It’s still unclear if Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky will be available to face the Giants on Sunday, but Chicago is confident Trubisky’s shoulder injury won’t turn into a long-term issue, as Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com tweets. Trubisky missed the Bears’ Thanksgiving Day matchup against the Lions, but Chicago was still able to manage a victory with backup Chase Daniel under center. The Bears have a 98% chance of earning a postseason berth and an 83% chance to win the NFC North, so they may not want to risk Trubisky’s health in what could be another easy win against New York. Trubisky did practice on Wednesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), although it was in a limited fashion.
Here’s more from the NFL’s two North divisions:
- While Trubisky might be healthy enough to play on Sunday, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco almost certainly won’t be ready for Week 13. Flacco, who is still dealing with a hip issue that has cost him two games, didn’t practice on Wednesday and appears likely to sit out Sunday, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com (Twitter link). First-round rookie Lamar Jackson, who has led Baltimore to two victories in his first two starts, figures to be under center again when the Ravens take on the Falcons. Meanwhile, offensive lineman James Hurst returned to practice on Wednesday after being sidelined since mid-October, reports Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic (Twitter link).
- Matt Nagy will lead the Bears against the Giants on Sunday, but New York never showed any interest in hiring him as a head coach during the offseason, as he told reporters — including Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com (Twitter link) — on Wednesday. That’s in line with PFR’s 2018 Head Coaching Search Tracker, which shows Nagy only interviewed with the Colts and Bears. The Giants, meanwhile, met with Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia, Steve Wilks, Eric Studesville, and Steve Spagnuolo before hiring Pat Shurmur. Nagy, for his part, could take home Coach of the Year depending on how Chicago’s season ends.
- Speaking of current Bears coaches, Chicago is worried it could lose defensive coordinator Vic Fangio this offseason, as Jay Glazer of The Athletic writes. Fangio has interviewed for two head positions in the past, but both have been with clubs that already employed him (Bears in 2018, 49ers in 2015). While he didn’t land either of those gigs, Fangio could be in line to move into a head coaching role after that’s currently ranked first in DVOA by a relatively wide margin. As Glazer writes, however, Fangio’s age (60) could work against him as many clubs are searching for younger coaches.
- By going over the 100-catch mark on Sunday, Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen triggered an escalator in his contract, tweets Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Thielen, who inked an incredibly team-friendly extension last spring, will now see his 2019 base salary increase from $3.85MM to $5.85MM. If he tops 90 receptions in 2019, Thielen will boost his 2020 salary from $5.35MM to $7.35MM.
Theilen is worth every penny to that team.
Amen!
Well thanks for jinxing the Bears with that “another easy win” and Nagy as coach of the year talk. It will all go south quickly next season if they lose Fangio.
I know the feeling as a Bengals fan. Having lost Mike Zimmer and Jay Gruden.. that was painful. I would have swapped either of those 2 for Marvin
The Bears defense is not only talented but extremely deep. Especially at LB. Fangio is a great coach, but it’s not like they will fall apart if he leaves. I hope they keep him because there is something to be said for continuity, but they’ll be fine.
The Bears defense became terrible after Lovie was sacked and there will definitely be a drop off if Vic leaves. The 49ers still haven’t found a decent DC to replace Fangio.
That was a much different defense, not nearly as talented-especially front 7- as this one is. Apples Oranges
Exactly right. If Fangio leaves, DC’s will be fighting each other for the chance to coach these guys. Plus if Fangio goes and Bowles gets fired, he’s probably the man as he and Nagy are good pals. Not only is the D talented, they are extremely young so they should dominate for years. Anybody who thinks otherwise is not very bright.
Bowles as DC? Third string journeyman Matt Barkley torched the Jets defense for 41 points. The Bears would be better off with Krusty the clown.
Bowles is a good DC. It his fault that the GM signed crusty the clown and the other jokers on the roster. Team sucks. Darnold is a right handed Leinart.
I agree. A strong coach’s motivation, vision, and leadership skills are extremely underrated. If your guys love you, they will take what you say to heart and ball out for you. If they don’t, the message will fall on deaf ears, and some may even sabotage your game plan.
They forced a DC to use a system that he had never used before and the veteran defenders deliberately sabotaged his effort. Plus they were all overage and in a decline.
DC’s will be lining up to coach that defense. He will be missed but they will survive