When in doubt, go to Jim when you need inspiration for a quick and easy dinner recipe. Knowing that I had two potatoes in my fridge and two pork chops in my freezer, I dialed up this pork chop recipe and whipped up these mashed potatoes to save my night. I would’ve woken up hangry this morning had I not done so. And that would’ve made for an unpleasant set of Bears Bullets.
Heads up! The NFL could award a 2024 regular-season game to Brazil as soon as today, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Could the Bears be sent packing to play in an international game? There were rumors in November about the Bears possibly playing play a “home” game in Spain in the near future. Just something to keep on your radar.
If you’re a Bears fan who is into watching NFL stock in December, then the latest from Patrick at BN’s NFL wing is right in your wheelhouse. The arrow is pointing up for Chicago’s football team:
As of now, Chicago sits just a game outside of the playoffs in the NFC, but a bunch of teams are in the hunt for that playoff spot. Given how bleak things were after the 0-4 start, things are certainly looking up for the Bears in terms of the building blocks they have on the roster already, and the assets Ryan Poles will have to work with in the offseason.
And if you’re into schadenfreude, then that post is also for you. The Packers had a rough time on Monday Night Football and failed to take advantage of the Bears doing them a solid by beating the Lions in Week 14. Don’t ever say we never did anything nice for you, cheeseballs.
Hey, now! It’s not just us. Eric Edholm (who writes nationally at the NFL’s official site) has the Bears up two spots in his latest power rankings. I’m not big into power rankings and know better than to put a ton of stock in them. However, they can be used to provide context regarding a team’s vibe. The vibes are good around the Bears right now. Going 5-4 in your last nine will do that. Hence, the national perspective will sound better.
Some love for the Bears defense:
A 3-minute, 4-second sizzle reel of defensive splash plays would’ve been unfathomable in October. But that Montez Sweat trade appears to be paying dividends — not just for Sweat, but also his teammates. We’ve seen other defensive linemen (Ngakoue, Dexter, Justin Jones) get in on the fun and the trickle-down impact has been felt by the linebackers (Edmunds is making plays against the pass, Edwards is tackling everything) and in the secondary (Jaylon, Gordon, and Brisker have been balling. And all of a sudden, Matt Eberflus looks a heckuva lot smarter as a defensive play caller. I can’t wait to see what’s next.
But don’t get it twisted. The role players doing good things is a nice perk. However, it’s still Montez Sweat being that dude that makes this engine go:
Sweat’s performance serves as a reminder that the talk about the Bears needing an impact 3-technique defensive lineman for this scheme to work was overblown. Would it be nice to have? Sure. But having an impact defense lineman at any of the four spots can generate the same kind of chaos (albeit from a different position). With that being said, I’d love for the Bears to acquire a butt-kicking 3-technique defensive tackle. And if their own draft pick falls far enough, I’ll start banging the drum for Illinois Jer’Zhan Newton.
MORE: What Will the Bears Do with Their *OTHER* First Round Pick
Jason Lieser (Sun-Times) has more on how the Sweat effect has pushed the Bears from being a bottom-feeding defense to a top-tier squad.
A fun read from 670 The Score’s Chris Emma on the development of Bears safety Jaquan Brisker, whose growth as a second-year player continues to impress me.
The Bears are more entertaining now than they were in the beginning of the year — and on multiple fronts:
It takes real skill to be DJ at a ballgame. Some in-stadium DJs are playing things just to make noise and it has a negative impact on the game day experience. But, in my experience, the Bears DJ has successfully threaded the needle. Whew.
I’m still waiting for the NFL to wish Taylor Swift a happy birthday. You know Travis Kelce is waiting for it, too.
A broadcast nugget: FOX is sending Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez, and Laura Okmin to Cleveland to call Sunday’s Bears-Browns game, per the Tribune’s Brad Biggs.
Bears legend and sack machine Richard Dent celebrates a birthday today:
Bummer: NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport shares that Dolphins center Connor Williams tore his ACL on Monday Night Football and is out for the year. Williams, 26, is set to become a free agent and would’ve been atop my wishlist for a Bears team that is desperate to fill a glaring need at center.
It’s a changing of the guard in Minnesota as Nick Mullens is the new QB1 for the Vikings. As for Josh Dobbs, he might slide all the way down to QB3 status. If that’s how the cookie crumbles, we’ll remember the Bears handling him on MNF in Week 12 as the beginning of the end of that fairy tale story. (PFT)
Very cool: The Cubs reached out to Liam Hendriks when he hit free agency shortly after the White Sox let him go. (BN Cubs)
I can’t believe it (and neither can Eli). The Bulls are reportedly still looking for “win now” talent in a Zach LaVine trade.
In what is becoming a far too familiar refrain, Connor Bedard scored first … but the Blackhawks lost. At least the goal looks dope as heck:
NEWSLETTER
