The 4-9 Chicago Bears will play the 11-2 Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in a Week 15 matchup. Here’s what you need to know before kickoff (7 p.m., ABC-7).
5 things to watch — plus our Week 15 predictions
Can Caleb Williams build on his last performance against the Vikings? Though they ultimately didn’t get it done in overtime in the last meeting, Williams and the Bears did a good job handling the Vikings defense under coordinator Brian Flores.
Williams threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns and helped the Bears score 17 points in the fourth quarter. Now he will have the chance to face a division rival for a second time with a blueprint for what worked.
The Vikings sacked Williams three times and had four quarterback hits in the game, with one of the sacks in overtime to set back the Bears’ opening drive. Williams, who took 12 of his 56 sacks in the last two games since the Vikings outing, called the overtime sack “stupid.” While acknowledging many different factors have played into the sacks total, he said he is still learning and developing the “quick switch” he needs to make the correct decision in the moment. Read more here.
- 3rd Bears player declared out for ‘Monday Night Football’ with a concussion
- The Caleb Williams File: How Bears QB is navigating losing and building chemistry with fellow rookie Rome Odunze
- Jaylon Johnson leans into gratitude as this latest Bears skid drags on: ‘There’s always something to prove’
- 3 things we heard from the Bears, including Cole Kmet’s mental battle and defensive communication issues
Turmoil at Halas Hall
What will happen at Halas Hall if this painful skid ticks up to eight games, nine, 10, 11?
Is Ryan Poles’ job security truly as strong as Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren emphasized last week? If so, should it be? And why? Read more here.
- Bears Q&A: Does scrutiny turn to GM Ryan Poles? Will fans be sad forever or can Caleb Williams offer hope?
- True or false? The Bears might not win another game this season.
Coaching carousel
In a span of seven months, the Bears have gone from having the best situation a rookie No. 1 quarterback has ever walked into to being the most appealing head coaching vacancy in the upcoming hiring cycle.
Life comes at you fast. The NFL moves faster. Read more here.
An update from Arlington Heights
The Arlington Heights Village Board signed off last week on an agreement that establishes what the Bears would pay in property taxes, a significant step that clears the way for a potential new stadium in the northwest suburb, even though team officials say they remain focused on seeking a new arena in Chicago.
The board voted 8-0 to seal a deal to set the Bears’ taxes at $3.6 million per year for the former Arlington International Racecourse. The memorandum of understanding is also due to be considered later this week by the three local school districts that helped negotiate the deal with the village.
The agreement doesn’t necessarily mean the team will build a new stadium on the site, as it once proposed, but it gives the Bears what officials said they always wanted, and haven’t gotten from Chicago: tax certainty. Read more here.
