The Chicago Bears practiced Wednesday at Halas Hall to prepare for Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field.
Here are four things we heard from coach Matt Eberflus and players before the practice.
1. Running back D’Andre Swift has a groin injury.
Swift missed practice Wednesday with what Eberflus called “a little bit of a groin strain,” though Swift was present while the team was stretching.
Eberflus said Swift needed rest Wednesday but said the Bears are “hopeful” it’s not a serious injury. Swift has rushed for 635 yards and five touchdowns on 155 carries this season.
“He’s a high-twitch guy, so we’ve just got to do a really good job of resting him the next day or two to make sure he’s ready to go,” Eberflus said.
Should Swift’s injury take longer to heal than hoped, the Bears have Roschon Johnson and Travis Homer on the roster and Darrynton Evans on the practice squad. Johnson played a season-high 42% of Bears offensive snaps Sunday in the loss to the Green Bay Packers under new play caller Thomas Brown.
Guard/center Ryan Bates remains in concussion protocol, and safety Elijah Hicks is out with an ankle injury. Left guard Teven Jenkins returned to practice in a limited capacity after sitting out Sunday with an ankle injury.
2. Eberflus is looking for ‘manageable but also effective’ answers for quarterback Caleb Williams against the Vikings’ blitz.
After Williams fared better against the Packers under Brown, the Bears face a whole new challenge going up against Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
Williams called Flores “the king of the Cover 0 blitz” and said the Bears have to be ready for the many different ways the Vikings defense will try to go after him. The Vikings are tied for third in the NFL with 35 sacks.
Eberflus said the Bears are implementing simple, defined answers to help Williams manage their attack, and Williams echoed that strategy.
“Us being decisive. Us having a plan for all of that,” Williams said. “And then from there, get the ball to your playmakers, run the ball well and efficiently. And from there when they give you shots and if they give you explosive plays, you make those plays. It affects play-calling for the defense when you’re able to hit explosive plays or when you’re able to get the ball out and be decisive when they’re sending all these different exotic blitzes.”
3. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said the Bears ‘don’t really have a choice’ but to move on from their latest heartbreaking loss.
A wellness check on the state of the Bears locker room is necessary this week as they recover from their fourth straight loss — and their second loss on a game-ending play in that span.
The Bears defense has held opponents to 20 points or less in three of the games — but they gave up the late winning touchdown in two of them. Edmunds called it “a challenging time” for the team but also said “nobody is throwing the towel in.”
“The next game is going to be here before we know it, so there’s really no choice,” Edmunds said of moving on. “The message is to come in, put your working hat on and get to work. … It’s not about talking about it. It’s about putting in the work, knowing what we have to do, understanding where we are and being transparent as far as that, but at the same time understanding where we’re trying to get.
“We’re not looking in the past. Everything is geared towards this week and playing this football game.”
4. Edmunds will be the youngest player to reach 100 career games Sunday.
Edmunds was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the first round out of Virginia Tech when he was 19 years old. Now in his seventh season, he will play in his 100th career game on Sunday at 26 years and 206 days old. He played 74 with the Bills and 25 with the Bears.
According to the Bears, he will be the youngest player in NFL history to reach that mark.
“I’ll tell you it would mean a whole lot (more) once we get the win,” Edmunds said. “That’s definitely a good stat. I’m definitely going to be feeling good. I think it will really set in when I’m celebrating in the locker room with my teammates. So as good as that sounds, a W on the board would feel a whole lot better to be honest.”
