With today being a massive travel day, DBB will take a brief two-day movie sabbatical and return Friday with the game preview and prediction for Bears at Jets. (There’s no preview to write before we have an injury status update.)

I don’t think what follows required much of a preamble. If you like Christmas movies, here is a guide to watching one every single day until Christmas, with a few Thanksgiving affairs to kickstart the series.  A few notes:

• I do not like “The Grinch” story in almost any of its forms.
• I tried to make the list a nice mix of modern and classic, but that meant cutting a film like Christmas in Connecticut (Peter Godfrey, 1945) in favor of some of the younger options.
• I find Charlie Brown, generally, to be a sourpuss bore.
• I wanted to include Best Little Whorehouse in Texas because it includes my favorite Christmas song, “Hard Candy Christmas.” But the movie is terrible and has nothing to do with Christmas. So just go listen to that song.

November 23rd: Planes, Trains and Automobiles (John Hughes, 1987)

November 24th (Thanksgiving): Mouse on the Mayflower (Rankin & Bass, 1968)

• A holiday tradition established by Reverend Dave and me over the past several years. Sure, it’s about a mouse taking the Mayflower to the new world. But it’s also so much worse than that.

November 25th: Home for the Holidays (Jodie Foster, 1995)

November 26th: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (Jeremiah Chechik, 1989)

• The perfect transitional film between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

November 27th: The Muppet Christmas Carol (Brian Henson, 1992)

• Try to find the original version, including the song When Love is Gone.

November 28th: Home Alone (Chris Columbus, 1990)

November 29th: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (Chris Columbus, 1992)

• Not only an insane Christmas movie; one of the most insane movies ever made.

November 30th: White Christmas (Michael Curtiz, 1954), Die Hard (John McTiernan, 1988)

• This is a double feature of what I call “Christmas-adjacent films.” They are both put over the top by their music. (If you don’t understand what I mean by that, pay close attention to the Die Hard score next time you watch the film.)

November 31st: It’s a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946)

• It is a lesser Christmas movie and a lesser Capra offering, but it has achieved untouchable status with a certain generation, so it is the only film I begrudgingly included on this list.

December 1st: A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (Todd Strauss-Schulson, 2011)

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Again, there just isn’t much to cover right now when it comes to the Chicago Bears. So, let’s take a look around the league and see what’s cooking elsewhere.

• The Jets are committing a cardinal sin in the NFL. This is a wide-open league, and they might have the best defense going. They also have talent at the skill positions. But they are throwing 2022 away by starting Zach Wilson, a player who simply isn’t up to the ability level of his teammates. This divide boiled over in their locker room Sunday. It will continue.
• There was so much talk about the Minnesota victory over Buffalo, but it was one of the most ridiculous, fluky wins you’ll ever see. It required an all-time circus catch on fourth-and-forever and the opposing quarterback to fumble a snap while trying to ice the clock. But winning changes the narrative and the narrative became “Vikings are contenders.” After the Cowboys embarrassed them in Minneapolis, one assumes that narrative will change. (And as Cousin Sal pointed out on the Bill Simmons pod, the Vikings are 8-2 with a NEGATIVE point differential. Not good.)
• I give Brian Daboll a ton of credit for getting the Giants to 7-3. But they’re going to be 7-4 after Thursday, with a difficult stretch of games ahead to finish the season. The playoffs are by no means a certainty. With teams now selling out to stop Saquon Barkley, these final six regular season games are effectively an audition for Daniel Jones. If he’s going to be a starting QB in the league next year, he’s going to need to earn that in the coming weeks.
• Why is anyone surprise by the decline of the Los Angeles Rams? Their organizational model is completely unsustainable. Is it possible to give up all your draft picks and over-max your cap to win a singular title? Yes. They proved that. But without a young, star QB there is no way that model keeps you in contention over a multi-year period. The question facing the Rams now is how long will it take for them to get back above water?
• What a terrific slate of Thanksgiving games for once! So much drama!
  • Bills at Lions could be a shootout, with the Lions a win away from making a contention argument and the Bills a loss away from a playoff run entirely on the road.
  • There are not many regular season performances that have me saying, “That looks like a championship team.” But Dallas did that Sunday. The Cowboys of recent vintage would stumble with the Giants on Thanksgiving and spoil the credit they’ve accrued. I don’t think this team will.
  • Who are the Patriots? Who are the Vikings? I couldn’t answer either question, but I think this game Thursday night should move us closer to answers. If the Pats win, they’re going to be in a playoff race for the remainder of the season. If the Vikings win, the NFC North is done and dusted, and it’ll be about seeding for them moving forward.

