Tag: bears

Lions sneak past Bears, 19-16

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Jake Bates kicked a 42-yard field goal on the final play and the Detroit Lions topped the NFC North champion Bears, 19-16, in Chicago on Sunday.

Chicago (11-6), which rallied from a 16-0 deficit in the fourth quarter, held onto the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs despite the loss thanks to Philadelphia’s loss to Washington. The Bears, who clinched the division the previous week, will host the Green Bay Packers on wild-card weekend.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff passed for 331 yards and a touchdown. Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 80 yards and also caught a touchdown pass, while Amon-Ra St. Brown caught 11 passes for 139 yards as the Lions finished with a 9-8 record.

Following a Bears punt, the Lions drove 39 yards to set up Bates’ game winner. The key play was Goff’s connection over the middle to St. Brown, who spun out of a tackle and gained an extra 10 yards on the 26-yard connection.

Caleb Williams passed for 212 yards and two touchdowns for the Bears. Colston Loveland caught 10 passes for 91 yard and a touchdown.

The Bears were limited to 69 yards in the first half and the Lions grabbed a 13-0 lead.

Bates kicked field goals of 34 and 30 yards. St. Brown’s 30-yard reception set up Goff’s 15-yard scoring pass to Gibbs.

The Bears drove into Lions territory midway through the third quarter but Avonte Maddox intercepted a long Williams pass attempt in the end zone. Detroit then embarked on an 11-play drive which ended with a 25-yard Bates field goal to make it 16-0.

Chicago broke through during the opening minute of the fourth quarter on Williams’ 25-yard scoring pass to Jahdae Walker. Kyle Monangai rushed for the 2-point conversion to cut the Lions’ lead to 16-8.

The Bears tied the score with 5:25 remaining on an 88-yard drive capped when Williams found Loveland for 27 yards. The duo connected again for a 1-yard TD, and Williams went to tight end Cole Kmet for the 2-point conversion on a contested grab in the middle of the end zone.

–Field Level Media

Brock Purdy accounts for 5 TDs as 49ers hang on in shootout with Bears

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Brock Purdy passed for three touchdowns and ran for two more and Christian McCaffrey had 181 scrimmage yards and a score as the host San Francisco 49ers edged the Chicago Bears 42-38 on Sunday in Santa Clara, Calif.

San Francisco (12-4) went ahead on a 38-yard touchdown pass from Purdy to Jauan Jennings with 2:15 to go before holding on against cardiac Chicago.

The Bears (11-5) were unable to add to their NFL-record six victories when trailing in the final two minutes of regulation. Chicago drove to the San Francisco 2-yard line on its final possession, including a 4th-and-5 conversion from the 26, before Caleb Williams threw incomplete on the final play.

San Francisco can clinch the top seed in the NFC playoffs with a win against visiting Seattle in Week 18. Chicago, which secured the NFC North title with Green Bay’s loss Saturday, will be the conference’s second or third seed.

Chicago tied the game at 35 on D’Andre Swift’s 22-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter.

After forcing a 49ers punt on the ensuing drive, the Bears took a 38-35 lead on a 29-yard Cairo Santos field goal with 5:22 remaining.

Purdy was 24-of-33 for 303 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Williams finished 25-of-42 for 330 yards and two TDs.

Luther Burden (138 yards on eight catches) and Colson Loveland (94 on six) both caught TDs for the Bears, while Swift rushed for two scores.

McCaffrey had 140 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. Ricky Pearsall caught five passes for 85 yards.

Chicago and San Francisco combined to score three touchdowns apiece over the first 17:40 of the game.

The Bears struck first and in familiar fashion, as T.J. Edwards intercepted a Purdy pass tipped by Jaylon Johnson and ran 34 yards to the end zone on the first play from scrimmage. It was Chicago’s 32nd takeaway and 22nd interception this season, both league bests.

San Francisco All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams sustained a hamstring injury on the play and did not return. He was replaced by Austen Pleasants.

Even with a shift in the front five and with tight end George Kittle sidelined by an ankle injury, the 49ers built a solid rushing attack that gained 173 yards on 26 first-half carries. McCaffrey had 121 yards and a score on 18 carries while Purdy ran for two TDs to go with a passing touchdown to Jake Tonges.

The 49ers led 28-21 at halftime.

–Field Level Media

49ers TE George Kittle (ankle) likely out against Bears

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The San Francisco 49ers are planning to play without star tight end George Kittle in a key NFC game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday night at Santa Clara, Calif.

