The Bear’s Den, December 11, 2018

DUB CLUB

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

BEARRRSSSS

Allen Robinson On Bears’ Win Over Rams: ‘We Were Confident’ - 670 The Score - The Bears earned a 15-6 win over the Rams on Sunday night.

Bears To Evaluate CB Bryce Callahan’s Foot Injury - 670 The Score - The Bears will need 24 to 36 hours to determine the extent of the injury.

Pompei: Observations From Bears-Rams - 670 The Score - The discipline of the Bears’ defense Sunday was top-notch.

5@5: Bears’ Victory Change Your View On Them? - 670 The Score - The Mully & Haugh crew debates a five-pack of questions every weekday.

Hughes: On Sunday Night Against the High-Flying Rams, the Bears Re-Established Their Home Field Advantage - Da Bears Blog - The home of the Chicago Bears has been a wonderful place to play football. If you’re not the Chicago Bears. Not any longer.

Chicago Bears-L.A. Rams Postgame Show: Bears Snag 'Signature' Win Due to Stingy Defense - Da Bears Brothers Podcast - A comprehensive game recap with our instant analysis and insight on the Chicago Bears Week 14 victory over the L.A. Rams.

Stankevitz' Grades: The Bears had the NFL's best defensive game of 2018 against the Rams - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears' defense aced its toughest test of the year, becoming the first defense in the Sean McVay era to keep the Rams out of the end zone.

Stankevitz: For Matt Nagy, there’s a method to the madness of plays like ‘Santa’s Sleigh’ - NBC Sports Chicago - For Matt Nagy, there's a legitimate process and reasoning behind the wacky plays he's called this year like "Santa's Sleigh" and "Freezer Left" and "Willy Wonka."

Week 14 in Photos: Rams vs. Bears - NBC Chicago - The Chicago Bears are now 9-4 and have guaranteed a winning season after a big win over the Los Angeles Rams!

Mayer: 3 things that stood out in Week 14 win - ChicagoBears.com - Senior writer Larry Mayer identifies three things that stood out in Sunday night’s 15-6 win over the Los Angeles Rams, including the most dominant performance of the season by the Bears defense.

Really? Surprising Bears stats following Week 14 - ChicagoBears.com - Following Sunday night's win over the Rams, here are some noteworthy facts, figures and stats about the game and the season to this point.

2-Minute drill: Nagy lauds Bears fans - ChicagoBears.com - Coach Matt Nagy opened his post-game press conference Sunday night by thanking the raucous fans who attended the Bears’ 15-6 win over the Rams at Soldier Field.

They Said It: Week 14 - Sun Times - Following the Bears' 15-6 win over the Rams in Week 14, take a look at what writers around the country are saying about the team.

Medina: Bryce Callahan's Status (Foot) Will be Unclear for a Day or Two - Bleacher Nation - Ouch, this one could hurt.

Medina: Mitch Trubisky Makes History, But Promises Not To Repeat It - Bleacher Nation - In some respects, it's back to the drawing board for QB1.

Rams melt down in frigid Chicago, miss chance to clinch first-round playoff bye – Orange County Register - The temperature at Soldier Field fell below freezing Sunday night, and not even a blowtorch would have heated up the Rams’ offense, which typically burns even the best of defenses. Not this Bears’ unit. In an effort worthy of their old-school roots, the Bears harassed quarterback Jared Goff, bottled up running back Todd Gurley and basically sent the Rams’ offense back to 2016, the dark days to which no one wanted to return. By the time they came out of the cold, the Rams had slumbered to a 15-6 loss.

Whitehair, Jackson Make PFF Week 14 NFL Team of the Week - Pro Football Focus - PFF's NFL Team of the Week highlights the outstanding play of individuals at every position over the course of Week 14 of regular season action in the NFL.

Potash: Matt Nagy making no excuses for Mitch Trubisky - Rams game a bump in the road - Sun Times - Still, if rust wasn’t a factor, Trubisky should have fared better against a Rams defense that came in ranked 20th in opponent’s passer rating (96.8).