It is a fascinating season. And the Bears will face contenders just about every week the rest of the way.

The Bears are at a very interesting point in their organizational development. The wins and losses simply don’t matter. And the quarterback has displayed he’s capable of being one of the most dynamic, exciting players in the sport. So, where exactly are we supposed to focus our attention? Here are a few thoughts.

• Justin Fields is banged up and the Bears should consider putting him on ice next week. The game doesn’t matter for the Bears. Get Fields in the best shape possible for the final stretch of the year. If that means missing a few weeks, so be it.
• Jack Sanborn is the answer for the Bears at inside linebacker. Take the Roquan Smith savings and build up these lines this spring.
• Luke Getsy has been calling the offense that best suits the personnel, specifically the offensive line. But the team can’t go the rest of the season slow-playing Chase Claypool into the offense or ignoring what Velus Jones can potentially provide. This coaching staff has to maximize the developmental potential of these coming games and get these guys involved.
• Seems that Cairo Santos has a pretty definitive range as a kicker. He maxes out at 55 yards. Not an inch more.
• It is an understandable storyline, but I don’t make much of the Bears not winning these games late. The Bears can’t line up and throw the ball when the opposition know they have to. They don’t pass block well and their receivers don’t separate. Most of the explosive plays this offense produces are a direct result of the athleticism of the quarterback. And that is difficult to utilize with a minute left on the clock.
• The Bears had several major breakdowns on the offensive line in this game. Not plays where guys were beaten but plays where guards didn’t even attempt to block the pass rusher in front of them. Is this a system thing? If so, it might be time to dramatically simplify things upfront.

I never direct the comments section, but I do have a request. Below, I want you to comment on how you think we should approach these games for the remainder of the season. Start each with APPROACH so I can easily locate the on-message comments.

Three Things I Think Will Happen:

• Cordarrelle Patterson will cut the Bears to ribbons, rushing for 125 yards and 2 touchdowns, and catching another 3-4 passes on pivotal third downs.
• Justin Fields will keep the train rolling, and he’ll do it with his arm. Yes, he’ll get his 50-75 yards on the ground, but this week Fields will go over 300 yards passing for the first time and once again be one of the biggest stories in the sport on Monday morning.
• There will be under 1.5 punts in the game.

Chicago Bears 34, Atlanta Falcons 30

Let’s bowl, let’s bowl, let’s rock and roll…

Why Do I Like the Chicago Bears this Week?

I.

Always.

Like.

THE.

Chicago.

Bears.

Stats of Relevance

• Due to the emergence of Justin Fields, the Bears are now rushing for 201.7 yards per game. That’s obviously best in the sport. The Falcons are fourth in that category, but they are FORTY yards behind. The correlating stat is also interesting. Chicago has thrown the fewest passes (208) in the league, while Atlanta has thrown the third fewest (231). Passing aficionados might want to spend their Sunday watching the FIFA documentary series on Netflix.
• Of the teams in the top ten (including ties) in sacks, only the New Orleans Saints have a losing record. There are so many interesting stats in the NFL these days, but the sport still comes to playing well at quarterback and stopping the other guys from playing well at quarterback.
  • Chicago is 28th in sacks. Atlanta is 31st.
• These teams are very similar. Is turnover differential the reason for their differing records? No. Both have a turnover differential of 0.

Three Bears Who Need to Start Playing

(3) Chase Claypool. Kadarius Toney was acquired by the Chiefs around the same time the Bears acquired Claypool and the former is already a prominent contributor in Kansas City’s offense. Come up with a dozen plays for him and run them.

