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Bears in Fear That the Season for LB Roquan Smith Could Be Over

December 6th, 2019

CJ

Posted in Injury Report, News

The rest of the 2019 season for Bears linebacker Roquan Smith is in jeopardy, Jeff Dickerson of ESPN reports.

Smith, Chicago’s leading tackler, suffered what is believed to be a significant pectoral injury in the first quarter of the Bears’ 31-24 victory over the Cowboys on Thursday.

“We’ll get more details in the next couple of days, [but] it doesn’t look real good for him,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said after the game.

Smith made contact with Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott as he crossed the goal line to cap Dallas’ opening 17-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. Kevin Pierre-Louis replaced Smith on defense for the remainder of the game.

“It could be a big loss,” Nagy said. “The way that Roquan has been playing the last couple of weeks, he’s been flying around and making plays. You just love that confidence that he’s bringing to the defense.

“The depth that [the front office] has created on their roster allows guys like Kevin Pierre-Louis to step up and make plays. You feel bad for Roquan, but we know we have guys that can fill in. It’s a good thing to have that depth.”

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Trubisky Throws for Three Scores and Runs for One as Bears Overcome Cowboys 31-24

December 6th, 2019

CJ

Posted in Game Stories, Video

Bears QB Mitch Trubisky had his best game of 2019 on Thursday night as he threw for three scores and ran in another as the Bears overcame an early 7-0 deficit to top the slumping Cowboys 31-24 on the national stage on Thursday night Football. The win puts Chicago at 7-6 on the season.

Here’s the highlights of the win:

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The Chicago Bears versus the Dallas Cowboys Game Preview

December 5th, 2019

Bryan Dietzler

Posted in Bear Insight, Game Previews, Game Stories, Injury Report, Main, Notes & Observations

by Bryan Dietzler

The Chicago Bears, coming off a close win against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving will play host to the Dallas Cowboys this Thursday night at Soldier Field. Dallas was beaten by the Buffalo Bills on Thanksgiving and will be looking to get back on track and keep their lead in the NFC East. The Bears, at 6-6 are looking to continue their winning streak and keep their slim playoff hopes alive.

Can they get a third straight win?

We will find out as we take a quick look at the Bears’ game this Thursday night versus the Cowboys. We will look at the numbers that these teams are putting up to compare both as well as look at the players that might factor into what happens in this game.

Bears on Offense

The Bears offense came to life, somewhat, in their game against the Lions on Thanksgiving. They crept up the stat sheet in terms of overall production and, at the least, looked a little bit better than they did in previous weeks. As it stands right now, when it comes to scoring offense, the Bears are averaging 17.7 points per game which is good for 27th in the league. Dallas’s scoring defense is holding teams to an average of 19.7 points which is 9th in the league.

Yardage has been hard to come by for the Bears over the past few games until they played the Lions and managed to gain quite a few yards against them. Chicago is ranked 29th in the league gaining 281.8 yards per game. The Dallas Cowboys defense has been giving up 321.6 yards per game which is good for 6th in the league. The Bears have some room to gain some yardage against the Dallas defense and need to do so in order to win this game.

Chicago’s passing game has been a huge problem for them this season. Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has been very ineffective at times but not all of that is his fault. Poor offensive line play drops by the wide receivers and some odd play-calling have contributed to the issues that he has suffered from. It’s not all his fault but a good part of it is.

The Bears are 28th in the league averaging 202.4 yards per game through the air. Not that good by any means is it? The Bears are going to need to put it together in order to beat the Cowboys on Thursday night and they are going to need a strong passing game in order to keep up with Dallas. Will the Bears be able to get their passing going against the Cowboys? They better or it’s going to be a long game.

Rushing the ball has been a problem for the Bears all season as well. They just cannot seem to get their rushing attack going and this has caused them trouble. The Bears are currently ranked 28th in the league rushing the football averaging 79.3 yards per game. There is some good news for the Bears though as the Cowboys are allowing 106.4 yards per game on the ground. That makes them 16th in the league currently.

If Chicago’s defense can really hold the Cowboys down, then the offense needs to do just enough to win. It’s possible.

Bears on Defense

Speaking of defense, let’s look at the Bears defense and the Cowboys offense, statistically. The Bears are doing very well on defense but do suffer breakdowns every now and then. However, the Bears are strong but will be going up against a strong offense on Thursday.

The Bears’ scoring defense is ranked 4th in the league allowing just 17.3 points per game. That’s going to go a long way towards helping them win. But Dallas’ scoring offense is no joke. The Cowboys are scoring an average of 25.8 points per game which is 8th in the league. Chicago has been able to keep teams in check, for the most part, but will need some help from their offense to stay in this game.

