The Bear’s Den, December 28, 2018

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

BEARRRSSSS

Wiedman: Bears not backing down in last regular season game - Our Turf Football - Wanda Wiedman, OTFB’s Chicago Bears Reporter, looks at the keys to this weeks matchup vs the Minnesota Vikings.

Mullin: ‘Grizzly’ worst-to-first specialist Bobby Massie wants to stay a Bear - NBC Sports Chicago - Bobbie Massie is at the end of a three-year contract that brought him to Chicago, and the time is coming for him (and the Bears) to determine whether he is a Bear or headed to become something else. Massie has already made that determination. “I’m a Bear. Grizzly as hell.”

Week 17: NFC North Champions at Vikings Game Preview - Da Bears Blog - I always like the Chicago Bears…but I don’t love ’em this week. One team is home, playing for their postseason life. The other team has eleven wins and is playing for a bye if a ten-point favorite (the Rams) loses at home. Motivation matters. And I don’t think the Bears have much this week.

Emma: Bears’ Vic Fangio Deserving Of Head Coaching Consideration - 670 The Score - Hiring Vic Fangio as head coach would buck a recent trend in the NFL.

Bears Being Cautious With Allen Robinson, Eddie Jackson - 670 The Score - The Bears are resting several of their key players during practice this week.

Medina: Now That We’ve Had Some Time, Let’s Discuss Allen Robinson and the Fumble - Bleacher Nation - Allen Robinson’s fumble could have sent Week 16’s Bears-49ers game sideways.

Householder: Chicago vs Minnesota Betting Picks & Analysis - Sports Bet Collective - NFL Week 17 betting sucks. It’s hard to know who is going to show up if they’re missing the playoffs, who is going to play their starters for the entire game, if they are going to the playoffs and who is fighting for their playoff lives. The Bears may fall into that second category, while the Vikings are the last.

Campbell: Bears playoff picture - Week 17 scenarios and your guide to scoreboard watching (and rooting) - Chicago Tribune - Bears playoff opponent scenarios entering the final week of the regular season. The Bears could end up playing the Seahawks, Vikings or Eagles. Here's how they end up with each.

Game Preview: Chicago Bears - Minnesota Vikings (Week 17) - The Chicago Audible Podcast - In this in-depth episode, the guys cover everything you need to know heading into the Chicago Bears' Week 17 game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Stankevitz: Bears make it clear - Winning, not resting or hiding, the priority vs. Vikings - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears are approaching Sunday's season finale with a focus on winning, not resting players or hiding plays with the playoffs looming.

Under Center Podcast: Joint podcast with Eagles Insider Reuben Frank - NBC Sports Chicago - On this special edition of Under Center, JJ Stankevitz welcomes in Reuben Frank from NBC Sports Philadelphia. They talk about how the Bears and Eagles head into Week 17.

Mayer: One stat explains how Bears won division - ChicagoBears.com - The Bears’ NFC North title this season is a direct result of their 4-1 record against division opponents, which matches the win total they accumulated in going 4-20 while finishing in last place each of the previous four years.

Kaufman: Week 17 Key Matchups - ChicagoBears.com - When the Bears take on the Vikings on Sunday, keep an eye out for these three key matchups, including running back Jordan Howard versus Minnesota linebacker Eric Wilson.

Kaufman: Where Bears team, players rank in the NFL - ChicagoBears.com - Take a look at where the Bears stack up both as a team and individually in the NFL rankings heading into their final game of the regular season against the Vikings on Sunday.

Chalk Talk: When was last time Bears played a team three times? - ChicagoBears.com - Senior writer Larry Mayer discusses the last time the Bears played a team three times in the same season, how a tie in Sunday’s Bears-Vikings game would affect playoff seeds and the most wins by a first-year Bears head coach.

Medina: Vic Fangio Continues Continues to Draw Praise and Is Clearly Among the Top Head Coaching Candidates - Bleacher Nation - Are you prepared to lose Vic Fangio? Because I'm not.

Jahns: Bears' success includes handling injuries well - Sun Times - Third-year safety Deon Bush and others are playing more for the Bears because of injuries.

Finley: Bears proclaim faith in Cody Parkey, but, 'if you’re our guy, make those kicks' - Sun Times - Among kickers with at least 15 attempts this season, he’s fourth from the bottom with a 75.9 conversion percentage.

Bears predictions: Week 17 vs. Vikings - Sun Times - The Sun-Times’ experts offer their picks for the Bears’ Week 17 game at the Vikings:

As Vikings face rematch with Bears, Kirk Cousins feels the pressure - Sun Times - This is the type of game for quarterback Kirk Cousins to make good on that $84 million in guaranteed money.

Kane: 7 things we heard from Bears coordinators, including how Vic Fangio feels fans’ enthusiasm and glimpses of Mitch Trubisky's growth - Chicago Tribune - Offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich liked several aspects of quarterback Mitch Trubisky’s 43-yard pass to wide receiver Allen Robinson in the first quarter Sunday against the 49ers.

