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CHGO Digest: Bears eliminated from playoff contention

December 16, 2024

Dec 8, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) after the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images

Good morning, friends!

It’s over. Take the Bears out of the “In The Hunt” graphics.

A Washington Commanders’ one-point win against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday officially ended any slim dream that the Bears could squeak into the playoffs despite a crippling seven-game losing streak.’A Washington Commanders one-point win against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday officially ended any slim dream that the Bears could squeak into the playoffs despite a crippling seven-game losing streak.

But let’s be real – this was over long before Week 15. The Bears haven’t won a game since October 13. They’re seven-point underdogs to the Minnesota Vikings tonight.

From the Tyrique Stevenson debacle and Fail Mary in Week 8, to getting dominated by the New England Patriots at home in Week 10, to the blocked field goal and hash mark disaster in Week 11, the overtime loss after the 11-point comeback in Week 12 and the ultimate job-costing clock mismanagement blunder on Thanksgiving, it didn’t have to happen this way. But it did.

We saw early and often that this team wasn’t what we thought it was – and until Matt Eberflus was fired on Black Friday, it felt like the Bears were letting themselves off the hook.

So, it’s back to the seemingly never-ending cycle. The Bears will have a new head coach – and possibly a new general manager – in 2025, one year after drafting Caleb Williams No. 1 overall. In 2022, it was Matt Eberflus and Ryan Poles replacing Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace one year after drafting Justin Fields in the first round. And in 2018, Chicago welcomed Nagy as the possible savior following the firing of John Fox… one year after drafting Mitchell Trubisky No. 2 overall.

Drafting a quarterback in the first round seems to be a death sentence for regimes in Chicago, and while I’m almost certain Williams is finally the guy the Bears have been looking for for decades, I worked very hard to convince myself of the same thing in ’18 and ’22. *I’m still 99.9% sure he’s the guy*

But the outrage is gone – that left town with Eberflus. Now, under interim head coach Thomas Brown, it’s mostly an apathetic crowd in Bearsville. The team simply isn’t good enough and probably wasn’t good enough all along. After all, you’re only as good as your record and the Bears are 4-9.

I suppose if you’re looking for a silver lining, Chicago would have to win two of the final four games to fall out of a top ten draft spot. Woo hoo! Maybe the Bears can win a third consecutive offseason.

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— Patrick Norton

Week 15 Predictions

No Braxton Jones, who reported concussion-like symptoms over the weekend, no Ryan Bates and no Roschon Johnson. D’Andre Swift is questionable but is trending toward being able to go tonight.

Minnesota is 11-2 this season. The Bears are 11-29 since beating the Patriots on Monday Night Football on October 24, 2022.

🏈 Our FULL predictions for Monday night in Minneapolis!

Adam Hoge (6-7)

It’s hard to imagine the Bears’ defense slowing the Vikings down with the way both units are trending. Explosive plays for Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson should be aplenty. Perhaps Thomas Brown and Caleb Williams will recapture their momentum that stalled last week in Santa Clara, but if you haven’t noticed, the Bears have topped 20 points just once during this seven-game losing streak (albeit to the Vikings).

Vikings 38, Bears 20

Nicholas Moreano (7-6)

I’m not picking the Bears in this second matchup with the Vikings. Yes, the first game went into overtime, but there is no way I see Brian Flores’ defense giving up 27 points again. This time around, Flores will unleash the exotic blitz packages, and you can only hope that Caleb Williams comes out of this game healthy. Justin Jefferson was held to two receptions for 27 yards in Week 12 at Soldier Field. That also isn’t happening again.

Vikings 30, Bears 20

🏈 How Rome Odunze’s top-tap misstep in the preseason helped the rookie receiver in San Francisco!

Patrick Norton (7-6)

Keep Caleb Williams in your prayers this week. After absorbing seven sacks last week against a San Francisco pass rush that was missing Nick Bosa, the quarterback faces Brian Flores’ blitz-heavy defense for the second time this season. Williams was only sacked three times in their first meeting, including one in overtime, which might be the worst play of his rookie season.

Things aren’t great in Bear Land right now. Everything out of Halas Hall is subject to ridicule, and as we’ve seen several times this season, this team does not handle adversity well. Hopefully the Bears put up more of a fight against the Vikings than they did against the 49ers last week. Otherwise, we’re looking at a possible embarrassment on the national stage. Nothing new.