When it comes to yards allowed, Chicago’s defense is allowing teams to gain an average of 319.7 yards which is seventh in the league. They will be facing the number one offense, in terms of yards as Dallas is gaining 432.8 yards per game. This is going to be a true challenge for the Bears.

The Cowboys passing game is ranked first in the league averaging 305.2 yards per game. The Bears’ defense, which is ranked 9th allowing 222.2 yards per game, will have its work cut out for it this Thursday. The Bears need to get pass pressure on Dak Prescott and force him into making mistakes. This can be done, and good defenses have put the hammer down on Prescott. Can the Bears keep him from passing the ball all over them?

Ezekiel Elliot leads the Cowboys rushing attack which is getting 127.6 yards per game. That’s good for 8th in the league. Chicago’s defense is giving up 97.5 yards per game which is 7th. The Bears cannot afford to let Elliot and company run all over them. If they do, thus controlling the ball and the clock, the Bears will lose this game for sure. And they cannot afford to do that.

Injury Update

The following is a look at the players who are injured on both sides heading into this game.

Chicago Bears

Prince Amukamara-CB-Hamstring-Has not practiced and may not play Thursday.

Ben Braunecker-TE-Concussion-Has not practiced yet this week and will not play.

Taylor Gabriel-WR-Concussion-Has not practiced this week and will not play.

Bobby Massie-OT-Ankle-Massie didn’t practice and won’t be playing in the game on Thursday.

Danny Trevathan-LB-Elbow-Trevathan has not practiced and is doubtful for the game.

Bilal Nichols-DT-Knee-He has been limited in practice.

Dallas Cowboys

Michael Bennett-DE-Foot-Limited in practice.

Randall Cobb-WR-Illness-Cobb was limited in practice.

La’el Collins-OT-Knee-Was limited in practice.

Amari Cooper-WR-Knee-Cooper practiced in full and should start Thursday.

Jeff Heath-S-Shoulder-He didn’t participate in practice and may not play on Thursday.

Byron James-CB-Hip-He practiced in full this week.

Sean Lee-LB-Pectoral/Non-injury-Lee did not practice this week yet.

Zack Martin-G-Elbow-Martin has practiced on a limited basis this week.

Tyron Smith-OT-Achilles-He was limited in practice this week.

Darian Thompson-S-Arm-Thompson was limited in practice this week.

Leighton VanderEsch-LB-Neck-He has not practiced this week and won’t play on Thursday.

Antwaun Woods-DT-Knee-Did not practice this week.

Tony Pollard-RB-Ankle-Has not practiced this week.

This is going to be a very interesting game. I think that the Bears can win, but will they? As long as their defense doesn’t suffer any breakdowns and plays tight, they will keep it close. If the offense can keep up with Dallas as well then, they can win this game. But I think that the Bears are going to fall just short of winning. I think that they lose a close one and begin gearing up for next year.

Dallas 21 Chicago 13

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Video: 6-6 Bears Host the 6-6 Cowboys in Thursday Night Action

December 5th, 2019

Greg Cohen

Posted in Game Previews, Video

A pair of 6-6 teams do battle to start week 14 in the NFL, as the Bears and Cowboys go to war in Thursday’s NFL lid lifter.

Here’s a preview:

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NFL Week 13 Inactives – Bears vs Lions

November 28th, 2019

CJ

Posted in Injury Report, News

Week 13 in the NFL gets underway early today, as the Bears and Lions do battle on Thanksgiving to start the first game of the week.

Here’s today’s inactives for this afternoon’s game.

Bears:

DE Abdullah Anderson
TE Ben Braunecker
WR Taylor Gabriel
OT Bobby Massie
S Sherrick McManis
TE Adam Shaheen
LB Danny Trevathan

Lions:

OG Oday Aboushi
CB Jamal Agnew
OG Beau Benzschawel
DT Damon Harrison
CB Mike Jackson
CB Rashaan Melvin
QB Matthew Stafford

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The Chicago Bears versus the Detroit Lions Quick Game Preview

November 27th, 2019

Bryan Dietzler

Posted in Game Previews, Main, Opinions

by Bryan Dietzler

The Chicago Bears, fresh off a 19-14 victory over the New York Giants will take on the 3-7-1 Detroit Lions this Thursday in Detroit. It’s the annual Thanksgiving game and this year the Bears are invited to attempt to take down the Lions on turkey day.

The biggest question is, can they do it?

The Bears are looking a little bit better but there is still a lot of work to be done. Mistakes are still being made and things are still not quite where they should be. But the team has something that it can build upon after their win against the Giants.

They face a Lions’ team that is coming off of a last-second loss to the Washington Redskins. Detroit will be hungry for a win and will be at home which could spell trouble for the Bears. And with the short week of preparation for this game, you can bet that the team that does the best with these next few days will play the best on Thursday.

