Category: Regular Season

Bears might face Lions backup QB Jeff Driskel again in Week 13

Lions QB Matthew Stafford could be out as long as 6 weeks, which means the Bears might be facing QB Jeff Driskel again on Thanksgiving.

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford missed last week’s game against the Chicago Bears with fractured bones in his back.

Stafford’s back injury might be worse than originally thought, as ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reports that Stafford could be out for as long as six weeks.

Stafford will miss his second straight game against the Dallas Cowboys, but the Lions are still unsure of how much time he could miss.

Last week, a source told ESPN that Stafford “could miss one week, he could miss three weeks.”

But Detroit also knows that this type of injury would sideline most players six weeks, if not longer. It is another testament to Stafford’s toughness; he had started 136 straight games before last week’s absence, the sixth-longest streak for a quarterback in NFL history.

That means the Bears might likely face backup QB Jeff Driskel again when they play the Lions in Week 13.

The Bears’ defense struggled against Driskel, who at times marched the Lions’ offense down the field. Driskel completed 27-of-46 passes for 269 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

But it sounds like Chicago will get a second chance to contain the backup quarterback on Thanksgiving in Detroit.

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Steelers sign RB Kerrith Whyte Jr. from Bears’ practice squad

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed seventh-round RB Kerrith Whyte Jr. off the Chicago Bears’ practice squad.

Aside from running back David Montgomery, the Chicago Bears’ 2019 rookie class has been underwhelming to say the least.

They’ve played the fewest snaps in the NFL at 366 snaps, while NFL draft classes have averaged 1,441 snaps, and Montgomery has been the only pick that’s seen significant playing time.

To add insult to injury, the Bears have lost Kerrith Whyte Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who signed the running back off Chicago’s practice squad to their 53-man roster

Chicago drafted Whyte Jr. in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft, where he provided versatility on offense and special teams with his speed.

After the Bears waived running back Mike Davis last week, in order to better their odds at securing a fourth-round compensatory pick in 2020, Chicago elevated running back Ryan Nall to the active roster in his place.

Whyte Jr. was a part of a draft class that consisted of Montgomery (third round), receiver Riley Ridley (fourth round), cornerback Duke Shelley (sixth round) and cornerback Stephen Denmark (seventh round).

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Bears RB David Montgomery a game-time decision vs. Rams

The Bears might be without rookie RB David Montgomery against the Rams. After rolling his ankle Wednesday, he’s a game-time decision.

The Chicago Bears (4-5) might enter Sunday night’s game against the Los Angeles Rams (5-4) without starting running back David Montgomery.

Montgomery is considered a game-time decision, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport. Montgomery lightly rolled his ankle during Wednesday’s practice. He missed Thursday’s practice and was limited Friday before being declared questionable against the Rams.

If Montgomery can’t go, the Bears figure to split reps between running backs Tarik Cohen and Ryan Nall, as well as receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, who’s been employed as a power back at times this season.

The Bears will also be without tight end Adam Shaheen (foot), linebacker Danny Trevathan (elbow), Isaiah Irving (quad) and tight end Trey Burton, who was placed on injured reserve Saturday.

Bears place TE Trey Burton on injured reserve, promote LB James Vaughters

The Bears have placed tight end Trey Burton on injured reserve after a season-long struggle with injury.

After a season-long struggle with injuries, tight end Trey Burton has been placed on injured reserve by the Bears.

Burton’s struggles have been well-documented this season, as he’s dealt with a lingering groin injury since the start of the season and his production dipped significantly.

Burton, who was one of quarterback Mitchell Trubisky’s top targets in 2018, caught 54 passes for 569 yards and six touchdowns last season. He finishes this year with 14 catches for 84 yards.

Last week against the Lions, Burton exited the game with a calf injury. He was ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Rams prior to being placed on IR.

Chicago is thin at tight end, as Adam Shaheen has also been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Rams. Ben Braunecker and Bradley Sowell are the Bears’ lone tight ends on the active roster.

