Week 11 match up against the Minnesota Vikings at
Soldier Field has been flexed to Sunday Night Football on NBC at 7:20 p.m.
CST.The Chicago Bears confirmed the news shortly after NFL.com quietly updated
their schedule page:The Bears hosted the Vikings on Monday Night Football last
October and most will remember that as Mitch Trubisky’s debut. He’s made
significant progress since then and this should be another great duel
Dick Butkus Jerseys 2019 , with Minnesota seemingly hitting their stride, winning four of their last five.Currently, the 5-3 Bears and 5-3-1 Vikings look to be headed
for a clash that will go a long way in deciding the NFC North. The Vikings were
expected to be the division favorites but the young and upstart Bears are off to
a solid start under Matt Nagy.The Vikings are heading into their bye week, while
the Bears host the Detroit Lions (3-5) before this primetime clash.The
originally scheduled SNF game that the Bears are replacing is the Pittsburgh
Steelers at Jacksonville Jaguars tilt, which goes to a noon slot. The
Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints game bumps from noon CST to be the
nationally televised 3:25 p.m. CT slot.That will be a good weekend of football
with the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs meeting in Mexico City on
Monday Night Football. GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The Green Bay Packers are debuting
their own defensive changes this weekend against the Bears
White Mike Singletary Jerseys , even if they may not initially make as much of a splash as Chicago’s acquisition of star linebacker Khalil Mack.But the
effectiveness of those new wrinkles could be just as important to the fortunes
of a team looking to return to the playoffs.After playing it safe in the
preseason, new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine can finally take the wraps off
the Packers’ revamped scheme when the Bears visit Lambeau Field on Sunday
night.“It just opens up everything,” linebacker Nick Perry said Thursday about
the new defense. “I think from attacking it off the edge, attacking it inside,
you have more options to attack.”The Packers ranked 22nd in defense last year.
It was especially a problem given that quarterback Aaron Rodgers was limited to
seven games because of a collarbone injury.Rodgers has the talent to be able
cover up deficiencies in other areas of the team. With Rodgers out, everyone
else had to step up. Instead
Mike Singletary Jerseys 2019 , the Packers finished 7-9 and had its streak of eight straight postseason appearances snapped.Changes in the organization included the
firing of longtime defensive coordinator Dom Capers. He was replaced by Pettine,
the former head coach of the Cleveland Browns, who stuck with the 3-4 defense as
the base scheme.So far, so good for the transition.“I know in preseason, we’re
keeping it basic,” inside linebacker Blake Martinez said. “So it’ll be cool to
kind of dive into the playbook on Sunday and see how we kind of compete and get
the job done.”They will be expected to get pressure with just four outside
linebackers on the roster. Perry and fellow veteran Clay Matthews will be backed
up by Reggie Gilbert
White Gale Sayers Jerseys , who emerged in the preseason to become the top reserve; and Kyler Fackrell, a third-round draft pick in 2016.“It’s a demand,” Perry
said. “But at the end of the day, the big guys have got to kind of take the big
load. That’s what they pay us for.”More pressure might come from up front. Green
Bay added Muhammad Wilkerson as a free agent in the offseason, making the line
perhaps the strongest position group on the team. Stalwarts Mike Daniels and
Kenny Clark lead the front, along with emerging third-year player Dean Lowry and
promising second-year pro Montravius Adams.More inside pressure might lead to
more 1-on-1 opportunities on the outside. And that’s assuming that Pettine isn’t
disguising from where the pressure might come on a particular play. Even Rodgers
has been impressed this preseason by some different looks on defense.“We can
line up in different spots and attack you. I don’t think we’re just going to sit
there in spots and let people try to pick us apart
Gale Sayers Jerseys 2019 ,” Clark said. “I feel like if Aaron is saying it, you can only imagine how other quarterbacks can struggle with it.”A more effective pass
rush can also have the effect of forcing quarterbacks into making bad throws,
which in turn could lead to better pass coverage, which was another problem area
in 2017.A cornerback group prone to injury the last two seasons has also been
revamped, with veteran Tramon Williams returning to provide leadership. The
Packers also took promising rookies Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson with their
first two picks in the draft.Matthews estimated that the Packers showed just 5
percent of the defensive playbook during preseason games.“We definitely have a
number of pressures, base defenses
White Walter Payton Jerseys , little wrinkles that we like to think will play in our favor,” Matthews said. “At the end of the day, we’re going out there and
playing defense, and the name of the game is tackling the ball. That doesn’t
change.”
