The Bear’s Den: December 16, 2017, Lions Game Day Edition

BEAR DOWN, CHICAGO BEARS, BEAR DOWN!!!!

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BEARRRSSSS

Lage: Lions, Bears meet with coaches hoping to return for 4th year - The Rock River Times - If Detroit does not beat the Chicago Bears, for starters, its chances of making it to the playoffs are likely over.

Video: John Fox evaluates Adam Shaheen's rookie season to date - NBC Sports Chicago - John Fox discusses how rookie Adam Shaheen has fared thus far in his first season relative to expectations for him.

Under Center Podcast: What did win over Bengals mean for John Fox and Ryan Pace? - NBC Sports Chicago - In the latest Under Center Podcast, JJ Stankevitz and John “Moon” Mullin debate what the Bears’ blowout win in Cincinnati meant for John Fox and Ryan Pace.

Stankevitz: Can the Bears carry over what they did in Cincinnati to Detroit? - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears played their best game of the year last weekend in Cincinnati. Could that carry over to this weekend in Detroit?

Stankevitz: Why historical context for Mitchell Trubisky's 2017 is encouraging for 2018 - NBC Sports Chicago - In the last decade, almost every rookie quarterback who's started at least 12 games has seen his passer rating improve from Year 1 to Year 2 in the NFL.

Hoge: The Case For Ryan Pace - WGN Radio - When the Bears lost 15-14 to the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 3, there was a sudden shift in attention toward general manager Ryan Pace, who otherwise was avoiding most of the blame for another underachieving season.

Perez: Jordan Howard says 2nd Pro Bowl nod would be ‘big honor’ - Bears Wire - Chicago Bears RB Jordan Howard is making a strong push for his second Pro Bowl selection

Hub Arkush: The case for Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio - Pro Football Weekly - Is Bears' 'D' in trouble if Fangio leaves?

The Pick Is In: Bears-Lions - ChicagoBears.com - NFL analysts have made their Week 15 picks as the Bears hit the road to play the Detroit Lions Saturday. Keep track of their weekly record here on ChicagoBears.com. Ken's Note: The only "expert" to pick Chicago this week? Jason La Canfora. I know, warm fuzzy feeling right? Interestingly, he's also the most accurate predictor of the Bears this year for the entire group... so let's hope he's right again this week.

Cox: These 4 Bears deserve to make the 2017 Pro Bowl - Bears Wire - The Chicago Bears have a handful of players performing well enough to earn Pro Bowl recognition.

Mayer's 4 things to watch: Bears vs. Lions - ChicagoBears.com - Senior writer Larry Mayer identifies four storylines to watch Saturday when the Bears visit the Lions, including the continued development of rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.

Kevin Schroeder’s Bears Player Performance Grades vs Bengals – Bears Barroom - Okay, be honest – who saw this coming? Ken's Note: I did (CLICKY). Patti did too.

Bruschi picks Lions to win at home - ESPN Video - Tedy Bruschi predicts Theo Riddick will play well and help lead the Lions to victory against the Bears on Saturday.

DaBearsPod Christmas Episode 2017 [AUDIO] - Da Bears Blog - On this week’s special Christmas episode: Adam Jahns of the Sun-Times discusses the meaning of the final month of the season, John Fox’s future, Mitch Trubisky’s development and joins Jeff on a deep dive into Kevin McAllister’s insanity.

Perfett: 5 Questions with Windy City Gridiron: Part 2 - Pride Of Detroit - They’re back.

SUN TIMES

Jahns: What would continuity mean for Mitch Trubisky, Dowell Loggains? - Adam L. Jahns’ “Inside the Huddle” column appears in game-day editions of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Hoge & Jahns Podcast: Can Mitch Trubisky star as a spoiler vs. Lions? - The Chicago Sun-Times’ Adam L. Jahns and WGN Radio’s Adam Hoge break down the Bears’ Week 14 matchup against the Lions in Detroit.

Bears vs. Lions - What to Watch 4 - With Quandre Diggs moving from nickelback to safety, Wright likely will match up with rookie Teez Tabor. That’s a match-up the Bears need to win.

Potash: Big finish or not, it’s all about 2018 for Bears’ QB Mitch Trubisky - Regardless of what Trubisky does in the final three games, his most significant “progress” is that he looks the part … of quarterback-of-the-future.

Finley: GM Ryan Pace will overhaul Bears WRs, but whom would he dare keep? - This offseason, general manager Ryan Pace must replenish the position both through the draft and free agency to surround Mitch Trubisky with talent.

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Kane, Campbell, Wiederer & Biggs: Bears vs. Lions: Can Bears and Mitch Trubisky put two good games together? - Storylines, key matchups, predictions and more for the Bears vs. Lions game Saturday at Ford Field in Detroit (3:30 p.m., NBC-5). 4 storylines Trubisky train: Rookie Mitch Trubisky had his best performance Sunday against the Bengals, completing 25 of 32 passes for 272 yards, a touchdown pass and...

Kenney: Brian Urlacher admits to using his hair as a disguise - During his glory days with the Bears, Urlacher’s head was spotless and shiny, but now he said his newfound hair gives him an entirely different look.

Campbell: Mindful of last season's collapse, Bears defense determined to finish strong - The dam broke for the Bears defense at this time a year ago. Injuries and the weight of a three-win season became too much to withstand as the team gave up 109 points in losses to the Packers, Redskins and Vikings to end 2016.

Campbell: Akiem Hicks hopes to end sack drought as Bears face Lions in 'Grinch' mode - The Bears hope to end a four-game losing streak in Detroit when they play the Lions at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Ford Field. They’ve lost eight of nine in the series, including a 27-24 defeat Nov. 19 at Soldier Field.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Berckes: Fantasy Football Week 15 Thread - Semi-finals - Windy City Gridiron - We’re in the money weeks of fantasy football.

Wiltfong: The best of the Bears has been Tarik Cohen - Windy City Gridiron - The rookie is taking off and he’s incredibly fun to watch.

Berckes: Five Questions with Pride of Detroit - Windy City Gridiron - Just a month after the first round, we catch up with Pride of Detroit before Bears - Lions

Sunderbruch: Rookie GMs - Pace Isn’t Keeping Up - Windy City Gridiron - Ryan Pace took over a team with a 5-11 record in his first year as a GM. If we’re going to judge him, it’s only fair to judge him against others in the same situation.

FANPOSTS

FanPosts - Recent - Windy City Gridiron - Here's a link to our FanPost section, where YOU have the opportunity to contribute to Windy City Gridiron. Take a few minutes and write a post about what you are thinking about regarding the Chicago Bears, and there's a chance it will be linked right here in the Den.

THE RULES

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The Bear’s Den Specific Guidelines – The Bear’s Den is a place for Chicago Bears fans to discuss Chicago Bears football, related NFL stories, and general football talk. It is NOT a place to discuss religion or politics or post political pictures or memes, and any posts that do this will be deleted and the poster will be admonished. We do not allow comments posted where the apparent attempt is to cause confrontation in the community. The staff of WCG are the sole arbiters of what constitutes “apparent attempt to cause confrontation”. We do not allow the “calling out” of other members in any way, shape or form. Posts that do this will be deleted on sight. Bottom line, it’s fine to debate about football, but personal jabs and insults are strictly prohibited. Additionally, if you keep beating the same dead horse over and over and fail to heed a moderator’s warning to stop, you will be banned.

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