The Bears promoted linebacker James Vaughters from the practice squad in his place, as linebacker Isaiah Irving will miss his third straight game with a quad injury. Vaughters will see his third straight action for Chicago.

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Bears vs. Rams: 4 storylines to watch in Week 11

The Bears and Rams are fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive in what’s shaping up to be a defensive showdown in primetime.

The Chicago Bears (4-5) and Los Angeles Rams (5-4) will face-off in a rematch of last season’s primetime matchup. Heading into that game, both teams were sure-fire playoff contenders destined to win their division.

That isn’t the case this season, where the Bears and Rams are both struggling due in large part of their offenses. So Sunday’s matchup looks to be another defensive showing — hopefully with a result the Bears can duplicate from a year ago.

Here are four storylines to watch as the Bears face the Rams on Sunday:

1. Can the Bears pull off the upset?

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

While the Bears and Rams head into Sunday’s primetime matchup with struggling offenses, the Rams are favored by 6.5 points in what’s either going to be a neutral field or a Bears crowd in Los Angeles.

The game will feature two defensive powerhouses in Khalil Mack and Aaron Donald, who will each be looking to get the best of opposing quarterbacks Jared Goff and Mitchell Trubisky, respectively.

But this is a winnable game for the Bears. They haven’t forgotten that in Week 14 last season they came out on the national stage and shutdown the Rams’ high-powered offense, in a 15-6 victory that defined their season. The question is: Can they make a similar statement? Only instead of declaring they’re a force in the NFC, it would be a statement that they’re not dead yet in the playoff race.

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Week 11 NFL picks: Who are the experts picking in Bears vs. Rams?

The Bears are looking to extend their winning streak to 2 games in a primetime matchup against the Rams. Do the experts believe in Chicago?

The Chicago Bears (4-5) and Los Angeles Rams (5-4) will meet in a rematch of last season’s defensive contest on Sunday Night Football.

While the Bears broke their four-game losing streak with a 20-13 win over division foes the Detroit Lions last week, the Rams are coming off a disappointing 17-12 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But the experts aren’t feeling confident about the Bears’ chances even against a struggling Rams offense as an overwhelming 84 percent of experts polled believe the Rams will beat the Bears on Sunday, according to NFL Pick Watch.

Luckily for the Bears, Jared Goff and the Rams’ offense has been struggling behind a makeshift offensive line, which presents an opportunity for Chicago’s defense to make a statement on primetime.

Can the Bears extend their winning streak to two games? Can the Bears offense make less mistakes than the Rams? Can the Bears defense rise to the occasion on the national stage? Or will the Bears’ playoff hopes be dashed?

We’ll see Sunday when the Bears and Rams kick things off at 7:20 CT on NBC.

Bears vs. Rams, Week 11: How to watch, listen and stream

The Bears will face the Rams in a do-or-die primetime matchup where they’ll be looking to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The Chicago Bears (4-5) are coming off a divisional win over the Detroit Lions, and they’re looking to extend their winning streak to two games when they face the Los Angeles Rams (5-4) on Sunday Night Football.

In a rematch of last season’s contest, where the Bears won 15-6, it’ll likely be a tale of which defense makes the most plays and which offense makes the least mistakes.

Here’s how you can tune into the game on Sunday:

Game Information

Chicago Bears (4-5) vs. Los Angeles Rams (5-4)

Date: Sunday, Nov. 17

Time: 7:20 p.m. CT

Location: Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles, CA, )

Television

NBC

Announcers

Al Michaels (play-by-play)

Cris Collinsworth (analyst)

Michele Tafoya (reporter)

Stream

FuboTV (try it free)

Radio

WBBM 780 (Chicago) and 105.9 FM

Satellite Radio

Bears feed: XM 225 (streaming XM 805)

Rams feed: XM 226 (streaming XM 817)

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David Montgomery questionable, Trey Burton, Adam Shaheen ruled out vs. Rams

The Bears released their final injury report ahead of Sunday’s game against the Rams, and four players have already been ruled out.

