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CHICAGO BEARS

Let's Talk: NFL free agents and traded players speak up

FILE - Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky throws a pass during an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis, in this Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020, file photo. Now that the muzzles have been removed for NFL team executives and the players they either re-signed or added in free agency, Thursday was a time for explanations and reflections. New England bringing back LB Kyle Van Noy, Buffalo grabbing QB Mitchell Trubisky, and Tennessee getting All-Pro long snapper Morgan Cox. Green), players staying put (Leonard Williams, Derek Wolfe) and even a player coming out of retirement (Kyle Long). He played 14 games with eight starts for Baltimore after signing a $3 million contract to join the team from Denver.

Bears place franchise tag on star receiver Allen Robinson

Chicago Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson II (12) sets up to block during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Bears placed the franchise tag on star receiver Allen Robinson on Tuesday, March 9, 2021 setting up a potential messy situation with their most consistent playmaker on offense. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)CHICAGO – The Chicago Bears placed the franchise tag on star receiver Allen Robinson on Tuesday, setting up a potential messy situation with their most consistent playmaker on offense. “Hey, we love Allen Robinson,” general manager Ryan Pace said recently. Again, the franchise tag is an option for us.

Bears plan to keep Nagy, GM Pace for at least 1 more season

FILE - Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace walks the field before an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers in Chicago, in this Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, file photo. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)CHICAGO – The Chicago Bears plan to keep general manager Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy for at least another season. Chicago won the NFC North at 12-4 in 2018 — Nagy's first season. The Bears have two playoff appearances and a 42-54 regular-season record in six years under Pace, while Nagy is 28-20. There was speculation Pace or Nagy could be on their way out when the Bears lost six in a row this season — their worst skid since 2002.

Brees, Saints pull away late for 21-9 playoff win over Bears

Brees completed 28 of 39 passes for 265 yards, connecting with Michael Thomas and Latavius Murray for touchdowns, and the New Orleans Saints defeated the Chicago Bears 21-9 in an NFC wild-card game Sunday. Brees' first touchdown pass in the opening quarter was 11-yards over the middle to Thomas, back from a three-game absence to help heal a nagging ankle injury. The 2019 Offensive Player of the Year missed nine games this season and had not caught a touchdown pass since December 2019. That marked the second time this season a Bears player was thrown out for action taken against Gardner-Johnson after the whistle. The Bears have reached the playoffs twice since Pace took over in 2015, both times under Nagy, who was hired in 2018.

The Latest: Browns open 28-0 lead over Steelers

The Browns have raced to a 28-0 lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Browns’ 28 points are the most by any team in the first quarter of a playoff game since the 1970 merger. So, this will be the first NFL playoff game ever pitting two quadragenarian quarterbacks. Drew Brees is trying to join Brett Favre and Tom Brady as quarterbacks to win a playoff game after turning 40. That was his third career playoff game with 150 or more rushing yards, one game shy of Hall of Famer Terrell Davis’ record.

The Latest: Rams surge to 30-13 lead over Seahawks in fourth

The Los Angeles Rams are leading the Seattle Seahawks 23-13 early in the fourth quarter. The Los Angeles Rams have taken a 20-10 halftime lead over the Seahawks in their wild card game at Seattle. Metcalf to cut the Los Angles Rams' lead to 13-10 in the second quarter of their wild card game. The Buffalo Bills are taking a 17-10 lead over Indianapolis into the fourth quarter at Buffalo. Washington won the middling NFC East despite a 7-9 record to earn a home wild card game.

Rodgers leads Pack to top of NFC after draft disappointment

(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)The NFC playoff field features the usual cast of quarterbacks in Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Russell Wilson. Last Lombardi: Super Bowl 45, 31-25 over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Feb. 6, 2011, at Arlington, Texas. Last Lombardi: Super Bowl 48, 43-8 over the Denver Broncos on Feb. 2, 2014, at East Rutherford, N.J. Last year: No. The Bears’ leading tackler left in the first quarter of the Green Bay game with an elbow injury. DBs Buster Skrine, rookie Jaylon Johnson and Deon Bush missed the loss to Green Bay.

New 7th seed helps Bears 8 years too late for Lovie Smith

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy watches during the first half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)While Matt Nagy gets to coach Chicago in the playoffs despite a middling 8-8 record that could help save his job, former Bears coach Lovie Smith can only wonder if the extra team in the postseason could have helped him eight years ago. Smith’s Bears teams from the beginning of last decade are near the top of that list. Chicago lost five of six and missed the postseason as the seventh seed with an 8-8 mark. The tough-luck missing playoff team that season was the Giants, who missed out the year before Eli Manning and Co. won their second Super Bowl under coach Tom Coughlin.