ESPN reported Kittle, who has been fighting an ankle injury, is not expected to play, while NFL Network said he will work out before the game starts but is doubtful.

Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, listed as questionable because of knee and ankle injuries, likely will play, per ESPN.

Kittle, twice a first-team All-Pro selection, has played in just 10 games this season due to injuries. He has 52 catches for 599 yards and seven touchdown receptions.

The 32-year-old has 590 career catches for 7,979 yards and 52 touchdown receptions in 123 career games (115 starts).

Pearsall, 25, has played just eight games (all starts) this season with 31 catches for 443 yards. He appeared in 11 games as a rookie last season, with 31 catches, 400 yards and three scores.

San Francisco and Chicago both enter the game Sunday night with 11-4 records, and both still are alive to earn the No. 1 playoff seed in the NFC.

The 49ers must win their next two games (Bears, Seattle Seahawks) and the Bears need to win their next two (49ers, Lions) and have Seattle lose once to earn the top seed.

–Field Level Media

Two of NFC’s best face off when 49ers host Bears

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Two teams with aspirations of claiming the NFC’s top seed battle Sunday night when the Chicago Bears take on the San Francisco 49ers at Santa Clara, Calif.

Both teams have 11-4 records but the NFC North-leading Bears are currently in the No. 2 position while the 49ers are at No. 5.

Chicago clinched a playoff spot with last Saturday’s 22-16 overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers. The Bears could clinch the division crown if the Packers lose to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. If Green Bay wins, Chicago can clinch by beating San Francisco.

“My goal isn’t just to get to the playoffs — my goal is to win and win big,” Bears breakout second-year quarterback Caleb Williams said.

Chicago also craves the No. 1 seed, currently held by the Seattle Seahawks (12-3).

“Our step No. 1 was to get to 11 (wins),” Bears coach Ben Johnson said. “There’s never been an 11-win team to not make it, and so we felt pretty good about that being the number going into the season. That was step one. Step two is we want to win this division. We want to have at least one home playoff game. And then step three would be clinch a No. 1 seed.

“So there are a lot of things still out there to play for. Our guys know that.”

The 49ers clinched a playoff spot last Sunday, one day before whipping the Indianapolis Colts 48-27.

San Francisco has won five straight games and fancies a run at the No. 1 seed. The Super Bowl will be played in its home stadium in Santa Clara this season.

The 49ers are part of a power-packed NFC West that has three teams with 11 or more wins, counting the current No. 6 seed Los Angeles Rams.

“We have to now focus on trying to be the best team we can be and see what happens,” San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Now it’s time to position ourselves. These guys earned the right to be in the playoffs.”

Brock Purdy passed for a career-high five touchdown passes in a superb performance against the Colts. Purdy is the first San Francisco quarterback to throw at least five TDs in a game since Hall of Famer Steve Young tossed a Super Bowl-record six during a rout of the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX (1994 season).

Shanahan was highly impressed with the performance. Purdy’s opinion was more mixed.

“There are still things that I have to clean up and I just want to get better at,” Purdy said. “You don’t want it to come up in another game and another situation, so (there’s) definitely room for improvement.”

Star tight end George Kittle sprained his left ankle in the game against the Colts and sat out Wednesday’s practice. It remains possible he could play against the Bears.

“He’s got a chance,” Shanahan said Wednesday. “We’re not ruling him out.”

Defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos (knee) was the only other San Francisco player who sat out due to injury or illness.

Meanwhile, Williams has thrown 10 touchdown passes over the past five games and has 23 for the season against six interceptions. He has passed for 3,400 yards and his progress is a big reason why Chicago has won 11 of its last 13 games.

Last Sunday, Williams tossed a game-winning 46-yard scoring pass to DJ Moore in OT. The Bears trailed by 10 late in the fourth quarter before mounting the rally.

“You want to be a clutch team,” Johnson said. “You want to be able to handle the pressure and rise to the occasion. We’ve got a team built like that.”

Five Bears missed Wednesday’s practice due to injury or illness. Receiver Rome Odunze (foot) is improving but expected to miss his fourth consecutive game.

Also sitting out were linebackers T.J. Edwards (glute) and D’Marco Jackson (illness), defensive back Nick McCloud (illness) and return specialist Devin Duvernay (illness).

San Francisco routed the Bears 38-13 last season and piled up seven sacks of Williams.

