NFL
By: Kristy Love
The Chicago Bears(3-8) are moving up in the draft picks but doing down on wins. The Bears are currently runner-up to get the first pick in the 2023 NFL draft. With all the sudden changes they faced during the offseason, the Bears have struggled to find their identity all season long. This also includes finding a passing regime to get the offense going. Not to mention, the Bears traded away the whole defense in Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn. Even with those changes, the Bears looked like they started to find themselves as a team. However, the injury bug has landed in Chicago as players suffer season-ending injuries. As the Bears get ready to face a very inconsistent Packers team, they must prepare to get a desperate win at home.
It is no secret that the Chicago Bears are bad. I wouldn’t say bad, but the Bears have issues closing out games. They’re currently on a five-game losing streak trying to get back in the win column against Aaron Rodgers and the Greenbay Packers.
Justin Fields
Justin Fields suffered a left shoulder dislocation a few weeks ago against the Atlanta Falcons. He sat out in Sunday’s game against the New York Jets, where the Bears fell short 10-31.
This Week, Fields had a full-on contact practice and could potentially play Sunday against Greenbay. There have been rumors that Fields should sit for the remainder of the year; however, Fields feels he is ready to play after missing one week.
Injuries
The Chicago Bears are getting hit left and right with injuries as of late Eddie Jackson had a season-ending injury to Darnell Mooney, potentially being out for the remainder of the year also.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus came out and said that Bears safety Eddie Jackson is out for the season after suffering a horrific foot injury. It’s unclear if surgery is needed, but Jackson is done and placed on the IR.
Jackson was the Bears caption on defense and took on the leader role. This season was personal for Jackson as he was making a statement in the league. He finished the season with four interceptions, two forced fumbles, and 59 solo tackles (the most he had since 2020).
It’s been confirmed that WR Darnell Mooney is listed as out for the season with an ankle injury. Mooney may need to have surgery to repair his ankle. He suffered the injury in week 12 against the Jets. Mooney leads the Bears receivers with 40 catches and 493 receiving yards on the season.
Week 13 matchup
With men going down, that means the backups have to step up to get a win over Greenbay. Bears vs. Packers are the NFL’s oldest rivalry, so both teams take these games a little more personally. Green Bay leads the series against Chicago with a 104-95-6 record. Greenbay has won the last seven meetings against the Bears.
The Bears have the best rushing attack in the league, averaging 192 yards. The Packers are rank 14th in rushing yards 121.3 yards per game. While the Bears passing game is ranked one of the worst in the league, Greenbay is ranked 14th in passing.
On defense, the Bears are ranked 27th in points allowed per game (25.4), 12th in passing yards allowed (201), and 27th in stopping the run allowing 143.9 yards per game. The Packers also struggle to stop the run as they rank 31st in the league. So, the Bears will have to run the ball more as a critical point to win this game.
The game is set for kickoff at 12 pm CST in Chicago. The game will be broadcast on FOX Sports.
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