The Bear’s Den, November 2, 2018

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

BEARRRSSSS

Medina: Bryce Callahan Is Ballin’ Out and Playing His Way to a Potential Contract Extension - Bleacher Nation - Bryce Callahan is having a breakout year in a contract year. Considering his importance to the defense, is he worthy of an extension?

Bernstein: Bears Getting Their Share Of Breaks - 670 The Score - The Bears are capitalizing on opportune developments -- and must keep doing so.

Bears defense matchup well vs. Bills - ESPN Video - NFL Live’s Tedy Bruschi and Darren Woodson explain their picks for the Week 9 matchup between the Bears and Bills.

Emma: Bears Getting Running Game Off The Ground - 670 The Score - Coach Matt Nagy has vowed for a more efficient Bears rushing attack.

Emma: Vic Fangio - Bears ‘Probably’ Should’ve Rested Khalil Mack Sooner - 670 The Score - Hampered by an ankle injury, Khalil Mack’s status for Sunday remains in doubt.

Letizia's Opponent Outlook: Buffalo Bills By the Numbers - Da Bears Brothers Blog - Here's a deep dive into the numbers for this week's opponent, the Buffalo Bills.

Stankevitz: The Bears have an elite run defense. But how much does that actually matter in today’s NFL? - NBC Sports Chicago - Stopping the run isn't as critical as it used to be in today's pass-happy NFL, though members of the Bears explain why it still is important for the success of their defense.

Bears Mailbag: The Bears' offense vs the Bills' defense will be ... something - NBC Sports Chicago - Answering some your most pressing questions.

Perez: Chicago Bears 2018 Midseason Awards - Bears Wire - Chicago Bears 2018 Midseason Awards, including MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and more!

Perez: Sean McDermott uses Bears QB Mitch Trubisky as example for Josh Allen - Bears Wire - Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott used Chicago Bears QB Mitch Trubisky as an example for the kind of growth Josh Allen can have next season

Kaufman: Week 9 Key Matchups - ChicagoBears.com - When the Bears take on the Bills Sunday, keep an eye out for these key matchups, including defensive tackle Akiem Hicks against running back LeSean McCoy.

Mayer's Chalk Talk: Is Shaheen returning to practice? - ChicagoBears.com - Senior writer Larry Mayer discusses whether tight end Adam Shaheen will return to practice this week, the Bears not making a trade before the deadline and Jordan Howard’s role after his productive game against the Jets.

Mayer: Run defense remains critical to Bears - ChicagoBears.com - With the proliferation of the passing game in the NFL, a stingy run defense seemingly has lost some of its value. But the Bears realize that stopping an opponent’s ground game is paramount to success.

Mayer: Bears running backs honor Payton - ChicagoBears.com - Walter Payton passed away 19 years ago Thursday, but the legendary Hall of Famer is still very much on the minds of Bears nation, especially the team’s three running backs.

Medina: Wasn't Cody Parkey Supposed to Make Us Forget About the Bears' Kicking Struggles? - Bleacher Nation - Cody Parkey was supposed to bring stability to the kicking game, but some high-profile misses have cast some doubt over the latest kicker to call Soldier Field home.

Finley: After Cody Parkey's miss, Bears coach compares Soldier Field to British Open - Chicago Sun-Times - Cody Parkey’s 40-yard missed field came on a “tough day to kick” Sunday at windy Solider Field, special teams coordinator Chris Tabor said.

Jahns: Why Bills defense is good test for Bears QB Mitch Trubisky - Sun Times - Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky faces a stiff test this week against the Bills.

Finley: Vic Fangio - Bears 'probably' should have sat Khalil Mack sooner - Sun Times - The Bears might have been wise to sit Khalil Mack once he hurt his right ankle against the Dolphins last month, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said.

Bears predictions: Week 9 vs. Bills - Sun Times - The Sun-Times’ experts offer their picks for the Bears’ Week 9 game Sunday at the Bills:

Potash: Nathan Peterman expected to start for Bills - Sun Times - Bills quarterback Nathan Peterman has thrown four interceptions this season. He's expected to face the Bears.

Kane: 7 things we heard from Bears coordinators Thursday, including Vic Fangio on letting Khalil Mack play through injury and out-of-line NFL fines - Chicago Tribune - Bears defensive end Khalil Mack was inactive for the first time in 71 career games Sunday against the Jets because of a right ankle injury. He played through the injury for two games because Fangio said the Bears were trying to listen to Mack’s assertions that he was good to play.