–Field Level Media

Bears rally, beat Packers in OT; Jordan Love suffers concussion

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Caleb Williams hit DJ Moore with a 46-yard touchdown pass in overtime as the Chicago Bears overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit for a 22-16 victory over the visiting Green Bay Packers on Saturday night, securing their hold on first place in the NFC North.

Along with losing to their longtime rivals, the Packers lost quarterback Jordan Love to a concussion in the second quarter on a helmet-to-helmet hit by Austin Booker.

Chicago recovered an onside kick to set up the tying touchdown on a fourth-and-4 play, a 6-yard pass from Williams to free agent rookie Jahdae Walker to tie it at 16-all with 24 seconds remaining in regulation.

Green Bay drove to the Chicago 36 on the first series in overtime, but reserve quarterback Malik Willis fumbled the snap on fourth-and-1.

On the ensuing possession, Kyle Monangai carried for 11 yards on third-and-3 for a first down at the Packers 46. Williams then hit Moore with the game-winner.

Cairo Santos’ third field goal of the game, a 43-yarder with 1:59 remaining, pulled Chicago within 16-9.

Romeo Doubs was unable to corral the onside kick and the Bears recovered for a first down at their own 47. Williams then hit a wide-open Walker in the right corner of the end zone.

Chicago (11-4) maintained first place in the division over Green Bay (9-5-1), which defeated the Bears 28-21 at home two weeks ago.

Willis, who came on when Jordan Love was injured on a second-quarter sack, directed three scoring drives, including a 33-yard touchdown pass to Doubs that put Green Bay in front 13-3 with 33 seconds left in the third quarter.

Santos answered on the Bears’ next possession with a 51-yard field goal to make it 13-6. Brandon McManus countered with a 28-yard field goal to extend the lead to 10 with 5:03 left.

Williams completed 19 of 34 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns. D’Andre Swift ran for 58 yards and Monangai added 50.

The Packers ran for 192 yards, including 82 by Emanuel Wilson. Willis completed 9 of 11 passes for 121 yards and also ran for 44 yards. Josh Jacobs was limited to 36 rushing yards on 12 carries. Before he exited, Love completed 8 of 13 passes for 77 yards.

After being blanked in the first half, the Bears got on the board on the opening possession of the third quarter, pulling within 6-3 on Santos’ 46-yard field goal. Williams keyed the drive with a 34-yard pass to Monangai.

Green Bay responded with a drive to the Bears’ 3-yard line, but Jacobs’ fumble was recovered by Chicago.

Willis came on to replace Love with first down at the Green Bay 32. Willis continued the 16-play, 91-yard drive that ended with McManus’ 22-yard field goal that put the Packers in front 6-0 at the half.

McManus’ 26-yarder put Green Bay ahead 3-0 early in the second quarter.

Each team failed on fourth-and-1 inside its 10-yard line on its opening possession.

–Field Level Media

Bears WR Rome Odunze (foot) ruled out vs. Packers

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Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze was ruled out for Saturday’s game against the visiting Green Bay Packers due to a foot injury.

Odunze had yet to participate in practice this week after aggravating the injury during pre-game warmups last Sunday, ultimately leading to him being scratched prior to kickoff of Chicago’s game against the visiting Cleveland Browns.

Odunze leads the Bears in catches (44), receiving yards (661) and receiving touchdowns (six) this season.

Odunze, 23, has 98 receptions for 1,395 yards and nine touchdowns in 29 career games since the Bears selected him with the ninth overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Fellow wideout Luther Burden III (ankle) and linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga (hamstring) also have been ruled out for the Bears (10-4).

Running back D’Andre Swift (groin) was limited in Thursday’s practice. He joined linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (groin), defensive lineman Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (personal) and tight end Cole Kmet (ankle/knee) in being listed as questionable to face the Packers (9-4-1).

–Field Level Media

Nov 9, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze (15) makes a catch against New York Giants safety Jevon Holland (8) during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

Bears WR Rome Odunze scratched just before kickoff vs. Browns

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze was scratched prior to kickoff of Sunday’s game against the visiting Cleveland Browns.

Odunze reportedly aggravated the foot injury in pre-game warm-ups, which caused him to miss last week’s game in Green Bay.

He was limited throughout the week and listed as questionable heading into Sunday’s game.

Odunze leads the Bears in catches (44), receiving yards (661) and receiving touchdowns (six).

