It’s A Bears Win Den, December 28, 2020

THE DAILY SPONGIE SPECIAL

BEARRRSSSS

Bears take over No. 7 seed by beating Jaguars; huge finale vs. Packers next - Chicago Sun-Times - They pulled even with the Cardinals at 8-7, but are ahead of them in the standings thanks to the tie-breaker of conference record.

Week 16 recap: Chicago Bears 41, Jacksonville Jaguars 17 - Chicago Tribune - The Chicago Bears seized control of the NFC’s seventh and final playoff spot Sunday with a 41-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars and now only need to beat the Green Bay Packers in Week 17 to secure the postseason berth.

Week 16 photos: Chicago Bears 41, Jacksonville Jaguars 17 - Chicago Tribune - The Chicago Bears traveled to Florida for a Week 16 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field on Dec. 27, 2020.

Arizona Cardinals' playoff hopes take a bit hit - Chicago Tribune - The Cardinals controlled their postseason fate entering the weekend. That’s no longer the case after losing to an opponent that was down to its third-string quarterback and had lost six of its previous seven games.

Chicago Bears - Jacksonville Jaguars Postgame Show: Bears Overcome Shaky Start, Overpower Jaguars in Second Half & Control Their Destiny - The Chicago Audible - Listen as the guys recap the Chicago Bears' 41-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Bears vs. Jaguars takeaways: NFL Playoffs look real as Matt Nagy saves his job - RSN - The Bears' 41-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars moved them just one win (or one Cardinals loss) away from making the playoffs.

Bears 41, Jaguars 17: Allen Robinson, Jimmy Graham shine in blowout win - RSN - Jimmy Graham gets two TDs and ARob gets some revenge.

NFL Playoffs: How Bears can clinch in Week 17 of 2020 NFL season - RSN - Here is how the Bears can clinch a playoff berth in Week 17 of the 2020 NFL Season.

Bears offense does something Chicago hasn't accomplished in 55 years - RSN - The Bears offense has struggled all season, but they just achieved a feat that Chicago hasn't done since 1965.

Chicago Bears Unconvincing in Rout of Jacksonville Jaguars - SI.com - It took TD drives on four straight possessions in the second half for the Chicago Bears to break open a tight game against the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 41-17 victory Sunday, after they looked anything but sharp early.

NFL plans to expand regular season to 17 games per team in 2021 - NFL.com - The NFL is planning to expand the regular season to 17 games in 2021 -- a historic move that would generate new revenue and could at least slightly soften an anticipated drop in the salary cap next year, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport report

Bears one win away from the playoffs after blowing out Jaguars - ProFootballTalk - The Bears are closing in on an unlikely playoff berth.

Jaguars lock up No. 1 overall pick with 14th loss and Jets victory - Big Cat Country - The Jaguars have secured the first-overall pick for the first time in franchise history.

Game Recap: Jaguars lose 41-17 to Bears - Big Cat Country - With today’s loss, and a win by the New York Jets, the Jaguars lock in the No. 1 overall spot in the 2021 NFL Draft.

For Bears, Jaguars are the gift that keeps giving in playoff hunt - Chicago Sun-Times - A blowout victory means the Bears can clinch a berth with a win over the Packers in the regular-season finale.

Bears’ defense straightens out after rough start to beat Jaguars 41-17 - Chicago Sun-Times - Roquan Smith was the star with two interceptions, and the Bears held the Jaguars to eight yards of total offense in the third quarter.

Game Recap: Chicago Bears win third straight game, move into final NFC playoff spot with 41-17 win over Jacksonville Jaguars - ChicagoBears.com - The Bears moved into the seventh and final spot in the NFC playoff race with one week remaining by scoring 31 unanswered points in a 41-17 victory over the Jaguars Sunday in Jacksonville.

Bears move closer to playoffs after throttling undermanned Jaguars - ESPN - Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears took care of business against the hapless Jaguars, setting up a win-and-you’re-in Week 17 against Green Bay.

NFL executives believe Chicago Bears might consider re-signing QB Mitchell Trubisky - ESPN.com - Executives around the NFL believe the Bears might consider re-signing Mitchell Trubisky thanks to the QB’s solid play down the stretch this season.

Haugh: Bears dominate Jags, but the difficult decisions loom - 670 The Score - In dominating the NFL’s worst team in a 41-17 win Sunday in Jacksonville, the resilient Bears celebrated their third straight victory after refusing to let a six-game losing streak define their season.

Bernstein: Bears blow out Jaguars, keep us invested - 670 The Score - Both competitors involved got what they wanted from this outcome, a 41-17 Bears rout of the lowly Jaguars on Sunday that had football archivists reaching back in the books for context.

Bears rout Jaguars, 41-17 - 670 The Score - Mitchell Trubisky accounted for three scores, including two touchdown passes to Jimmy Graham, and the Bears pounded the Jaguars, 41-17, in a game that meant as much to Jacksonville’s long-term future as it did to Chicago’s short-term fate.

POLISH SAUSAGE

J.J. Watt: If you aren’t willing to put in the work, you should not be here - ProFootballTalk - A dismal Texans season got a little bit worse on Sunday with a 37-31 loss to the Bengals that leaves them with a 4-11 record on the season.

2020 NFL season, Week 16: What we learned from Sunday’s games - NFL.com - The Steelers pulled off a phenomenal rally to get past the Colts, the Bears’ playoff hopes are alive after beating a Jaguars team look ahead to No. 1 and the Ravens kept on rolling. And plenty more was had on Week 16.

Rapid Reaction: Cardinals easy playoff hopes get trampled on by Niners defense/ground game 20-12 - Revenge of the Birds - A brutal loss for Arizona will cause fans to question everything if the team fails to get into the playoffs

Arizona Cardinals have massive holiday hangover in embarrassing loss to 49ers - Revenge of the Birds - There is not a whole lot to say. The Arizona Cardinals were gifted a third national game and this one they looked like the 2018 team, not the up and coming team everyone was excited about.

49ers shut down the Cardinals 20-12 - Niners Nation - Welcome back, Kittle

KNOW THINE ENEMY

3 takeaways from the Detroit Lions’ blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Pride Of Detroit - Just an utter disgrace.

Why The Vikings Should Fire... Nobody Important - Daily Norseman - The Vikings season is over. They’ve officially been eliminated from the playoffs, or put out of their misery, depending on how you look at it. They still have to play out the string next weekend,...

Detroit Lions vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers: What Just Happened? - Pride Of Detroit - A collection of thoughts on the Lions’ embarrassing Week 16 loss.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Curl: Chicago Bears toy with incompetent Jacksonville Jaguars in definitive win to keep playoff hopes alive - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears looked like a legitimate 7th-seed and the Jaguars strengthened their case for being deserving of the first overall pick in an unsurprisingly one-sided battle between the greatest beasts on earth and a handful of bottom-tier big cats.

Wiltfong: Bears now control their 2020 playoff destiny - Windy City Gridiron - With the San Francisco 49ers 20 to 12 win over the Arizona Cardinals, the Chicago Bears now control their own playoff destiny.

Salo's Windy City Gridiron Saturday Spotlight: Cody Whitehair - Windy City Gridiron - Throughout the 2020 NFL season, we’ll spotlight a Bears player in a weekly column. This week, we’ll take an in-depth look at offensive lineman Cody Whitehair.

Wiltfong: Where’s your confidence level at now in these Chicago Bears? - Windy City Gridiron - Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Each week, we send out questions to the most plugged in Bears fans, and fans across the country. Sign up here to join.

THE RULES

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