Category: Preseason

10 Lions roster bubble players to watch vs. Colts

These are 10 Lions players who can really help–or hurt–themselves in the quest to make the final 53-man roster in the second preseason week.

After the first round of cuts, 85 players remain on the Detroit Lions as they enter the second week of preseason. The opportunities to impress are getting shorter with the week in Indianapolis for the Lions’ first road game of the exhibition season. For the players on the roster bubble, it’s rapidly approaching now-or-never time.

Saturday’s preseason game at Lucas Oil Field (1 p.m. ET) is the fiery crucible in which true winners are forged, but the coaching staff is also keenly watching the joint practices at the Colts training facility in Grant Park north of Indianapolis.

These are 10 Lions players who can really help–or hurt–themselves in the quest to make the final 53-man roster in the second preseason week.

NFL fans are dragging Dan Orlovsky, MNF announcers calling Bears-Seahawks game

The Seahawks had a rough night in a preseason loss to the Bears, but the MNF announcers might’ve been worse.

The Chicago Bears dominated the Seattle Seahawks in a 27-11 victory on Thursday. But listening to the Monday Night Football crew, you wouldn’t have thought that was the case.

Troy Aikman and Joe Buck are set to make their Monday Night Football debut this season, coming over from FOX. But they weren’t on the call for Thursday night’s game. That honor went to the B-Team — Steve Levy, Louis Riddick and Dan Orlovsky. And it was evident pretty early on that they were in for a rough night.

The Seahawks were bad. But this announcing crew might’ve been worse.

NFL fans absolutely dragged the backup MNF crew of Levy, Riddick and Orlovsky, who didn’t seem at all prepared to call this game and left fans clamoring for Troy Aikman, Joe Buck and the Manningcast come the regular season.

Here’s what NFL fans had to say about the MNF announcers:

Studs and duds from Bears’ preseason win vs. Seahawks

We’re taking a look at the studs and duds from the Bears’ preseason win over the Seahawks.

The Chicago Bears dominated the Seattle Seahawks in a 27-11 victory on Thursday night to improve to 2-0 this preseason.

Unlike last week’s slow start, Chicago built a huge first-half lead that they didn’t relinquish — even as Seattle attempted to rally in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

While Bears starters saw action for just one series, fans got a look at the guys further down the depth chart. And there were some standout performances among them.

We’re taking a look at the studs and duds from Chicago’s preseason win over Seattle.

Bears vs. Seahawks: Everything we know about Chicago’s preseason win

The Bears won their second preseason game on Thursday, beating the Seahawks 27-11 on the road. We break down the game here:

The Chicago Bears faced the Seattle Seahawks in the team’s second preseason game. The Bears are now 2-0 in the preseason following their 27-11 victory over Seattle.

Despite Seattle playing quarterback Geno Smith into the third quarter, the Bears’ passing defense played lights out en route to Thursday’s victory.

Though it’s only preseason, fans have much to like about Matt Eberflus and how he coaches this team. It’s more of an old-school approach, tailoring the offense and defense to fit their players, instead of trying to force a scheme.

Here’s everything we know about the Bears’ preseason win against the Seahawks:

Instant analysis of Bears’ 27-11 preseason win vs. Seahawks

The Bears dominated the Seahawks in a 27-11 victory to improve to 2-0 in the preseason.

The Chicago Bears traveled to Seattle for their second preseason game Thursday to take on the Seahawks. The Bears dominated all three phases of the game, winning 27-11 to improve to 2-0 in the preseason.

The highlights for the Bears were on special teams. First, rookie receiver Velus Jones Jr. showcased his 4.3 speed as he caught a punt and sped down the left sideline for 48 yards before being pushed out of bounds by the Seahawks. Later, another rookie got in on the action as safety Elijah Hicks recovered a muffed punt in the end zone to give the Bears a 17-0 lead.

Quarterback Justin Fields had a short debut playing only ten snaps and throwing seven passes. The second-year quarterback went 5-of-7 for 39 yards and drove the Bears down the field to take an early 3-0 lead. Following Fields’ departure, quarterback Trevor Siemian threw a touchdown to tight end/fullback Jake Tonges.

Defensively, defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad stood out with three tackles and one sack. Joe Thomas and Jack Sanborn were the leading tacklers with 7 tackles each.

The Bears got a little sloppy down the stretch, failing to recover an onside kick in the fourth quarter, followed immediately by a defensive pass interference penalty. However, the defense tightened up and kept Seattle out of the endzone, preserving a 16-point lead.

There were a couple of injuries as running back Trestan Ebner left the game with an ankle injury, and fullback Khari Blasingame was on the sideline with a short cast on his arm.