Odunze, 23, has 98 receptions for 1,395 yards and nine touchdowns in 29 career games since the Bears selected him with the ninth overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.

The following players will also be inactive for the Bears (9-4) on Sunday: quarterback Tyson Bagent, running back Travis Homer, wide receiver Jahdae Walker, linebacker Ruben Hyppolite, defensive end Dominique Robinson and defensive tackle Jonathan Ford.

The Browns (3-10) listed cornerback Denzel Ward, running back Dylan Sampson, guards Zak Zinter and Wyatt Teller, tackle Jack Conklin, tight end David Njoku and defensive tackle Adin Huntington as inactive for Sunday’s game.

–Field Level Media

Deep freeze: Wind chill could hit 20 below for Browns-Bears on Sunday

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Tony Medlin might not be a household name around the NFL, but the Chicago Bears equipment manager is quite popular around team headquarters in the northern suburbs where he’s experienced the layers and nuance to the well-worn Illinois weather qualifier, “cooler by the lake.”

Circle Medlin as a potential MVP candidate for the Bears this week with arctic temperatures escorting the Cleveland Browns from Lake Erie to Lake Michigan for their Week 15 date at Soldier Field. He’ll help outfit players with cleats, base layers, confer with stadium operators about heated benches and work with the training staff to address injury concerns.

When the Browns wake up Sunday morning at their team hotel a few blocks from the stadium, the temperature is expected to be below zero. Wind chills are forecast for a range between 20-below and 30-below zero, increasing to the teens before the 1 p.m. ET kickoff.

Cleveland is anticipating a focus on running the ball on Sunday. The Bears are second in the NFL, averaging 152.6 rushing yards per game. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski called Chicago’s ground game a “great rushing attack” but doesn’t want to ignore the playmaking ability of quarterback Caleb Williams.

“He can make a ton of plays both on schedule and off schedule, has elite arm talent to throw the ball around the field,” Stefanski said. “He’s very elusive, extremely elusive. He can get out of the pocket to the left, to the right, vertical in the pocket. He’s a hard guy to bring down and that adds another element to their team and in this case their run offense.”

If the air temperature without regard to wind chill is in the single digits on Sunday, the game would be one of the five coldest at Soldier Field, the Bears’ home stadium since 1971. The Bears’ record for coldest temperature at kickoff in a home game was Dec. 22, 2008. The Bears and Packers played on a frozen field when the kickoff temperature was 2 degrees and wind chill was minus-13.

Medlin, head equipment manager of the Bears since 1997 following 10 years serving the organization prior to taking on that title, entered the league with the team after a phone interview with an administrator assisting the league office named Roger Goodell.

–Field Level Media

Bears not viewing clash vs. floundering Browns as ‘trap game’

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The forecast calls for single-digit temperatures when the Chicago Bears host the Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoon along the shores of Lake Michigan.

Bears safety Kevin Byard III has an idea: Fans might stay warm by standing up and screaming at the top of their lungs.

“Be as loud as possible, especially on third downs,” Byard said when asked for his message to Chicago fans. “Like I said, the offense has to communicate a lot more. I know, especially against Cleveland, having a young quarterback, having to communicate in a very loud hostile environment can be huge for us on defense.”

The Bears (9-4) know they cannot afford a letdown against the Browns (3-10) as the postseason approaches. Chicago held the No. 1 spot in the NFC going into last weekend, but a narrow loss against the Green Bay Packers dropped the Bears into a potential wild-card spot heading into Week 15.

Cleveland has lost two straight and five of its past six, but the recent play of rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders has given the franchise reason for optimism. Sanders passed for 364 yards, three touchdowns and one interception last week in a 31-29 home loss against the Tennessee Titans.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski praised Sanders for improving throughout the season.

“In terms of a light turning on, those types of things, I just think he’s committed to getting better every single week,” Stefanski said. “And that’s what you want.”

The Browns also want their best player to make history.

Defensive end Myles Garrett enters this weekend with a league-high 20 sacks in 13 games. He is 2 1/2 sacks shy of matching the NFL’s single-season record of 22 1/2, which Michael Strahan set in 2001 and T.J. Watt matched in 2021.

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams knows that Garrett will be tough to stop. Williams wants no part of becoming the answer to a trivia question: Which quarterback did Garrett take down to break the sack record?