Kenney: Matt Nagy visor: Bears coach receives national attention for hat, fans react - Sun Times
Matt Nagy was teased for his decision to expose his bald head in below-freezing temperatures by wearing a visor.

Finley: 1.65 tons of fun: Was Bears' 'Santa's Sleigh' the heaviest formation ever? - Sun Times - “There’s a lot of beef out there,” coach Matt Nagy said Monday. Try 3,292 pounds — or 1.65 tons.

Finley: Bears coach Matt Nagy apologizes for freakout after whistle - Sun Timess - The whistle blew Sunday night, and Matt Nagy lost his mind.

Morrissey: Big victory over Rams shows how far Bears have come - Sun Times - You don’t go from four seasons in a row of at least 10 losses to being one of the best teams in the league and then pretend it’s business as usual.

Finley: How Jordan Howard carried the Bears vs Rams - Chicago Sun-Times - Running backs coach Charles London told Howard not to look at the scoreboard late in the game Sunday. It was too late.

Jahns: Bears 15, Rams 6 - Five takeaways, including a look at the defense's success - Sun Times - From Kyle Fuller's interception to Eddie Goldman's sack for a safety, here are five takeaways from the Bears' 15-16 victory against the Rams.

Finley's Good, bad and best: How the Bears fared in Week 14 vs. Rams - Sun Times - Some weeks are better than others for the Bears. Here’s how three Bears fared in Sunday night’s 15-6 win against the Rams:

Biggs' Bears rewind: James Daniels and friends helped prevent Aaron Donald from causing havoc - Chicago Tribune - The one thing the Bears were not going to do was allow Aaron Donald to wreck their game plan and they accomplished that with plenty of help and a standout effort from rookie second-round pick James Daniels, who showed his smarts and strength.

Brad Biggs' 10 thoughts on the Bears' 15-6 win over the Rams - Chicago Tribune - Brad Biggs' 10 thoughts after the Bears throttled the Rams 15-6. The defense put on a masterful performance that left Rams coach Sean McVay using the word "humbled." Rookie left guard James Daniels handled his business with Aaron Donald. And why these two teams could meet again next month.

Kane: Bears coach Matt Nagy apologizes to official for outburst after botched substitution: 'I told them that they did the right thing' - Chicago Tribune - Matt Nagy knew his emotions got the better of him late in the second quarter Sunday against the Rams, and so the Bears coach offered a mea culpa to the officials who received the brunt of them in the 15-6 victory over the Rams.

Wiederer: 'Very calm and composed' - Rookie James Daniels was instrumental in helping contain Aaron Donald - Chicago Tribune - The Bears upset the Rams 15-6 on Sunday night, a victory that came in big part because Rams All-Pro Aaron Donald didn't wreck the game. For the Bears, rookie James Daniels' contributions to slowing Donald were notable.

Bears' defense shows the rest of the NFC that the Rams' offense can be shut down - ESPN - Chicago's defense absolutely dominated the Rams. It was one of the worst showings for Sean McVay and again reset the NFC playoff race.

Rosnethal's The Debrief: Bears, Ravens show Rams, Chiefs can be slowed - NFL.com - The Rams fell and the Chiefs survived -- but neither team should want to see their Week 14 foes again. Gregg Rosenthal catches you up on what you need to know as we turn from Week 14 to 15.

Rams’ Todd Gurley struggles vs. Bears in rare game without touchdown – Orange County Register - In the era of next-generation stats and player tracking, there’s still an old-school measure to determine which players are the most valuable. They’re the ones who put the ball in the end zone. That’s why Rams running back Todd Gurley’s poor performance Sunday against Chicago seemed so shocking. Gurley, who entered the game as the NFL’s leading rusher, got bottled early by a strong Chicago defensive front and finished with 28 yards on 11 carries in a 15-6 defeat.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Reggie McKenzie fired as Raiders General Manager - Silver And Black Pride - - A day after reports said Reggie McKenzie would be out after the season as Raiders GM as part of a front office overhaul, McKenzie decided not to wait and just to end it now. Ken’s Note: Sorry, Reggie, that we got you fired. Jon Gruden and Mark Davis are idiots.

