Category: Regular Season

Dan Hampton calls Bears’ 20-13 win vs. Lions ‘despicable’

While Chicago’s win over Detroit was far from a pretty win, it was a win for a team that desperately needed one in a 4-game losing streak.

When you’re describing wins, the word “despicable” doesn’t usually come to mind.

Well, it does if you’re Hall of Famer and former Bear Dan Hampton, who wasn’t impressed by Chicago’s 20-13 victory over the Lions.

While it was far from a pretty win, it was a win for a team that desperately needed one as they rode a four-game losing streak.

Sure, the Bears were facing the league’s 31st-ranked defense and only managed to put up 20 points.

Sure, the Bears were facing backup quarterback Jeff Driskel, who at times drove the Lions right down the field.

But for Hampton, winning isn’t enough. You have to be able to put away those “miserable” football teams.

“Yeah, we won,” Hampton said, via the Chicago Tribune. “We won the game. We won a game. Finally. … We finally find a way to win after four straight losses. But this was despicable. … How do you not put away one of the most miserable football teams on the planet Earth with a backup nobody quarterback and let them go down the field time and time and time again and have a chance to beat you? … I’m telling you, folks, there’s something really sad, sick about this team.”

While the Bears did nothing to sway their critics with a seven-point victory over a bad Lions team missing starting quarterback Matthew Stafford, perhaps it was just the thing the Bears needed heading into the final seven games of the season.

We’ll see when the Bears head to Los Angeles to play the Rams on Sunday Night Football.

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WATCH: Bears return to Club Dub following Week 10 win over Lions

The Chicago Bears returned to their winning ways with a 20-13 victory over the Detroit Lions, which meant a return to Club Dub.

After a prolonged absence from Club Dub, the Chicago Bears returned to their winning ways Sunday notching a 20-13 victory over the Detroit Lions.

The win snapped Chicago’s four-game losing streak and kept them out of last place in the NFC North, with a 4-5 record.

While it certainly an ugly win, any win is a welcome win. Especially when it you get to return to Club Dub.

For all of those that are criticizing Matt Nagy for holding Club Dub with the Bears below .500 and nabbing their first win in over a month, he doesn’t care. This is how they do things. This is how they celebrate victories, even ones that are far from pretty.

“That’s who we are,” Nagy said, via the Chicago Tribune. “The guys, you’d be surprised, one of the neat things that I think we have going on right now, even in this four-game slide that we just came through, is every Saturday morning we have our own (dance-off), and it just keeps the energy going. We did it last year and why not keep doing it? So we do it. (Saturday morning) is like the appetizer and then this they come to dinner.

“I just sat back and just to be able to watch the guys, seeing them in there, they ended up doing some one-on-one dancing, which is pretty neat. It’s exciting. We enjoy it. It brings you together, you know, and then you’re able to coach off of wins a lot easier. There’s still a lot of things that we need to get better at. We understand that. But you step back in those moments and you say, this is why we do what we do.”

The Bears will be looking to make it two straight trips to Club Dub when they travel to Los Angeles to face the Rams on Sunday Night Football in Week 11.

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New Bears center Cody Whitehair promises to ‘get better as we go’

As the Bears switched Cody Whitehair back to center against the Lions, he had some ups and downs in his return to center.

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The Chicago Bears made some adjustments on offense prior to Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions. Whether that was benching tight end Adam Shaheen or a switch on the offensive line, Matt Nagy was determined to shake things up.

After switching Cody Whitehair to left guard and James Daniels to center during the offseason, the team decided to switch them back after Daniels struggled at his new position over the first eight games this season.

When Whitehair snapped for the first time Sunday against the Lions, it was his first snap to quarterback Mitchell Trubisky since the pair played in the Pro Bowl back in January.

Whitehair struggled with his snaps, including one that could’ve been a disaster as a fumble that Trubisky managed to turn into a 3-yard gain. There were a few others that were high or wide that Trubisky had to adjust to.

“It went OK for me, but I wish I could have a couple [plays] back …” Whitehair said, via the Sun-Times. “It’ll get better as we go.”

Neither Whitehair or Daniels had played their former positions prior to switching during practice last week.

“It’s not easy switching positions within seven days,” Daniels said, “but [offensive line] coach Harry [Hiestand] believed in me.”

The switch comes after some struggles on the offensive line, where Nagy wouldn’t blame Daniels, just like he wouldn’t focus on Whitehair’s snapping issues.

“I think sometimes when, whatever sport it is — if it’s golf and a golfer has the yips or you get into people, pitchers or whatever — the less you talk about it, the better it gets,” he said.

We’ll see if that’s the case when the Bears travel to Los Angeles to play the Rams on Sunday Night Football, where defensive star Aaron Donald awaits.

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Bears LB Nick Kwiatkoski steps up in place of injured LB Danny Trevathan

The Bears lost starting LB Danny Trevathan to a gruesome elbow injury, but reserve LB Nick Kwiatkoski stepped up in his absence.

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When Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan suffered a gruesome elbow injury, backup Nick Kwiatkoski rose to the occasion in his place in Chicago’s 20-13 victory over the Lions.

Trevathan left the game in the first quarter after his arm bent the wrong way as he attempted to sack Lions quarterback Jeff Driskel. Trevathan immediately left the field, knowing that something was wrong.

While Bears coach Matt Nagy didn’t offer an update on Trevathan’s injury, it appeared to be similar to defensive tackle Akiem Hick’s elbow dislocation, perhaps worse.

Kwiatkoski relieved Trevathan with one of the best games of his career. He finished second in tackles with 9, recorded a sack and had the Bears’ lone takeaway — an interception of Driskel early in the third quarter, which led to a Bears scoring drive.

Kwiakoski once again proved to not only be an adamant fill-in but a productive one, just like he did earlier this season in place of linebacker Roquan Smith, who was a healthy scratch against the Minnesota Vikings.

‘‘It’s just preparation,’’ he said, via the Sun-Times. ‘‘As a linebacker, you plan on playing. Things happen throughout the course of a season, and you have to be ready for it.’’

Trevathan looks to be out awhile with his elbow injury, and Kwiatkoski suddenly has a big opportunity in front of him.

‘‘It’s not the way I want it to happen,” Kwiatkoski said. “Danny’s a close friend of mine.’’

But Kwiatkoski will get his chance this week as the Bears travel to Los Angeles to play the Rams on Sunday Night Football.

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