Biggs: With Vic Fangio sure to be in demand, the Bears might need to think outside the box to keep the defensive mastermind - Chicago Tribune - Vic Fangio never has been hotter as a head-coaching candidate, and with at least six teams projected to have vacancies in the coming weeks, the Bears need to consider ways to keep the defensive coordinator.

Bear Download podcast: Will the matchup in Minnesota be a playoff preview? - Chicago Tribune - Welcome to the weekly Bear Download podcast. Listen below or subscribe and listen on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Play Rich and Dan are still spreading holiday cheer as they preview the Bears’ regular-season finale against the Vikings. They assess the NFC playoff landscape (3:36), then...

Campbell: Prince Amukamara named 2018 Bears Media Good Guy - Chicago Tribune - Prince Amukamara was named the 2018 Media Good Guy by the Chicago chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America. The veteran cornerback has won Good Guy honors in Chicago and in 2015 as a member of the Giants.

Biggs: Bears Q&A: Which potential wild-card opponent would be most dangerous? - Chicago Tribune - Brad Biggs answers your Bears questions weekly. How should Matt Nagy handle the use of front-line players in Sunday's season finale in Minnesota? Which opponent would be most dangerous in the wild-card round? Does a lack of first-round picks in 2019 and 2020 hurt? Plus much more.

Wiederer: Kyle Long's recovery optimism, the Bears' playoff veterans and their Minneapolis misery - Chicago Tribune - As the Bears prepare to face the Vikings in the regular-season finale, we take a deeper look at Kyle Long's push to return from injured reserve, the playoff experience of a handful of current Bears and the team's recent struggles in Minneapolis.

Finley: Can Bears lean on RB Jordan Howard in the playoffs? - Chicago Sun-Times - Through the first 12 games of the season, Jordan Howard averaged 3.4 yards per carry. In the last four, he’s averaged 4.2.

Potash: Out of the spotlight, Leonard Floyd thriving in complementary role in Bears’ D - Chicago Sun-Times - After two years of being scrutinized for big plays, Floyd now is getting recognition for the little things. He was named a Pro Bowl alternate.

Finley: Bears injury update - WR Allen Robinson sits out again with sore ribs - Sun Times - For the second-straight day, receiver Allen Robinson sat out Thursday’s practice with sore ribs.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Marcus Mariota returns to Tennessee Titans practice - NFL.com - Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota made a positive step Thursday toward playing in this weekend’s must-win game against the Indianapolis Colts.

QB Index, Week 17: Previewing offseason QB market - NFL.com - Which quarterbacks could be on the move this offseason? With the regular season in its final days, Gregg Rosenthal takes a peek at the veteran signal-callers who could be available in 2019.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Vikings injury report update: Linval Joseph, Mike Remmers return - Daily Norseman - Who was in and who was out for the Vikings on Thursday?

Priefer: Marcus Sherels to miss game against the Bears - Daily Norseman - And that leaves the Vikings with a pretty significant hole

NFL Week 17: Daily Norseman On The Bear Front Podcast - Daily Norseman - Previewing Sunday’s pivotal game with a Chicago-based podcast.

Aaron Rodgers’ upside down splits illustrate Packers’ third-down issues - Acme Packing Company - Every metric seems to tell the same story: The Packer offense is outdated.

Week 17 stakes are very high for the Rams – ProFootballTalk - A month ago, the Rams seemed to be coasting toward the top seed in the NFC, after securing a 54-51 win over the Chiefs in one of the best regular-season games of all time.

What would a Matthew Stafford trade actually look like in 2019? 2020? - Pride Of Detroit - Is it even possible in 2019? 2020?

NFL Week 17 Power Rankings: What every team has to play for in their season finale - Pride Of Detroit - There are still a few playoff spots up for grabs as we enter the final week of the season.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Zeglinski: The Chicago Bears’ 2019 schedule of opponents is set - Windy City Gridiron - We know who the Bears will play next season, just not in what order and when. Oh boy is it a doozy.

Curl & Berckes 2018 NFL Chicago Bears Blither-Blather: Holiday Special - Windy City Gridiron - In this edition of the increasingly-popular Bears Blither-Blather segment, we discuss Wham! Bears playoff opponents, Trubisky, and an untapped market for James Williams jerseys

Infante: 2019 NFL Draft - Potential Bears targets playing in the New Year’s Six - Windy City Gridiron - Even though the Bears will be focused more on the playoffs than the draft this year, it’s always fun to take a look ahead at this year’s prospects.

Mitchell's Cold Takes: A Look At The Chicago Bears’ Sloppy Win At San Francisco - Windy City Gridiron - Things look a bit different when you set emotions aside and go back and watch the tapes a couple of times...

Householder's Week 17 Game preview: Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings - Windy City Gridiron - The regular season finale has plenty of storylines and isn’t the end of the season story for the Bears

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. No personal attacks, politics, gender based insults of any kind, racial insults, etc.

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. Unless otherwise stated, the Den is not an open thread, and profanity (including profanity only stated in pictures) is prohibited.

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; Ken Mitchell; Steven Schweickert; Jack Silverstein; EJ Snyder; Lester Wiltfong, Jr.; Whiskey Ranger; Robert Zeglinski; Like us on Facebook.