Chiefs, Packers, Bills are top 3 in final AP Pro32 poll

However, none was able to knock off the Chiefs in the final AP Pro32 poll of the 2020 regular season. The Buffalo Bills stayed at No. The teams split their two meetings in the regular season, but the Seahawks won the most recent matchup, in Week 16. The Baltimore Ravens, the third team from the AFC North to make the playoffs, stayed at No. 16 after topping Philadelphia in the last game of the regular season and was the lowest-ranked team to make the playoffs.

Saints rout Panthers 33-7 to earn No. 2 seed in NFC playoffs

The Saints (12-4) will host the seventh-seeded Chicago Bears in the wild-card round next Sunday at 4:40 p.m. EST. He also ran for five TDs, but the Panthers struggled to make winning plays late in games all season with Bridgewater at the helm. That leaves questions about his future as the Panthers starting QB, especially with the team having a top 10 draft pick in 2021. UP NEXTSaints: The four-time defending NFC South champions host the Bears next Sunday in the playoffs. Panthers: After failing to make the playoffs for the third straight season, Carolina will look to the NFL draft to upgrade a number of pressing needs.

The Latest: Henry runs for 2k, Titans' doink wins AFC South

Henry came into Sunday’s regular season finale needing 223 yards rushing to become the second man in franchise history to reach 2,000. He came in as the NFL’s rushing leader for a second straight season with a career-best 1,777 yards rushing. The Green Bay Packers have set an NFL season record for second-quarter points. With the run Newton also passed Grogan for the single-season team record for rushing yards by a quarterback. Newton entered the game 26 yards behind Grogan, who had 539 rushing yards in 1978.

The Latest: NFC East will produce sub-.500 champ next week

(AP Photo/Mark Tenally)The Latest on Week 16 in the NFL (all times EST):___8 p.m.For the first time since 2014 there will be an NFL playoff team with a losing record. The winner will remain alive in the NFC East playoff race if Washington loses to Carolina. ___6:05 p.m.Washington is well on the way to blowing its first chance to clinch the NFC East. ___6 p.m.Eleven teams in the NFC are still harboring hopes of making a playoff run with Week 16 winding down. 1 seed in the NFC with a win Sunday night against the Titans and a Seattle loss or tie.

Bears beat Vikings 33-27 to stay in stride in playoff race

Chicago Bears safety Eddie Jackson (39) celebrates at the end of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020, in Minneapolis. Cairo Santos, who converted all four of his kicks, stretched his streak to 22 straight field goals made. The Bears then intercepted a last-snap heave by Cousins into the end zone to drop the Vikings to 3-5 at home this year. When the Vikings beat them 19-13 five weeks ago in Chicago, the Bears managed two first-half field goals and needed a kickoff return touchdown by Cordarrelle Patterson to stay competitive. Vikings: play at New Orleans on Friday.

3 takeaways from the Texans blowout loss to the Bears

The Houston Texans suffered their worst loss of the season Sunday, getting blown out by the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field, 36-7. Run defense poundedThe Texans’ defense struggled from the first play with David Montgomery bursting through for 80 yards and a touchdown. From there, the Bears used the threat of the run more than the run, hitting short passes off play-action. Mitch Trubisky, the maligned and oft-benched Bears quarterback, outplayed Watson and helped the Bears run up 30 points by halftime. The Texans owned the second-worst run defense in the NFL heading into the game, and it is not improving.

Houston Texans drop to Chicago Bears, 36-7

Mitchell Trubisky threw three touchdown passes to outplay Deshaun Watson in their first meeting since they entered the NFL, and the Chicago Bears snapped a six-game losing streak with a 36-7 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday. The Bears (6-7) sacked Watson seven times, including a safety by Khalil Mack, to tie a career high for the Texans quarterback. Trubisky buried the Texans (4-9) in the first half, throwing for three TDs as the Bears grabbed a 30-7 lead. Mack went four games without a sack before he got Watson for a safety in the second quarter. Trubisky made it 14-0 early in the second quarter with a 5-yard touchdown to Jimmy Graham.

