games.

The NFL 2024 postseason continues with Championship Sunday, where the final four teams will face off for a Super Bowl appearance. The Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs will battle in the AFC Championship and the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions will battle in the NFC Championship.

While the Bears have missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, there are some familiar faces for fans to watch on Sunday, including linebacker Roquan Smith and running back David Montgomery.

Here’s a look at the former Bears who are playing on Championship Sunday:

20 free agent targets for Bears in AFC, NFC championships

Here are some pending free agents the Bears could target from the AFC and NFC Championship Games.

We’ve reached Championship Sunday during the NFL postseason, where the Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions will battle it out for a chance to play in Super Bowl 58.

The Bears are slated to have around $50.8 million in salary cap space in 2024, per OverTheCap, which is the eighth most in the NFL. It’ll give GM Ryan Poles plenty to work with as he looks to continue to add to the roster (and perhaps re-sign some in-house free agents).

Here are some pending free agents for Bears fans to keep an eye on during championship Sunday:

Lions elevate 2 from practice squad but Zach Ertz isn’t one of them

Lions elevate 2 from practice squad for the NFC Championship game but Zach Ertz isn’t one of them

The Detroit Lions elevated two players up from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday’s playoff matchup with the 49ers. However, former Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz is not one of them.

Ertz was signed during the week to the practice squad after the Lions lost TE Brock Wright to injury. However, Ertz wasn’t able to convince the coaching staff that he’s ready for playoff action. He’s been sidelined since October with a leg injury that led to his departure from the Cardinals.

The Lions elevated FB Jason Cabinda and OL Michael Schofield. Cabinda played last week in the win over Tampa Bay. Schofield provides depth with LG Jonah Jackson ruled out with a knee injury.

Lions have a distinct defensive advantage in a close game vs. the 49ers

The Lions defense is the best in the league in one key metric, and it’s one where the 49ers don’t matchup well too

The San Francisco 49ers have the better defense in the matchup with the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship game. No one would dispute that; San Francisco finished third in points per game and seventh in yards per play in the regular season, while Detroit finished 23rd and 28th, respectively, in those metrics.

Yet there’s one area where the Lions defense is the superior one. And it’s a very important one entering the matchup to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

Per NFL Inside Edge, the Lions’ pass defense in crunch time has been excellent. Yes, really. From Inside Edge’s game matchup preview,

The Lions have allowed a passer rating of just 47.8 in close and late situations since the 2022 season — best in NFL.

 

The key for the Lions will be to get the game into a close game deep into Sunday’s contest in San Francisco. Along with the Lions pass defense stepping up in the clutch, that’s not where 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy succeeds.

Brock Purdy (SF) has a just 75.5 passer rating in late and close games since the 2022 season — 10th-worst of Qualified Quarterbacks.

The Lions defense rose to the occasion in last week’s win over the Buccaneers in this exact situation, with Derrick Barnes picking off Baker Mayfield to seal the game. The analytical statistics say they can do it again, too.

SKOL Search: Oregon QB Bo Nix

Oregon QB Bo Nix had a great two seasons after transferring from Auburn. Can he be a great NFL quarterback as well? SKOL Search investigates

Welcome to SKOL Search!

This series will be your guide to the 2024 draft class. From scouting reports to mock drafts and exploring different scenarios, we will be covering the NFL draft and the future of the Minnesota Vikings from all angles.

On today’s show, we are looking at a quarterback that will be playing at the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Oregon’s Bo Nix.

We break down Nix and what he projects to be at the next level.

  • How do we quantify his performance at Auburn being so different?
  • Why was the offense designed for Nix to consistently throw it short?
  • What does his pocket presence look like and how does he use his legs?
  • Is Nix as accurate of a passer as the stats say?

Join us throughout the offseason leading up to the NFL draft in April as we break down prospects with the smartest minds in the industry on the Vikings 1st & SKOL YouTube channel.

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Detroit Lions vs. San Francisco 49ers is a rematch 66 years in the making

Detroit Lions vs. San Francisco 49ers is a rematch of the last Lions playoff win on the road way back in 1957

The Detroit Lions are setting themselves up to face off against the San Francisco 49ers this coming Sunday. The winner of that battle of top-tier NFC teams will represent the conference in Super Bowl LVIII.

This is not the first time these two teams have faced off with a chance to play for a league championship.

On Dec. 22, 1957, a mere 66 years ago, the Lions and 49ers met in San Francisco in the Western Conference title game. The Niners held a commanding 24-7 halftime lead, led by the passing of Y.A Tittle. The second half saw the Lions score 24 points while holding the 49ers to just three points, with Detroit advancing to the NFL Championship against the Cleveland Browns.

This 49ers team is likely to come out of the gates firing. They will be pressing the Lions’ secondary and linebacking groups. Brock Purdy will be doing his best Tittle impression, but the Lions need to do what they did back in 1957 — bend but not break. This Lions defense has done that all year, and they need to do it for two more games.

Will history repeat itself come Sunday?

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