The Bear’s Den, December 29, 2018

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

BEARRRSSSS

Joniak: Keys To Bears-Vikings - 670 The Score - Kickoff is set for 3:25 p.m. Sunday from U.S. Bank Stadium.

Emma: 3 Key Bears Doubtful Against Vikings - 670 The Score - Allen Robinson, Eddie Jackson and Aaron Lynch are likely to sit Sunday.

Mayer: Fans urged to buy playoff tickets, parking passes from verified sources - ChicagoBears.com - With the Bears set to host a playoff game at Soldier Field, the team is encouraging fans to purchase tickets and parking passes only from verified sources such as Ticketmaster and the NFL Ticket Exchange.

Pick is in: Bears at Vikings - ChicagoBears.com - Local and national NFL analysts make their pick for the Week 17 game between the Vikings and Bears Sunday in Minneapolis. Keep track of their weekly record here on Chicagobears.com.

Medina: What Are the Bears’ Options at Wide Receiver if Allen Robinson is Out? - Bleacher Nation - Kevin White? Javon Wims? Ben Braunecker? Taquan Mizzell Sr.? Daniel Brown? Who’s got next if Allen Robinson can’t play.

Medina: Kyle Long *Could* Be Activated from the IR Tomorrow! - Bleacher Nation - A Kyle Long-Bryan Witzmann platoon could be in the works once Long re-joins the active roster.

Jahns: How great is the Bears' defense? - Sun Times - Adam L. Jahns' "Inside the Huddle" column appears in game-day editions of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Finley: 4 Bears questions - Vic Fangio's anonymity, rematch odds and Matt Nagy's dog - Sun Times - Four questions as the NFC North champion Bears prepare to travel to face the Vikings, who are fighting for their playoff lives:

Campbell: How the Bears' faith in GM Ryan Pace led them back to the playoffs - Chicago Tribune - Ryan Pace, still the NFL’s youngest GM at 41, has a lot more salt where he had only pepper four years ago. That’s the effect of tearing down the Bears to the studs — and mashing his own thumb with his hammer at times along the way.

Bears vs. Vikings: Tribune writers make their picks - Chicago Tribune - Can the Bears top the Vikings on the road? Tribune writers make their picks

Kane: Eddie Jackson and Allen Robinson are doubtful against the Vikings, but Kyle Long’s return is a strong possibility - Chicago Tribune - Bears safety Eddie Jackson (ankle), wide receiver Allen Robinson (ribs) and outside linebacker Aaron Lynch (elbow) were listed Friday as doubtful to play Sunday against the Vikings. However, Kyle Long’s return from injured reserve is a possibility.

Wiederer: 3 keys for the Bears in Week 17 - Keep Mitch Trubisky safe against an aggressive Vikings defense - Chicago Tribune - As the Bears aim to collect their 12th win this weekend against the Vikings, they must find ways to keep Mitch Trubisky out of harm's way while also using an opportunistic defense to fluster Kirk Cousins.

Biggs: Scouting report on Vikings running back Dalvin Cook - 'He can really scoot and get to top speed quickly' - Chicago Tribune - Vikings running back Dalvin Cook had a season-high 19 carries for a career-high 136 yards two weeks ago against the Dolphins and ran 16 times for 73 yards last week against the Lions.

Stankevitz:: Are the Vikings or Eagles the better playoff matchup for the Bears? - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears will most likely play the Vikings or Eagles in the first round of the playoffs next week. So that begs the question: Who should they want to face?

Wesseling: Patrick Mahomes leads MVP candidates field, Mack in top 5 - NFL.com - Chris Wesseling ranks his top 10 candidate for the NFL MVP award -- and zeroes in on the yawning chasm between Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the rest of his peers.

Mayer: Robinson, Jackson, Lynch listed as doubtful - ChicagoBears.com - Receiver Allen Robinson, safety Eddie Jackson and outside linebacker Aaron Lynch were all held out of practice again Friday and listed as doubtful for Sunday’s regular-season finale in Minnesota.

Finley: Seeding and strategy will make for strange Sunday - Sun Times - A week spent wondering how seriously the Bears will try to win Sunday’s game at the Vikings hit home for Kyle Long.

POLISH SAUSAGE

Rams rule Todd Gurley out of regular season finale – ProFootballTalk - The Rams are going to err on the side of caution. Having a backup go wild the week before made it an easier decision. The Rams officially ruled running back Todd Gurley out of Sunday’s regular season finale against the 49ers, giving him time to rest his ailing left knee.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Matt Patricia responds to tardiness claims: ‘We have a very tight schedule’ - Pride Of Detroit - Patricia addressed rumors that he has been consistently late to team meetings.

Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia wants Matthew Stafford back in 2019 - Pride Of Detroit - Matt Patricia remains unrelenting in his praise of the Lions’ franchise quarterback.

Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings: Final injury reports for both teams - Daily Norseman - Some big names missing on both sides

Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears Week 17 Preview: Binary - Daily Norseman - The Vikings will look back on their 2018 regular season finale in one of two ways: "won" or "zero."

Norse Code Podcast Episode 266: Feats of Strength (with guest Lorin Cox) - Daily Norseman - James and Arif are back from Christmas break and return with the help of Lorin Cox to preview the Bears game! We also review the victory over the Lions, the sputtering offense, and the best movies we saw this year! Also check out our end of the year clip show which also came out this week

Talking about Bears/Vikings with Shawn & Maya in the Morning - Daily Norseman - Yes, more discussion about Sunday’s game

Daily Norseman on Minnesota Sports Weekly talking Bears at Vikings - Daily Norseman - You like the talk? We got the talk!

Packers-Lions Preview: Film shows Green Bay can succeed in the passing game - Acme Packing Company - In their second meeting of the season, we see what Green Bay can do to beat Detroit and split the season series.

Detroit Lions podcast: What went wrong with the Packers? A schadenfreude investigation - Pride Of Detroit - When the Packers lose, we all win.

A’Shawn Robinson placed on injured reserve, Lions add Mitchell Loewen - Pride Of Detroit - The Lions defensive tackle sees his season end as he is replaced by a former Saint.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Gabriel: Who Do Bears Match Up With Best In Playoffs? - 670 The Score - The Bears are likely to face the Vikings or Eagles in the wild-card round.

Whiskey Ranger: WCG Fantasy Tournament - A Champion is Crowned! - Windy City Gridiron - Let’s give a hardy congrats to Usmcbears, while silently cursing his name. As is the Fantasy Football way.

Zeglinski: Bears-Vikings Injury Report - Eddie Jackson and Allen Robinson are doubtful - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears will be without their star safety and No. 1 receiver for Sunday’s regular season finale in Minnesota.

Wiltfong: Trubisky in San Francisco, 3 keys to Bears vs. Vikings, and more - Windy City Gridiron - In Lester’s latest T Formation Conversation podcast he discusses Trubisky’s last game, previews the Bears and Vikings, and answers a few questions from Twitter.

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

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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.