Halas Intrigue Bears Report: Previewing Week 16 vs. Chiefs

The good: The playoffs are out of reach, but the Bears still have a shot at finishing with a winning record.

The bad: Did we mention the playoffs are out of reach? That’s bad news for a team that was expected to make a Super Bowl run this season.

The ugly: Missing the playoffs usually means turning your attention to the draft, except the Bears don’t have a first-round pick in the 2020 draft.

Let’s get to it ...

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Offense: Mahomes vs. Trubisky

It’s the comparison Bears fans have little interest in rehashing, yet we all know what’s coming Sunday night. Mitch Trubisky matches up against Patrick Mahomes in few ways beyond draft pedigree, but that aspect of their young careers looms large ahead of a game with otherwise light implications.

Trubisky, to his credit, remains thoughtful and reasonable in approaching the situation. “Our careers are going in different paths, and they will for the rest of time, and they’ll be compared against each other,” the Bears QB said. “It’s just the nature of the beast. But I’m in competition with myself and just trying to be the best version of me and win games for the Chicago Bears.”

Did you know?

• Among NFL wideouts, Allen Robinson is tied for seventh in catches (83) and 13th in receiving yards (1,023) despite being part of the league’s 25th-best passing attack. But he says he’s unbothered by not being one of the eight players at the position named to the 2020 Pro Bowl.
• The Bears’ five tight ends have caught 42 passes for 362 receiving yards this season. Travis Kelce, the Chiefs’ starter at the position, has better numbers than that over the last four weeks. When will the Bears find a player like him?

Defense: Hicks gets green light

It was clear watching the loss to the Packers last Sunday that defensive lineman Akiem Hicks was still battling pain in a left elbow that forced him to miss much of this season. A meaningless game seems the ideal time to rest the veteran, but coach Matt Nagy says Hicks will play Sunday. “We’re rolling,” Nagy said.

Did you know?

• Khalil Mack is tied for 248th in the NFL with 42 tackles this season and tied for 29th with 7.5 sacks. Mack, who is the highest-paid defensive player in league history with a six-year, $141 million extension signed before last season, is often compared to the Rams’ Aaron Donald — the previous highest-paid player. Donald is tied for 238th in the NFL with 43 tackles, but is seventh with 11.0 sacks. Roquan Smith, who is tied for 26th in the NFL, leads the Bears with 101 tackles. The Packers’ Blake Martinez leads the NFL with 140 tackles.
• The average opposing offense starts each drive against the Bears’ defense at their own 31-yard line. Only three teams (Jets, Dolphins, Panthers) have put their defense in worse field positions over the course of the season.

Special Teams: Patterson rewarded

Not that Cordarrelle Patterson needed another Pro Bowl appearance to affirm his greatness on special teams, but he’ll gladly take the honor. The Bears’ returner and gunner told reporters that he’s not surprised by his third Pro Bowl selection “because I know what I can do.”

Did you know?

• Patterson leads the NFL in kick return yardage (799), ranks second in yards per return (29.6) and is one of only six players to return a kickoff for a touchdown this season. His 102-yard score remains the longest kick return of the season, too.

What they’re saying

Chiefs coach Andy Reid on Nagy’s previous gig: “That was a great room to grow up in. Matt Nagy is your coach; [quality-control coach] Mike Kafka, who played, he was in there. And then [starter] Alex Smith. I mean, come on. That was like the University of Quarterbacks for ya, right there.”

• Terrell Suggs on joining the Chiefs for the stretch run: “It’s hard to turn down [playing with] the reigning MVP [Patrick Mahomes] and a playoff team and just the exciting things they’re doing, this atmosphere.’’

From our notebooks

• Our experts make their predictions for Bears-Chiefs.
• Is 9-7 really that much better than 7-9? Matt Nagy said so, but a couple more victories wouldn’t change anything in a failed season, Jason Lieser writes.
• Danny Trevathan’s future with the Bears is uncertain after his season came to an end when the team put him on IR. The veteran linebacker is a free agent this offseason and could get larger offers elsewhere.

What’s next?

The Bears will conclude the 2019 regular season with a road matchup against the Vikings next Sunday. Minnesota can clinch its playoff spot this weekend when it faces the Packers.

On the podcast

In the latest edition of Halas Intrigue, Patrick Finley and Jason Lieser welcome back The Score’s Chris Emma to talk about the inevitable comparisons between Mitch Trubisky and the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, what Andy Reid said about Matt Nagy on Wednesday and more.

Listen here.

Also, got any questions for the Bears? Email us or tweet at @suntimes_sports and we’ll see if we can get them answered in one of our next newsletters.

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