“I’m going to try and make sure that he doesn’t get the sack record on us and on me,” Williams said. “… As a game plan … everything is not allowing them to wreck the game.

“That’s something he can do. That’s something that he’s done throughout his whole career. So we’re excited for the challenge. We’re excited for this week. We’re excited to try and get back into the win column.”

This is the teams’ 19th meeting. Cleveland leads the all-time series 11-7, and the home team has won 10 of the past 11 games.

In the most recent meeting, the Browns eked out a 20-17 home win on Dec. 17, 2023.

The teams are in much different positions now in terms of their playoff trajectory, but Byard said he and his teammates were treating the Browns as equals.

“Some people will call this a classic trap game or whatever it may be,” Byard said. “I don’t really believe in trap games in the league. I think every single week, you have to bring your best ball regardless of records.

“This is the National Football League, and every team and everybody is playing for something regardless of what the record is.”

The Bears did not practice on Wednesday, instead holding a walkthrough, meaning their participation report was an estimation. Rome Odunze (foot), who sat out the loss to the Packers, was listed as a limited participant, along with fellow wide receiver wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus (hamstring) and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (hip). Cornerback Kyler Gordon (groin), who was injured in warmups before the Green Bay game, was listed as a non-participant.

For the Browns, 10 players did not practice Wednesday: left guard Joel Bitonio (knee/back), right tackle Jack Conklin (concussion), strong safety Grant Delpit (illness/groin), defensive tackles Mason Graham (rib) and Adin Huntington (quad), tight end David Njoku (knee), running back Dylan Sampson (calf/hand), right guard Wyatt Teller (calf), wide receiver Cedric Tillman (concussion/rib) and cornerback Denzel Ward (calf).

Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson, who had his 21-day practice window opened, took part in individual drills. He has been sidelined since twice tearing his right Achilles tendon last season.

–Field Level Media

Packers’ late interception sinks Bears in NFC North clash

Posted on | by Field Level Media

GREEN BAY, Wis., — Jordan Love passed for three touchdowns and the Green Bay Packers intercepted Caleb Williams in the end zone in the final minute to preserve a 28-21 victory over the visiting Chicago Bears on Sunday to take over the top spot in the NFC North.

Josh Jacobs scored on a 2-yard run to put Green Bay in front 28-21 with 3:32 remaining. Jacobs set up the score when he appeared to be corralled behind the line on third-and-2, but broke through for 21 yards to the Bears 7-yard line.

Williams responded with completions of 27 and 24 yards to move the ball to the Packers’ 23. Three running plays netted nine yards. Keisean Nixon then picked off Williams’ fourth-down pass in the end zone with 22 seconds left.

Green Bay (9-3-1) improved to 4-0 in the division. Chicago (9-4-0) had won five straight and nine of its last 10. The Bears are 1-3 in the division. The teams meet again in two weeks in Chicago.

Chicago, which trailed 14-3 at the half, pulled even at 21 when Williams hit tight end Colston Loveland with a 1-yard touchdown pass with eight minutes remaining.

Love completed 17 of 25 passes for 234 yards with one interception. Jacobs rushed 86 yards on 20 carries.

Williams completed 19 of 35 passes for 186 yards and a pair of 1-yard touchdowns with the one costly interception. Chicago was without leading receiver Rome Odunze (44 catches, 661 yards and six touchdowns) who was out with a foot injury.

The Bears pulled within 14-11 with a 64-yard scoring drive on their first possession of the third quarter. Olamide Zaccheaus made a diving grab on the right side of the end zone on Williams’ 1-yard pass. Kyle Monangai added the two-point conversion run.

Green Bay answered on the ensuing possession when Love hit Christian Watson on a short slant that he turned into a 41-yard touchdown to put the Packers up 21-11.

Cairo Santos brought the Bears within 21-14 with a 41-yard field goal.

Love put the Packers up 14-3 at the half, finding Bo Melton wide open deep down the middle for a 45-yard touchdown pass with 38 seconds left. It was just the third catch of the season for Melton, whose only other receiving touchdown was in 2023.

Chicago had pulled within 7-3 on the previous series when Santos capped a 59-yard drive with a 33-yard field goal.

Love put the Packers up 7-0 midway through the second quarter, hitting Watson with a 23-yard touchdown pass to cap an 11-play, 80-yard drive.

The Bears, who lead the league in takeaways, intercepted Love on the Packers first series, but went three-and-out.

–Jim Hoehn, Field Level Media