The 4-10 Chicago Bears will play the 12-2 Detroit Lions at Soldier Field in a Week 16 matchup. Here’s what you need to know before kickoff (noon, Fox-32).
5 things to watch — plus our predictions
The past two weeks’ results seem to provide evidence of a Bears team that is totally spent and struggling to generate the requisite energy and focus to remain competitive against quality opponents. In blowout losses, they have been outscored 37-0 in the first half and, by their own admission, victimized by incredibly sloppy execution across all phases.
The last time the Bears even held a lead? Way back on Nov. 24. Whoa.
Interim coach Thomas Brown also took exception to the notion that his team is out of gas.
“If you watch the tape, our guys battled until the very end,” he said. “Saying we don’t have a lot left in the tank alludes to our guys quitting. And I didn’t see that at all.”
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Bears coaching search
A prospect with a defensive background likely would have to blow the Bears away with a detailed plan centered around QB Caleb Williams to guide the organization back to relevance.
One bright possibility certain to garner the attention of the Bears and other teams searching for their next hire in the upcoming hiring cycle will be on the opposite sideline Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field — Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Read more here.
- Bears Q&A: Will the franchise be seen as ‘too toxic’ to get the right coach?
- ‘Why does he get to save his job?’ Ryan Poles is in line to hire another Bears coach. But should he be?
Positive affirmations — and a rematch
Caleb Williams said he is trying to stay in the moment as he finishes out the final three games of his rookie season.
But he also has been keeping an eye on the future by writing notes about things he wants to improve or topics he wants to research in the offseason. He started the notes midseason and said he has five to eight things he wants to go over when he has more time. Read more here.
- True or false? Bears should consider shelving QB Caleb Williams for the rest of the season.
- Bears QB Caleb Williams’ ‘confidence isn’t shaken’ despite challenges, interim coach Thomas Brown says
- Tracking Caleb Williams: How the Bears QB is performing in his rookie season
About Week 15
The Bears have gone from finding different ways to squander game-winning opportunities in crunch time to getting blown out.
While Monday night’s 30-12 loss to the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium was a relatively close game score-wise until the end of the third quarter, it never felt like the Bears had much of a shot.
The defense battled tough, but the Bears were a wreck on third down and couldn’t overcome a slew of self-inflicted errors in losing for the eighth consecutive time to fall to 4-10. Read more here.