KNOW THY ENEMY

For comparison, the Lions version of “Dub... uh... long windy uninspiring speech”...

Rams offense vows to ‘move on’ from ‘humbling’ loss - NFL.com - The Rams were averaging 34.9 points and 439.9 yards per game entering Sunday night’s clash with the Bears, but were held to just six points and 214 yards, both lows in the Sean McVay era.

Bears game will decide if Packers’ win over Falcons was a fluke or something more - Acme Packing Company - Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense returned to life against Atlanta, but we won’t know if that was real until they travel to Chicago.

Packers should bring back Reggie McKenzie after his firing by Raiders - Acme Packing Company - The Packers should offer McKenzie a consulting job for the remainder of 2018 before finding him a permanent position in the offseason.

2018 NFC Playoff Picture: Packers’ needs are clear after week 14 - Acme Packing Company - We’ve called Green Bay’s postseason dreams dead for a few weeks now, but there remains a possibility for them to sneak into the playoffs.

Seattle Seahawks 21, Minnesota Vikings 7: No offense - Daily Norseman - The defense did what they could for a while, but got no help from the other side.

Rams lose to Bears 15-6: Instant analysis of ugly Week 14 loss - Rams Wire - The Rams dropped to 11-2 with Sunday’s loss to the Bears.

Rams vs. Bears: Key takeaways from L.A.’s sloppy Week 14 loss - Rams Wire - The Los Angeles Rams played by far their worst game of the season Sunday night, losing an ugly 15-6 game to the Bears.

Whicker: Rams look lost in Chicago’s chill – Orange County Register - The Rams gave up a safety, then a touchdown to a 312-pound offensive tackle. Jared Goff kept throwing passes to nowhere, and then to navy blue uniforms. For the first time in a long time, they looked uncomfortable.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Wiltfong: The Bears gave the blueprint on how to beat the Rams... - Windy City Gridiron
... but unless you have the Bears’ unique talent on defense, that’s not going to do other teams much good.

Leming: Game balls after a monumental 15-6 win over the Rams - Windy City Gridiron - Some called it a must-win. Others expected them to lose. Yet, against all odds the Bears pulled off a win against the best team in football. Who played a big part in last night’s win? We’ve got you covered.

Wiltfong: Bears vs. Rams snap counts, stats, and more - Windy City Gridiron - We’ll list out the complete playing time breakdown, and spotlight a few individual and team statistics from the Chicago Bears in their gigantic 15-6 win over the L.A. Rams.

Infante: Bears vs. Rams - notes from an energetic 15-6 victory - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears beat arguably the best team in the NFL last night, and that’s worth celebrating.

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

THE RULES

Windy City Gridiron Community Guidelines - SBNation.com - We strive to make our communities open and inclusive to sports fans of all backgrounds. The following is not permitted in comments, FanPosts, usernames or anywhere else in an SB Nation community: Comments, FanPosts or usernames that are intolerant or prejudiced; racial or other offensive epithets; Personal attacks or threats on community members; Gendered insults of any kind; Trolling; Click link for full information.

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. We do not allow gender-directed humor or sexual assault jokes. 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.

Click on our names to follow us on Twitter:

WCG Contributors: Jeff Berckes; Patti Curl; Eric Christopher Duerrwaechter; Kev H; Sam Householder; Jacob Infante; Aaron Lemming; Andrew Link; Ken Mitchell; Steven Schweickert; Jack Silverstein; EJ Snyder; Lester Wiltfong, Jr.; Whiskey Ranger; Robert Zeglinski; Like us on Facebook.