The Chicago Bears released their final injury report ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Los Angeles, and the Bears will be without several players.

Tight ends Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen along with linebackers Danny Trevathan and Isaiah Irving have been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Rams.

Running back David Montgomery, who lightly rolled his ankle in practice Wednesday, was limited Friday and is officially questionable for Sunday.

The Bears will be without two of their tight ends in Burton and Shaheen, which means that Ben Braunecker will be the featured tight end against Los Angeles.

Braunecker scored his first career touchdown last week against the Detroit Lions, and he already figured to see more playing time.

Offensive lineman turned tight end Bradley Sowell figures to get some time at tight end, as well. It was just last season against the Rams where Sowell scored Chicago’s lone touchdown in a 15-6 victory at Soldier Field.

Matt Nagy was so impressed that they decided to convert him to a tight end. Maybe this is the week that the Sowell legend continues.

If Montgomery can’t go, Ryan Nall figures to get reps along with Tarik Cohen and Cordarrelle Patterson.

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Loss of leader Danny Trevathan looms large for Bears

The loss of Danny Trevathan has a significant impact not only because of what he brought from a production standpoint but leadership.

Last week, Chicago Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan suffered a gruesome elbow injury in the first quarter against the Detroit Lions. It’s an injury that’s likely to force him to injured reserve for the remainder of the season — and hopefully not the end of his tenure in Chicago.

But the Bears lost more than just a great defensive player when Trevathan went down. They lost a leader.

“Just his presence, his poise, his leadership,” defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano said, via the Chicago Tribune. “He’s out in front of the huddle. He makes all the calls. He’s got the helmet communication. All that stuff, besides being the player that he is and the calming force that he is. You just don’t replace guys like that.”

The Bears should know. This isn’t the first time this season that Chicago will have to adjust to losing one of their best defensive players — and leaders — to injury.

Defensive tackle Akiem Hicks was lost to an elbow injury in Week 5 against the Oakland Raiders. He’s eligible to return from injured reserve in Week 15, but the effects of his absence — both from a physical and mental standpoint — have been felt drastically.

The Bears are hoping that’s not the case with Trevathan, who was relieved by veteran Nick Kwiatkoski, who filled in solidly.

“But again, it’s next man up,” Pagano said, “and 44 (Kwiatkoski) came in and did a great job again and capitalized on the opportunity.”

While Kwiatkoski stepped up with the best game of his career, it’s not enough to compensate for the loss of a leader like Trevathan on a defense that needs it.

Bears K Eddy Pineiro adapting to kicking in Soldier Field conditions

After a solid start of the season, Bears K Eddy Pineiro has found himself snake-bitten by the Soldier Field cold and wind.

The Chicago wind has not been kind to Bears kicker Eddy Pineiro, who has struggled kicking at Soldier Field over the past two weeks.

Pineiro, who at one point was 8-of-9 on field goals and perfect on extra points, has missed several kicks over the past couple games in Chicago.

After missing two field goals against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 8 — including the potential game winner — the rookie kicker missed 1 of his 3 extra-point attempts against the Lions.

“He actually hit a straight ball,” special teams coordinator Chris Tabor said of the missed PAT, via the Chicago Tribune. “I just thought his line wasn’t good on that one. He came back next and obviously put it right down the middle, so that was just an adjustment. Same type of ball, rotation, straight as can be. Obviously he wants that one back, and we expect him to make those.”

Pineiro says it’s a challenge kicking in the cold and win of Soldier Field, but Taborhas been encouraged by his process that’s getting better.

“It’s a day-to-day process, and that’s why I feel confident in answering it like that,” Tabor said. “Obviously we don’t want to miss any. That’s our goal. I know that there’s going to be some. But with regards to coming back, finding his line — and it’s a matter of hitting your line — I think we can keep improving there. And that’s what we’ll work on today.”

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