Bills 27, Vikings 6: Why this season's most startling upset should be a major warning sign for the Bears - Chicago Tribune - If the Chicago Bears had any urge to see Sunday's game against the last-place Buffalo Bills as a gimme win, they should know better. The Bills' 27-6 destruction of the Minnesota Vikings in Week 3 is a warning sign for Bears coach Matt Nagy and his players.

Kane: Khalil Mack, Allen Robinson remain out in Thursday's Bears practice - Chicago Tribune - Bears outside linebacker Khalil Mack and wide receiver Allen Robinson sat out practice for a second straight day Thursday as both continue to recover from injuries that kept them out of Sunday’s game against the Jets.

Bear Download podcast: The brutality of football and previewing Bears-Bills - Chicago Tribune - Welcome to the weekly Bear Download podcast with Rich Campbell and Dan Wiederer. Listen below or subscribe and listen on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Play Rich and Dan preview the Bears' road game Sunday against the Bills. But first they take a deep dive into the brutality of football and...

Audio Mailbag: How Many Wins Will it Take for the Bears to Make the Playoffs? (And More) - Da Bears Brothers Podcast - Da Bears Brothers provide another round of in-depth analysis on questions submitted by the fans in their weekly Audio Mailbag episode.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Projecting 2020 roster locks, bubble players for all 32 NFL teams - ESPN - NFL rosters turn over quickly, and your favorite player could be gone soon. We predicted who will still be on their current teams in two years.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Midseason QB Index: Aaron Rodgers > Tom Brady - NFL.com - Gregg Rosenthal reveals his ranking of all 32 starting quarterbacks at the midpoint of the 2018 NFL season. Have a look at where Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady land in the pecking order heading into their Week 9 matchup. Ken’s Note: Mitchell Trubisky is worse than Jameis Winston and Blake Bortles? Two benched QB’s? ESPN’s own (stupid) QBR ranks him 7th in the league. I swan, ESPN, consistency be damned.

‘Swiss-Army knife’ TJ Jones expected to take on bigger role in the Lions offense - Pride Of Detroit - It certainly sounds like TJ Jones is expected to take on a much bigger role after the Golden Tate trade.

Viking injury report - Daily Norseman - The list of Minnesota Vikings injuries has been lengthy as of late. And while it doesn’t look like it is letting up, a few names stand out as promising.

Fantasy week 9: A smart player will sit Bills RB LeSean McCoy against the Bears - Sun Times - There’s no reason to wheel out McCoy against a Bears run defense that is third in yards allowed and remains the only team to not allow a rushing TD.

Finley: Bears’ Khalil Mack and Allen Robinson sit — as does Bilal Nichols - Sun Times - Despite Nagy saying that Bilal Nichols being limited with an knee injury Wednesday was precautionary, he did not practice Thursday.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Wiltfong: Both Bears and Bills fans expect a huge Chicago win - Windy City Gridiron - Welcome to SB Nation FanPulse — a survey of fans across the NFL, powered by SurveyMonkey. Each week, we send 32 polls to 100+ plugged in fans from each team. Bears fans, sign up HERE to join...

Berckes' Five Questions with Buffalo Rumblings: “When it comes to Peterson...you just have to wait him out” - Windy City Gridiron - As the Bears roll into Buffalo for their 4th straight game against the AFC East, we prep with Buffalo Rumblings

Householder's 2018 NFL Week 9 Game Preview: Chicago Bears at Buffalo Bills - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears try to make it two in a row with a road trip to Buffalo. Can Chicago drop the Bills through the proverbial table?

Silverstein: When Sid threw seven - Windy City Gridiron - Bears historian Jack M Silverstein looks back at Sid Luckman’s historic 7-touchdown game, 75 years ago this month.

DDKS: Jordan Morgan still available - Windy City Gridiron - There's a young offensive guard out there that has some familiarity with the Bears offense, so should they bring him back?

WCG CONTRIBUTORS BEARS PODCASTS & STREAMS

2 Minute Drill - Website - iTunes - Andrew Link; Steven’s Streaming – Twitch – Steven Schweickert; T-Formation Conversation - Website - iTunes - Lester Wiltfong, Jr.; WCG Radio - Website - iTunes - Robert Zeglinski

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