Will that be the Bears?

Let’s take a quick look at some of the stats behind this game and see how these teams stack up.

After Sunday’s game, the Bears offense is ranked 28th in points with 17.1 per game. The Lions defense is allowing teams to score 26.5 points per game which is 25th in the league at this time. Chicago’s offense is gaining 269.3 yards per contest overall while the Lions are holding teams to 396.2 yards per game. The Bears rank 29th in yards per game while the Lions rank 29th in yards allowed.

Looking at these numbers, you can see the Bears’ futility in trying to gain yards on offense Perhaps their performance on Sunday, against the Giants, will be a stepping stone to being able to gain more yards and win more games. We can only hope.

Passing the ball has become a struggle for the Bears this season. A mix of different factors has attributed to this. The offense has taken a step back, as a whole and it starts at the top with head coach Matt Nagy. The play calling has suffered and with that, so has the rest of the team.

The Bears are gaining 190.7 yards per game through the air which is 30th. Lucky for them, they face the 30th ranked pass defense as Detroit is allowing 275.5 yards per game.

The rushing attack has been anemic at best for the Bears this season. They are 29th rushing for 78.5 yards per game. The Lions defense could be just what the doctor ordered for the Bears’ rushing attack because they are allowing 120.7 yards per game which has got them ranked 24th in the league. The Bears need to run the ball in this one and control the ball and the clock. If they can do that they will win this game.

Flipping things over to the side of the defense, we see that the Bears remain one of the top defenses in the NFL. When it comes to points, the Bears are allowing teams to score just 17.1 points per game. That gives the Bears the NFL’s fourth-ranked scoring defense. The Lions are 12th in the NFL scoring 23.6 points per game. The Lions are gaining an average of 378.5 yards per game which puts them at 9th in the league. The Bears are holding teams to 315.6 yards per game which is 4th.

Something has got to give and hopefully, it’s not the Bears’ defense. Playing on such a short week could give them some problems but we can only hope that the defense will rise to the occasion and play well enough to let the Bears win.

The Bears passing defense has struggled sometimes in critical situations but is still one of the best in the league. They are allowing teams to pass for an average of 218.8 yards per game which is 9th. The Lions, mostly with the now sidelined Matthew Stafford, are gaining 272.8 yards per game through the air. That’s sixth in the NFL.

As long as the Bears can eliminate the big plays for the Detroit offense and not allow them to stay close, Chicago should win this game.

Finally, when it comes to stopping the run, the Bears defense is stout allowing just 96.8 rushing yards per game. That’s good for 8th in the league. The Lions are about middle of the pack when rushing averaging 105.6 yards per game. That’s good for 18th in the NFL.

Let’s see if the Bears can shut down the Lions’ offense in the short week and get a win. It would certainly help their psyche if they could do that.

So, who will win?

Injury Report

The following are the players listed on the injury report for the Bears and the Lions heading into the middle of the week.

Chicago Bears

Taylor Gabriel-WR-Concussion-He didn’t practice and may not make the game this Thursday.

Ben Braunecker-TE-Concussion-He didn’t practice and may not make the game this Thursday.

Bobby Massie-OT-Ankle-He did not practice and will not play in the game this Thursday.

Sherrick McMannis-CB-Groin-McMannis did not practice and may not play Thursday.

Adam Shaheen-TE-Foot-Shaheen didn’t practice and will probably not play against Detroit.

Danny Trevathan-LB-Elbow-It’s unlikely Trevathan will play in this game.

Detroit Lions

Jamal Agnew-CB-Ankle-Agnew didn’t practice and will probably be out for this game.

Trey Flowers-DE-Concussion-Did not practice.

Marvin Hall-WR-Foot-Did not practice and could be out for Thursday’s game.

Rashaan Melvin-CB-Ribs-He did not practice.

Matthew Stafford-QB-Hip/Back-He has not practiced and will not play in this game.

Jeff Driskel-QB-Hamstring-Was limited in practice and his status is up in the air.

Da’Shawn Hand-DL-Ankle-Hand was limited in practice but may play Thursday.

Damon Harrison, Sr.-DT-Knee-Harrison was limited in practice.

I look for this to be the typical “close game” that the Bears usually play. I think that they will have a little bit of a hangover from Sunday but I think that they will be better prepared for this game than the Lions will. It looks like it’s going to be another close one but the Bears should be able to pull this one out and win.

Chicago 18 Detroit 10

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Video: Bears Look to Take Down the Lions on Thanksgiving to Start Week 13

November 26th, 2019

CJ

Posted in Game Previews, Video

The Lions and Bears are making playing on Turkey Day an annual tradition, as for the second straight year they will do battle to start week 13 at Ford Field.

Here’s a preview from the NFL.