The Chicago Bears moved from first to seventh in the NFC with one loss.
Will the Bears miss the playoffs entirely?
That’s possible given their tough schedule ahead and the inconsistency of quarterback Caleb Williams.
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The Bears are currently 9-4, tied with the San Francisco 49ers and one game ahead of the Detroit Lions (8-5). After Sunday’s 28-21 loss to the Packers, they trail only Green Bay (9-3-1) in the NFC North.
Williams, who has led Chicago on five fourth-quarter comebacks this season, had a chance for more heroics after holding the Packers offense to 14 points in the final minute. But he was intercepted in the end zone by Keisean Nixon with 22 seconds left after throwing to a wide-open Cole Kmet.
Among quarterbacks with at least 200 passes, Williams has the lowest completion percentage (57.8).
“Certainly, there are things you can talk about every week where guys are open and we can certainly get him the ball on time and give him opportunities to run after the catch and stuff like that,” coach Ben Johnson said. “Then, it’s an ‘Oh my gosh, this is one of the most unbelievable games I’ve ever seen in my life’ type of deal. … That’s what we’re trying to do, is bring those two worlds together and we think we’re going to have a really good quarterback in this league, a really dangerous quarterback, a really dangerous offense, and when we can really bring those two thought processes together, it’s going to be a really good team for a long time. So, we’re not quite there yet, and we’re working hard every day.”
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The Bears host the struggling Cleveland Browns (3-10) this week before finishing with three games that will determine whether they win the division, earn a Wild roster spot or miss the playoffs.
A Dec. 20 rematch with the Packers at Soldier Field could be an opportunity to regain the division lead. The Bears will then travel to the 49ers in Week 17 and face the Lions at home on January 4. If they lose to Green Bay or San Francisco, or even split, a game against Detroit could be in play for the final playoff spot. The Lions won Game 1 and therefore currently have a tiebreaker advantage.
Tough Texan
In a wide-open AFC, the Houston Texans defense was stingy but dominant enough to carry them to the Super Bowl.
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The Texans (8-5) overcame an 0-3 start to make the playoffs. The two-time defending AFC South champions currently sit one game behind the Jaguars (9-4).
They have home games against the Cardinals (3-10) and Raiders (2-11) over the next two weeks, finishing with tough games against the Chargers and at home against the Colts.
Led by Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter, Derek Stingley Jr. and Jalen Pitre, the Texans are the NFL’s worst team in allowing points (266.3) and allowing the fewest points per game (16.0). They held Patrick Mahomes 14-of-33 for 160 yards and three interceptions in a 20-10 win that ended Kansas City’s playoff hopes.
“The biggest thing for me is I focus on what’s ahead, and that’s how I want to keep our guys,” Texas coach DeMeco Rains said. “The most important thing is to keep your eyes on the front. Looking back at how we started, it’s easy to look back and think, ‘Oh, that was a bad start.'” Keep your eyes on the front. Like I said, your eyes are on the next opponent, the next goal, and it’s all about continuing to execute and finish. If you continue to focus on those things that you can control and not really worry about what other people are saying, what are the expectations for this game and that game. All of that, it doesn’t matter. For us, it’s about keeping your eyes ahead, focusing on the goal and executing. “
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Despite the so-so numbers, C.J. Stroud did a lot of positive things to lead the offense against Steve Spagnuolo’s defense. Stroud bowled a couple of big pitches at length on third, using the leg extension before delivering the ball.
“I thought there were some key third downs where C.J. was able to step up and make some plays on third down,” Ryans said.
Jay’s Picks
Jalen Hurts was picked off four times by the Los Angeles Chargers in Philadelphia’s 22-19 overtime loss on Monday night after throwing just three interceptions on 692 pass attempts in his previous 28 games.
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Hurts also fumbled a fumble on an interception return.
The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles (8-5) have lost three straight, and while they still lead Dallas (6-6-1) in the NFC East, Philadelphia has faltered. A poor passing attack is a big reason why the team is in trouble.
The Eagles ranked 29th in the passing game last season but were led by Saquon Barkley and the league’s No. 1 rushing attack. Barkley hasn’t found the same running routes this season — though he broke out for a 52-yard touchdown against the Chargers — and Hurts and the rest of the offense haven’t picked up the slack.
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