(2) Velus Jones Jr. It must be “tough love” coaching because benching Jones on Sundays makes no sense otherwise. Jones has speed and this offense desperately needs it. Who cares if he is struggling with his route tree? Who cares if he misses a few blocking assignments? Put the ball in his hands a few times each Sunday and see what he can do with it.

(1) Alex Leatherwood. It is time to see everyone in the offensive line room. This is a pivotal eight weeks of evaluation, and the Bears can’t waste a day of it.

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Are you serious, @justnfields?!

: #DETvsCHI on FOX pic.twitter.com/aNYLmrOpSx

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 13, 2022

Where do the off-season needs rank? We’ll keep updating our top five.

5. Corner. Jack Sanborn showed that Roquan Smith’s replacement is quite possibly on the roster. Jaylon Johnson showed the Bears don’t have a top tier corner in the building. Johnson is good. Kindle Vildor is serviceable. Kyler Gordon has potential. The Bears need to address the CB position with urgency in March.

4. Right Tackle. Braxton Jones is having the kind of rookie season one might expect. But the Bears need to improve their protection and if there’s an elite tackle prospect available to them in the first round, they have to consider it.

3. Wide Receiver. In Claypool and Mooney, the Bears have solid pieces to a receiving corp. But they need to find game-breaking talent at the position. This wasn’t just evident watching the Bears Sunday, but it was vividly on display in the Vikings v. Bills game, where two top receivers on two top teams squared off.

2. Defensive Tackle. The Bears get blown off the ball every Sunday. They need size in the middle.

1. Pass Rush. There is no such thing as a contending team that can’t pressure the opposing the QB. The Bears can’t do it without blitz packages, and even those are failing to get home. Strengthening the pass rush will remain the focus for the next six months.

Quarter One

• Fields is an athletic mismatch for every defense he faces. On the opening drive he simply ran around the Lions defense. When that athleticism is paired with a serious passing attack, the Bears are going to have one of the best offenses in the league. And there’s no reason to believe that isn’t possible for September 2023.
• The Bears now have a pretty horrific defense, and it all starts up front. This defensive line is blown off the ball weekly.
• The story of the quarter for the Bears offense was two penalties. A bad call on Braxton Jones derailed the opening drive and a 50/50 facemask on Cole Kmet put the Bears behind the chains. When calls like these get made, I always ask the same question: who wants the game called this way? How does this increase the entertainment value of the sport?

Quarter Two

• Already in this game, Nick Morrow, Jack Sanborn and Joe Thomas are making plays. They don’t completely account for the loss of Roquan Smith, but they are showing – quite vividly – that spending $100 million at the position is not necessary.
• Bears well aware they have nobody to rush the passer and are selling out on blitzes. When they haven’t batted down the Goff pass, they’ve been burnt. The number of wide-open receivers on these plays is jarring but expected.
• Bears could easily have Fields drop back and throw every down, but they need to possess the ball for as long as possible. Their defense can’t stop anyone. They’ve got to stay on the field offensively as long as possible.
• What a play by Aidan Hutchinson on David Montgomery at the goal line. He looked like Jake “The Snake” Roberts.

Overall, I’m not sure I have watched a first half with less to write about.

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The lions, they come,

To an inspired lakefront.

A quarterback waits.

Four Things I Think Will Happen.

• The Bears have been building to this game. Their offense is improving weekly. Their quarterback is taking the leap before our very eyes. And Chase Claypool will have a full week of practice and certainly see an increase from his 26 snaps against the Dolphins. This is the week where the Bears offense, at home, simply isn’t beatable.
• Jared Goff will throw two interceptions, both in the middle of the field, and one each to Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker.
• Bears stat line for the game: 31 carries between the two backs and QB, 224 yards, 3 touchdowns. (Quite possible Velus Jones adds to these numbers as well.)
• Bears learned in the fourth quarter of the Miami game that they must blitz to generate pressure. They’ll sack Goff three times, with none of those sacks coming from a defensive lineman.

Chicago Bears 34, Lions 20