As the Bears prepare to play a significant postseason game in their longtime home of Soldier Field, the process of finding a new home continues.
Via Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, an Indiana senator has introduced a bill that would establish the funding mechanism for a stadium on the other side of the Illinois state line.
The expansion of the potential universe of locations to include Indiana happened after the Bears encountered chronic difficulty when it comes to getting sufficient governmental support of a new stadium in Illinois.
The development comes of the heels of Commissioner Roger Goodell touring multiple potential stadium sites, including the Arlington Heights property that the Bears own and two different potential locations in Northwest Indiana.
With relocation out of Chicago not an option, the Bears have created (intentionally or not) a two-state competition for the team, like the Chiefs did between Missouri and Kansas. In that case, Kansas apparently has won. For now, there’s at least a chance Indiana will wrest the Bears away from Illinois.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford remains on track to play against the Bears on Sunday, but there’s some uncertainty about his backup.
Stafford was a full participant in practice for the second straight day on Thursday and he’s said multiple times this week that his right finger injury won’t interfere with his availability this weekend.
Jimmy Garoppolo was added to the injury report on Thursday because of a back injury. Garoppolo did not participate in practice and his absence on Sunday would leave Stetson Bennett as the backup to Stafford.
Right guard Kevin Dotson (ankle) was the team’s only limited participant. Cornerback Darious Williams (personal), defensive tackle Poona Ford (elbow), wide receiver Xavier Smith (wrist), cornerback Josh Wallace (ankle), tight end Terrance Ferguson (hamstring), safety Quentin Lake (foot), and wide receiver Jordan Whittington (knee) were all full participants.
Bears wide receivers DJ Moore and Rome Odunze remained limited participants at Bears practice on Thursday.
Moore is dealing with a knee injury while Odunze continues to work through the foot injury that sidelined him for the final weeks of the regular season. Odunze returned last Saturday and had two catches for 44 yards, including a 27-yarder on a remarkable fourth down throw by quarterback Caleb Williams in the fourth quarter. Moore had six catches for 64 yards, including the game-winning touchdown.
Cornerback Nick McCloud (groin) was the only player out of practice for the second straight day.
Linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin (back) moved from limited to full participation. Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson (concussion), tackle Braxton Jones (knee), linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga (concussion), and defensive end Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (concussion) remained full participants.
Six down, seven to go.
The postseason is nearly halfway over, after the wild-card round. Simms went 4-2 straight up and 3-3 against the spread; I was 3-3 and 2-4, respectively.
Simms has clinched the straight-up title for the year, at 185-92-1. I’m 177-100-1. Against the spread, I’m clinging to a two-game lead, 141-133-4 and he’s 139-135-4.
This week, we have two disagreements against the spread, and two straight up.
For all division-round picks, you know what to do.
Bills at Broncos (-1.5)
Josh Allen knows the clock is ticking louder and louder on his chances to get to a Super Bowl. This may be his best chance yet to make it, especially without Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrow in the playoff field. While the future is extremely bright for the Broncos, this year could end up being another stepping stone toward the ultimate prize.
Florio’s pick: Bills 24, Broncos 21.
Simms’s pick: Bills 24, 21.
49ers at Seahawks (-7)
Sam Darnold gets another chance to make a big play in a big spot, and to avoid making a bad play in a bad spot. And Kyle Shanahan gets another chance to cook up a game plan that will yield more than three points. All the pressure is on Seattle; none of the pressure is on the 49ers. In this round, sometimes that can make all the difference.
Simms, obviously, disagrees. He thinks Darnold will get it done, and that the Seattle defense will once again hold the San Francisco offense in check.
Florio’s pick: 49ers 27, Seahawks 24.
Simms’s pick: Seahawks 27, 49ers 17.
Texans at Patriots (-3)
The Texans’ defense is on par with other great units that carried the franchise to a Super Bowl win. This week, they likely won’t have to overcome a surprisingly poor performance from quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Florio’s pick: Texans 16, Patriots 13.
Simms’s pick: Texans 20, Patriots 17.
Rams (-3.5) at Bears
Who will step up in the fourth quarter, and who will step off? The Bears thrive when they’re firmly behind the 8 ball. And number 18 has shown that, in those moments, he can rise to a higher level.
Simms sees the Rams as being good enough on both sides of the ball to pull away.
Florio’s pick: Bears 30, Rams 27.
Simms’s pick: Rams 38, Bears 27.
The NFL previously applied the term “super” to the wild-card round of the playoffs. This year, the ratings were.
Via Sports Business Journal, the six games televised by Fox (which had two), CBS, Prime Video, NBC and ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 attracted an average of 31.9 million viewers.
That’s a 13-percent increase from last year, and the best since the NFL expanded the playoffs from six teams to seven in 2020, which grew the wild-card round from four games to six.
The total average is the best since the four-game format attracted an average of 32.6 million in 2016 for these games: Raiders-Texans, Lions-Seahawks, Dolphins-Steelers, and Packers-Giants. The smallest victory margin that year was 13 points, with an average score of 30-11.
This year, four of the games went down to the wire. Two of the games were lopsided.
