Holmes: Postgame Notes From Bears Locker Room
Well, we found out that winning this game was important to Lovie Smith. The Bears starters played the entire game and came up short in the regular season finale 10-3.
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Well, we found out that winning this game was important to Lovie Smith. The Bears starters played the entire game and came up short in the regular season finale 10-3.
This time of year everyone wants to talk about who deserves what awards, and many debates arise. For the Bears, the MVP of the defense is simple...it's the defense.
After sitting out Wednesday and Thursday's practices with an ankle injury, Bears' receiver Earl Bennett returned to the field on Friday.
A staple of the Bears' defense under Lovie Smith has been forcing turnovers. While that's lacked over the past few games, expect the Bears to turn that around.
The Bears-Packers rivalry started in 1921, a 20-0 Bears' victory, and has resulted in 180 regular season matchups. According to LeRoy Butler, the rivalry changed when Lovie Smith was hired as the Bears' head coach.
There has been some debate as to whether or not the Bears' starters will play in Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers, and also if they should play.
The Minnesota Vikings finally did something right this season. By beating the Philadelphia Eagles, the Vikings gave the Bears a guaranteed first round bye in the NFC Playoffs.
After a 7-9 season, and missing the playoffs for the third straight season, people were demanding drastic change. But the biggest change, as Lance Briggs put it, was no change.
Mike Martz had doubts about returning to coach before he joined the Bears for this season. Martz was just happy to be with a team again, now he's enjoying the rise to the top with the Bears.
No team has risen toward the NFL's elite in more stunning fashion than the Chicago Bears.
It's fair to say that the Chicago Bears have already exceeded all expectations this season.
Don't let the results get in the way of a good argument. At least that seems to be the rallying cry for the hardest-core advocates for a Bears' coaching change after this season.
All the talk this week from the Bears' players about the change of venue for the Bears-Vikings Monday night game, has been negative. But history tells us that it could still be better than the alternative.
There has been concern over the field at TCF Bank Stadium being safe enough to play and it has been said a few times that it will be. However, some of the Vikings' players have expressed concern, even describing the field as being as hard as concrete. LISTEN: LOVIE SMITH INTERVIEW
It seems the cold weather has been downplayed by the Bears lately and that's no surprise. This is just a part of the late season for Chicago. On the other hand, Minnesota is used to playing in the Metrodome. Who will have the advantage?
The Chicago Bears are hoping to play better in the frigid weather against the Vikings than they did against the Patriots. The Bears defense know they need to get turnovers and haven't been able to accomplish this in two weeks. They also know they could face QB Joe Webb and have been preparing to stop Adrian Peterson.
Lovie Smith takes constant criticism from the media and fans. But the players show unwavering support for their head coach, and the reason for that is simple, they trust him.
So far this week, there has been plenty of discussion about where the Bears-Vikings game will be played. And it seems as if that discussion hasn't reached Halas Hall.
Like most things in sports, no two athletes do something the same. In baseball, some batters use pine tar and some use batting gloves. NFL quarterbacks can be similar when it comes to the way they throw the football and the condition of the ball as well.
In the Bears' last six games they're 5-1. That one loss, as we all know, was an ugly game for the Bears that has some fans worry about the future of the team. But the big picture goal is still attainable.
The Bears went from playing their best football of the season, to playing their worst game of the season. Despite the 36-7 loss to the Patriots, the Bears can still lock up the division, and a playoff berth, with a win over the Vikings and a Green Bay loss.
So the Bears are not as good as the Patriots. We probably knew that, at least those of us who expressed pessimism about their chances, even in mythically-advantageous weather.
Continuos snow, high winds, and frigid temperatures were not enough to stop Tom Brady and the New England offense from blowing out the Chicago Bears. LISTEN: GAME HIGHLIGHTS - LOVIE SMITH
The late Harold Coffin, a humor columnist for the Associated Press, once said, "envy is the art of counting the other fellow's blessings instead of your own."
The Bears are who they are. They trust their schemes and rely on their players to make plays. And when that combination works, the wins pile up.
Thought you knew everything about Chicago? So did we, but wait until you see what new things we learned thanks to the help of the Chicago History Museum.
According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in Chicago was $5.17 on Friday, up from $3.75 a year ago.
The woman who was pistol-whipped during an armed robbery at a Family Dollar store in Albany Park last weekend said she was horrified to learn one of the two men who were arrested was also accused of later shooting two Chicago police officers, killing one of them.
More than four months after a Chicago woman battling ALS was told she couldn't get a disabled parking placard in front of her home, the sign is up and her life is about to change.
Clerical workers at the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) have ratified a new contract agreement with the company, and will return to work next week, ending a monthlong lockout.
Elmwood Park, Center Cass, Oak Lawn Hometown, and Atwood Heights are among the Illinois districts being investigated by the Justice Department over classroom instruction on gender and sexuality.
Negotiations over a $500 million dollar government aid package for Spirit stalled after bondholders balked at the terms.
The longest shutdown of a federal department in U.S. history came to an end on Thursday when President Trump signed a bill to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security following a breakthrough on Capitol Hill.
The Coast Guard will run out of funding to pay personnel on May 1, with the first missed paychecks expected May 15.
Illinois lawmakers are not planning to pursue a constitutional amendment on redistricting after a key U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday.
According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in Chicago was $5.17 on Friday, up from $3.75 a year ago.
Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas Company customers are likely to see minor credits on their bills for the next three years, thanks to a $125 million settlement agreement announced Thursday by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
Chicago gas prices are spiking as the war with Iran drags on, with regular gas nearing $6 in some spots and premium already selling for more than $7 in some places.
In the legal venue of anti-trust enforcement, the state is not taking on the Trump administration, but rather filling a void that state officials say the Trump administration has vacated.
A passenger on an American Airlines flight from New York to Chicago has been charged with making a false bomb threat that forced an emergency landing at Detroit Metro Airport last month, according to a federal criminal complaint.
The second-largest physicians' group in the U.S. has issued a surprising switch in breast cancer screening recommendations.
A new $48 million wellness center opened Thursday in the West Garfield Park neighborhood. The goal is to improve the health and quality of life for people on the West Side of Chicago.
La Rabida Children's Hospital went all out for Earth Day on Wednesday, with volunteer cleanup efforts by staffers and activities for patients and families.
It has been several weeks since West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, Illinois, abruptly shut down — and then on Wednesday, it just as swiftly partially reopened, with some services available.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 80% of deaths related to pregnancy are preventable, and Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women.
Thousands of people marched from the West Loop to Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago on Friday for May Day, with activists calling for workers' rights, stronger labor protections, and increased school funding.
A $170 million-plus plan announced this week will redevelop the Water Tower Place mall on the Magnificent Mile.
The Holiday Club in Chicago's Buena Park neighborhood will soon be going out of business, as the building that houses the popular bar is set to be torn down.
At a meeting on Tuesday, the Lincolnwood Village Board approved a pre-development agreement with the mall, providing a roadmap with the property owner for further preparations and government approvals for redevelopment.
The only remaining location of Pal Joey's pizzeria in Batavia, Illinois, will soon be going out of business, its owner announced this week.
David Allan Coe also had hits with "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" and "The Ride" among others.
Some youngsters got a behind-the-scenes look at the magic of making opera Sunday at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Matt DeCaro, an actor who was a familiar face on the Chicago stage for many years, died this weekend.
Jake was at the funeral for one of his closest friends when he learned of his parents' deaths, he said.
Tickets for the 2026 Ravinia Festival season went on sale Thursday morning.
Chief meteorologist Albert Ramon has the latest First Alert Weather forecast.
Thought you knew everything about Chicago? So did we, but wait until you see what new things we learned thanks to the help of the Chicago History Museum.
A sharp uptick in gas prices has pushed the cost of an average gallon of regular in Chicago to more than $5. According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in Chicago was $5.17 on Friday, up from $3.75 a year ago.
The woman who was pistol-whipped during an armed robbery at a Family Dollar store in Albany Park last weekend said she was horrified to learn the man who was arrested was also accused of later shooting to Chicago police officers, killing one of them.
More than four months after a Chicago woman battling ALS was told she couldn't get a disabled parking placard in front of her home, the sign is up and her life is about to change.
The woman who was pistol-whipped during an armed robbery at a Family Dollar store in Albany Park last weekend said she was horrified to learn the man who was arrested was also accused of later shooting to Chicago police officers, killing one of them.
According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in Chicago was $5.17 on Friday, up from $3.75 a year ago.
Thought you knew everything about Chicago? So did we, but wait until you see what new things we learned thanks to the help of the Chicago History Museum.
More than four months after a Chicago woman battling ALS was told she couldn't get a disabled parking placard in front of her home, the sign is up and her life is about to change.
Clerical workers at the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) have ratified a new contract agreement with the company, and will return to work next week, ending a monthlong lockout.
More than four months after a Chicago woman battling ALS was told she couldn't get a disabled parking placard in front of her home, the sign is up and her life is about to change.
An elderly woman has essentially abandoned her home of three decades because of constantly broken elevators at her high-rise condo building on the Southwest Side of Chicago.
Violent retail crime is on the rise in Illinois, according to a new report from the Illinois Organized Retail Crime Association.
A top administrator in the Libertyville school district has been placed on leave after a fiery school board meeting focused on how the district handled allegations of grooming leveled against a former teacher.
Potholes along one stretch of road in Chicago's Pullman neighborhood are so bad, people say they damage their cars just getting to work.
Michael Busch had two hits and two RBIs, helping Colin Rea and the Chicago Cubs top the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-5.
The Kentucky Derby will see a full field of 20 horses in the first leg of the 2026 competition for horse racing's Triple Crown.
Seven-time All-Star Skylar Diggins has only been with the Sky for about three weeks, but it's clear she's already one of the leaders of the team.
The Cubs have won 12 of their last 15 games.
Reese is all smiles as she returns to Chicago to face her former team, the Sky, in preseason action on Wednesday night.
Chief Geoff Guttschow, who has an autistic child who drives, says the Blue Envelope Program gives officers a tool to recognize when a driver may need additional communication support.
A woman has been charged with shooting a 15-year-old boy outside an indoor track facility near Gately Park in Chicago in 2024, after getting into a fight with another woman during a back-to-school event in the Pullman neighborhood.
Sexual abuse charges were filed this week against a Park City, Illinois, police officer.
Attorneys for the man convicted of the murders of two girls in Delphi, Indiana, have filed a new brief with the Indiana Court of Appeals to overturn his case.
Attorneys for a woman convicted of killing her 69-year-old landlord in Chicago's Arcadia Terrace community have filed an appeal.
