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.
Inbound lanes of the Kennedy Expressway are partially blocked by hanging metal after a three-vehicle crash, state police said.
Some customers in the area are still without power from the June 11 storms.
Five years after Chicago police officer Ella French was shot and killed in the line of duty, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability released body camera footage showing the late officer's final moments.
Gary and Roxanne Rymeck tried to take shelter in their closet when the house collapsed around them after an EF-3 tornado rolled through Streator, Illinois, on Thursday, June 11.
As another round of heavy rain and possible flooding moves through the Chicago area on Wednesday, some homeowners on the West Side said they're still waiting for help from the city nearly three years after historic flooding damaged their homes.
The Chicago City Council on Wednesday approved a plan to buy the city's Greyhound bus station in the West Loop to avoid its possible closure.
Lawmakers have a busy summer of negotiations ahead of them with pressure from both the governor's office and their constituents to craft data center regulations that stakeholders and legislators can live with.
The agreement, as read by senior U.S. officials, allows Iran to immediately begin exporting oil and petroleum products.
After more than a decade since it was announced, the Obama Presidential Center and Library officially opens to the public in Chicago's Jackson Park on June 19, 2026.
Lawyers for the "Broadview Six" are trying to uncover communication between the White House and Chicago U.S. Attorney's Office regarding prosecutorial misconduct in their now-dismissed case.
An Illinois law banning "swipe fees" on taxes and tips — already delayed twice by lawmakers — appears to be on life support after a federal judge that once permitted it issued a permanent injunction against it this week.
A new study from the Cook County Treasurer's office underlines growing concerns about the impact the Illinois megaprojects bill could have on the county's property tax base and overall fiscal health.
As thousands of Chicagoans wrap up road trips over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, gas prices in the city have reached the highest levels seen in four years.
Consumer and environmental advocates said Monday that they found overcharges buried in the most recent rate-hike request by Nicor.
One week away from Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of the summer travel season, with gas prices remaining high, negotiations were set to resume Monday at the largest oil refinery in the Midwest.
After Bruce Willis was diagnosed with dementia, his wife Emma Heming Willis found a new purpose as a health advocate.
The North Shore suburb of Wilmette this week became the latest Chicago-area municipality to discover mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus this year.
Dr. Peter Stafford was working with a missionary group in the Congo when he came down with the virus last month.
While 330 Ebola infections are confirmed in central Africa and huge challenges remain, hundreds more suspected cases "have been cleared out," the WHO says.
June is World Infertility Awareness Month, and Northwestern Medicine on Monday shared the story of a woman who is celebrating the birth of her second child after a tumor disrupted her fertility.
Daley's Restaurant, known as Chicago's oldest, has served Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood for more than 130 years.
Walgreens is set to close in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood on Thursday, and there's growing concern about where families will get their medications.
The owners of Gene & Georgetti steakhouse are suing a concessions operator over their expansion at Midway International Airport.
DraftKings announced Monday that it is closing its sportsbook operation at Wrigley Field after only about two years.
After more than 80 years, there will be no Ann Sather restaurant location in the 900 block of West Belmont Avenue in Chicago's Lakeview community, effective in June.
Tom Dreesen, a pioneering actor and comedian and Chicago-area native, died Wednesday.
Luke Skywalker's lightsaber from the "Star Wars" sequel "The Empire Strikes Back" is expected to sell for at least $1 million at an upcoming auction.
Rio de Janeiro's Military Fire Department said one of the helicopters crashed in the parking lot of a car dealership, where several electric vehicles were parked, igniting a fire.
Actress Sarah Jessica Parker addressed the Class of 2026 at Northwestern University at their commencement ceremony at the United Center Sunday.
Forty years ago last weekend, crowds turned out for the Chicago Blues Festival — an event studded with a roster of stars for a spectacle that's still talked about today.
The Trump administration on Wednesday released the 14-point memorandum of understanding to end the war between the U.S. and Iran.
Inbound lanes of the Kennedy Expressway are partially blocked by hanging metal near W. Grand Avenue.
Days after the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting pool was refilled with water following a multi-million dollar renovation and paint job ordered by President Trump, an algae bloom has again turned it green.
Five years after Chicago police officer Ella French was shot and killed in the line of duty, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability released body camera footage showing the late officer's final moments.
A tornado risk lingered all day on Wednesday, but Merrillville appears to now be in the clear. This as recovery efforts from the June 11 storms continue, with some still without power.
Five years after Chicago police officer Ella French was shot and killed in the line of duty, COPA released bodycam footage showing the late officer's final moments.
Flooding is now the greatest widespread threat from two rounds of strong storms that will move through the Chicago area Wednesday.
Inbound lanes of the Kennedy Expressway are partially blocked by hanging metal after a three-vehicle crash, state police said.
Some customers in the area are still without power from the June 11 storms.
Gary and Roxanne Rymeck tried to take shelter in their closet when the house collapsed around them after an EF-3 tornado rolled through Streator, Illinois, on Thursday, June 11.
Kindbody entered into an agreement with a cryogenic storage facility in Massachusetts, but not all patients received the email.
A Chicago woman says a life insurance policy she paid into for 25 years was cancelled over a $112 shortfall that she never knew existed, and now, at 82 years old, she's uninsurable.
The Crisis Alternative Response Evanston, or CARE, team responds to calls that, before July 2024, would have been lumped into police calls.
The system will provide all heating, cooling, and ventilation for the high school's new physical education facilities and contribute to the school system, saving the district nearly $400,000 a year.
The forecast for a summer reopening of West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park is growing cloudy, as negotiations continue between the owners and landlord, after the safety net hospital abruptly shuttered its doors in March.
The three-game series wraps up Wednesday with Rockies LHP Sean Sullivan facing Cubs RHP Javier Assad.
Spencer Jones homered in the second inning, Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt each added a two-run drive in the fourth, and the Yankees rocked the White Sox 12-2 on Tuesday night.
Former NHL player Kyle Calder has died at age 47. The Alberta native spent a majority of his 10 years in the league with Chicago and also played for Philadelphia, Detroit, Los Angeles and Anaheim.
The Chicago Bulls have officially named Tiago Splitter as their new head coach.
Crow-Armstrong extended his on-base streak to 19 games with his second leadoff home run in three games, a 434-foot shot to center field off Michael Lorenzen.
A sport-utility vehicle rammed into a Shell gas station mini mart in what was believed to be an attempted crash-and-grab burglary in Chicago's East Pilsen neighborhood.
Luigi Mangione's lawyers will argue that he was suffering from an extreme emotional disturbance when he allegedly killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Rex Heuermann was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the series of murders known as the Gilgo Beach serial killings.
A man from Chicago's south suburbs was sentenced to more than 33 years in prison last week for running an online chat group that trafficked in child pornography.
Chicago police on Tuesday released surveillance images of three attackers who they say beat a man on a downtown CTA Blue Line platform last week.