The Bears are still waiting on Caleb Williams, but Ben Johnson sounded like the quarterback’s return is getting close.
Chicago went with Tyson Bagent over Case Keenum in the last two games Williams missed, even though Keenum had turned in a strong Week 3 showing on Monday night. Johnson explained that the switch back to Keenum late in the third quarter came after Bagent’s second interception, saying the Bears wanted to shake things up.
“Yeah, we just wanted a little spark there,” Johnson said, via the Bears Wire. “Tyson, just could never feel like he got in a rhythm here today, so we’ll look at why that was the case, and the second interception happened and we just felt like let’s give Case a chance out there and see if we get different results.”
Johnson also gave Bears fans a reason to keep watching the injury updates closely. Williams, he said, is trending in the right direction and could be back either against the Falcons or the week after that.
“He’s on track,” Johnson said, via Pro Football Talk. “We’ll see if that’s Atlanta or after. I think it’s going to be close.”
While the Bears are sorting out their quarterback situation, the Packers are dealing with a different kind of noise - and Zaire Franklin is more than happy to address it. After Green Bay’s Week 5 win, Franklin said the Bears’ receivers are too focused on the chatter around them.
“They do a whole lot of weird stuff. Since I been here, they do a whole lot of stuff that they worried about us.
We worried about ourselves. Hopefully they learn to stop dissing us.
Real talk.”
Franklin then zeroed in on Chicago wideout Luther Burden and didn’t hold back.
“We see all the little weird stuff they be doing in the media and all the different stuff they be saying. You got guys that never really made a real play in this league talkin’ ’bout making somebody quit.
That’s weird. We don’t do that.
He quit today, by the way. He ain’t wanna play anymore.
But we focused on ourselves, man. We ain’t really worried about that.
We ain’t play that in a team meeting or nothing. We just focused on ourselves, being the best version of ourselves and we put out a good performance today because of that.”
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For Minnesota, the part worth watching is the path that led him there. Pettines next stop is tied to familiar connections in Dallas, where he has previously worked closely with defensive coordinator Christian Parker and head coach Brian Schottenheimer. It is the kind of coaching reunion that makes his Vikings departure look even more unusual in hindsight, even if the full story of how his return came together is still unfolding. [Read more 🡒]
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The receiver group got the most attention, with Smith-Schuster standing out among the names the team evaluated, a reminder that the search is not just about adding bodies but finding someone who can fit quickly if called upon. And while the Vikings were sorting through those possibilities, they also lost running back Audric Estime from the practice squad, with Cleveland moving to sign him away, another small but notable hit to the back end of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Enter Bye With A Rising Star And A Real Concern
The Vikings go into the bye week unbeaten at 5-0 after handling the Saints, and the early part of the season has given them plenty to like on offense and defense. Kirk Cousins has looked sharper than he did a year ago, and the supporting cast has helped carry Minnesota through the first month-plus, with Luke Musgrave and Andrew Booth Jr. among the names making real noise.
Booths rise has been especially encouraging, with the young defensive back tying for the league lead in interceptions and giving the Vikings another playmaker in a secondary that needs them. On the other side of the ball, though, the passing game still has a question hanging over it, and Jalen Jennings has yet to turn the opportunity around even with injuries around him creating openings that should have mattered. [Read more 🡒]