3 things to watch in the Texans road game against the Bears

The Houston Texans will take on the Chicago Bears Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field in Chicago. Here are three major takeaways to watch in the Texans road game against the Bears:Watson’s revengeFor years, Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has said all the right things, including this week saying he’s not after revenge for not being drafted by Chicago in 2017. Bears fans have lamented missing out on Watson (and Super Bowl-winning quarterback Patrick Mahomes) in favor of Mitch Trubisky, who was drafted second overall. While Trubisky has a winning record as a starter, the Bears’ offense has not been strong in the past four seasons. For the Bears, receiver Allen Robinson could have a big game, as none of the Texans cornerbacks are talented enough to effectively shadow him.

The Latest: Lions place DE Griffen on COVID-19 list

(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___Detroit Lions defensive end Everson Griffen was placed on the COVID-19 list a day before he was expected to play a key role against Green Bay. The Lions announced Griffen is on the list created for players who either test positive for the coronavirus or have been in close contact with an infected person. Detroit elevated defensive end Kareem Martin and offensive tackle Dan Skipper from the practice squad Saturday. The Lions acquired Griffen from Dallas in October and he has 2 1/2 sacks and three passes defended in five games. Running backs Matt Breida (COVID-19 list) and Salvon Ahmed (shoulder) were already sidelined.

The Latest: Washington-Oregon football game canceled

___Utah State’s men’s basketball team is pausing full team activities and has canceled its game against Weber State on Saturday due to positive COVID-19 tests within the program. Texas (6-3, 5-3) returned three positive tests after blowing out Kansas State last week, prompting school officials to shut down practice. ___Citing a surge of positive COVID-19 cases and contact tracing in the football program, West Virginia has paused all football activities for the next seven days and will not host No. ___South Carolina has called off its men’s basketball game at George Washington on Monday because of a positive COVID-19 test. ___Georgia has canceled its women’s basketball game against Radford because of a positive COVID-19 test within the Highlanders’ program.

Stafford throws 3 TDs, Lions rally to beat Bears 34-30

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws for a touchdown against the Chicago Bears in the second half of an NFL football game in Chicago, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)CHICAGO – Darrell Bevell had a hard time processing everything from his first game as an NFL coach. They fired general manager Bob Quinn and coach Matt Patricia while elevating Bevell, their offensive coordinator, to interim coach. But the Lions turned things around down the stretch, sending the Bears (5-7) to their sixth straight loss. The Lions came out on top after losing four of five, and Stafford gave Bevell the game ball.

Cousins, Vikings overcome Patterson return, beat Bears 19-13

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears Monday, Nov. 16, 2020, in Chicago. Cousins threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns, and the Minnesota Vikings overcame a 104-yard kickoff return by Chicago’s Cordarrelle Patterson to beat the Bears 19-13. “We’ll try to keep building on it now, and it’ll be so important to keep stringing these together if we can. It was the longest kickoff return in franchise history, surpassing Gale Sayers’ 103-yarder against Pittsburgh on Sept. 17, 1967. Cousins completed 25 of 36 passes with two touchdowns to Thielen, who has nine on the season.

All NFL games on for Week 9 as teams deal with COVID-19

(AP Photo/Terrance Williams, File)All NFL games are on for this weekend while teams deal with COVID-19 issues. The Cincinnati Bengals kept players away from their training facility after two unidentified players tested positive for COVID-19. The Atlanta Falcons canceled practice and worked virtually after a member of the football staff tested positive. ”A Miami Dolphins assistant coach, also unidentified, tested positive for COVID-19 and was quarantined. Coach Matt Nagy said this week that Spriggs tested positive for the coronavirus and Ifedi was put on the list because of a close contact.

The Latest: Packers' Krys Barnes, Jordan Love on COVID list

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___The Green Bay Packers placed linebacker Krys Barnes and reserve quarterback Jordan Love on the reserve/COVID-19 list. The list is for a player who has tested positive or has been in close contact with an infected person. The Bears canceled practice and closed their facility Thursday after another player tested positive. ___The Atlanta Falcons canceled practice and worked virtually Friday after a member of the football staff tested positive for COVID-19. “The whole reason we’re doing it is to get guys to the game,” coach Raheem Morris said.

The Latest: Lions put Jalen Elliott on reserve/COVID-19 list

(Jose Sena Goulao, Pool via AP)The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___The Detroit Lions have put safety Jalen Elliott on the reserve/COVID-19 list. The list is for players who either test positive or have been in close contact with an infected person. ___UConn has suspended all men's basketball activities after a player tested positive for the coronavirus. The confirmation of a positive COVID-19 case occurs when a player receives two consecutive positive test results. He was placed on it because he had been in close contact with someone who had tested positive.