The Bears are 2-0 in the preseason and continue to play with discipline, hustle, and tremendous energy. While the national media says the Bears aren’t contenders this year, the first two weeks of the preseason have been promising.

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WATCH: Bears offense opens first half with Darrynton Evans touchdown

Darrynton Evans scored a touchdown early in the second half to build the Bears lead over the Seahawks.

The Chicago Bears dominated the Seattle Seahawks in the first half of their preseason matchup and the second half is proving to be more of the same. The Bears, led by third-string quarterback Nathan Peterman, scored on their opening series of the half thanks to a one-yard dive by running back Darrynton Evans.

Evans had an easy go of it after an impressive few plays led the Bears down to the goal line. Peterman found receivers Dazz Newsome and Isaiah Coulter for big gains with an already short field. A pass to Jake Tonges set the Bears up at the one-yard line and Evans did the rest.

With rookie running back Trestan Ebner questionable to return with an ankle injury, Evans will see the bulk of the carries the rest of the way. The Bears lead Seattle 24-0 midway through the third quarter.

WATCH: Bears special teams comes up big with touchdown before halftime

Bears safety Elijah Hicks scored a touchdown on a Seahawks muffed punt to extend Chicago’s lead to 17-0 at halftime.

The Chicago Bears special teams came up big in the final minute of the first half to add to their lead.

Nursing a 10-0 lead in the final minute of the first half, Bears punter Trenton Gill booted a 43-yard punt to Seahawks wide receiver Cade Johnson, who muffed the punt on Seattle’s 9-yard line.

Safety Davontae Harris was the first Bears player to reach the ball, but it was rookie safety Elijah Hicks who recovered it for the touchdown to extend Chicago’s lead to 17-0 at the end of the first half.

The Bears lead 17-0 at halftime.

WATCH: Bears rookie Velus Jones Jr. has electric punt return

WATCH: Bears rookie Velus Jones Jr. shows off speed with electric punt return

Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. had a rough start in his preseason debut against the Seattle Seahawks, but made up for it in a big way.

Jones fumbled on the opening kickoff of the game, though it was recovered by the Bears. He didn’t let that get him down, however, responding with an impressive punt return near the end of the first quarter. Jones tracked a punt from Michael Dickson and dashed upfield for 48 yards, putting the Bears near the Seahawks 30-yard line.

Jones, selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Tennessee, boasted plenty of speed on offense and special teams while he was in college. It was a significant selling point and made him a desirable weapon for the Bears. It’s already paying off in the punt return game.

The return set up a touchdown from backup quarterback Trevor Siemian to fullback Jake Tonges. The Bears lead the Seahawks 10-0 in the second quarter.

Bears LB Matt Adams questionable to return with shoulder injury

Bears LB Matt Adams suffered a shoulder injury against the Seahawks. His return is questionable.

Bears linebacker Matt Adams suffered a shoulder injury in the first quarter of Thursday’s preseason game against the Seahawks. His return is questionable.

With Roquan Smith in the middle of a “hold in,” Adams has been filling in at weak-side linebacker. Adams, who previously played with Matt Eberflus in Indianapolis, can play all linebacker positions. But he’s someone who’s been pegged as a potential starting strong-side linebacker.

Outside of Smith and Nicholas Morrow, there are questions about the depth at linebacker. Chicago did have some standouts in their preseason opener in Jack Sanborn and DeMarquis Gates, who are two players who should benefit from extended playing time.

The Bears lead the Seahawks 3-0 in the first quarter.

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It sounds like Teven Jenkins will start for Bears at right guard vs. Seahawks

Things are looking up for Bears OL Teven Jenkins, who appears to be getting the start at right guard vs. Seahawks.

Things are looking up for Bears offensive lineman Teven Jenkins, who finds himself competing for a starting job. And he has a good chance to make a strong impression during Thursday’s preseason game against the Seahawks.

According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, Jenkins was lining up at right guard with the starting offensive line group during warmups.

It doesn’t come as a huge surprise considering Jenkins started taking reps at right guard this week during practice. While he started with the reserves, he worked his way up to the first-team during Tuesday’s practice.

It certainly seems like Jenkins’ best bet to crack the starting lineup is at right guard, where he’s competing with Michael Schofield. A strong performance by Jenkins should go a long way as he looks to edge out the veteran.

Offensive line coach Chris Morgan praised Jenkins’ skillset and believes he’s a good fit at guard in this offensive scheme.

“He’s got great size; he’s got good strength,” Morgan said. “He’s a smart football player. Those are all things you want inside, that translate inside. Things move fast inside.”

Larry Borom will get the start at right tackle with veteran Riley Reiff not suiting up.

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