Bears Blitz

Published by Bear Heiser on December 25, 2014
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

The finish line has arrived for the Chicago Bears.

Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings will bring this brutal 2014 season to a close, for the players, at least. The coaching staff will have to wait a few more days to learn their fates.

Carrying a four-game losing streak into Week 17, the downtrodden Bears now find themselves with a winnable game, against an opponent who has just as little to play for.

“The situation that both teams are in, it’s going to be cold, we’ve got to go away,” quarterback Jay Cutler said Wednesday. “But I know on Sunday the guys in the huddle, we’ll find a way to rally.”

The current position the Bears are in should feel pretty familiar to Marc Trestman’s team. When Minnesota rolled into Soldier Field in Week 11, Chicago was riding a three-game losing streak, capped off by two losses in which Mel Tucker’s defense allowed an astounding 50-plus points each contest. The Bears took home a victory, 21-13, against the Vikings.

Trestman acknowledged the possibility of change when he met the media Wednesday, via ESPN Chicago’s Jeff Dickerson:

If the Bears do end up winning Sunday, it will happen without the help of a handful of starters:

Cornerback Charles Tillman (triceps), linebacker Lance Briggs (groin), defensive end Lamarr Houston (ACL), defensive end Willie Young (Achilles), linebacker D.J. Williams (neck), left guard Matt Slauson (pec), wide receiver Brandon Marshall (ribs/lung) and, most recently, quarterback Jimmy Clausen (concussion).

Don’t think those who are healthy haven’t noticed the roster changes, as evident by Cutler’s comments at Wednesday’s press conference:

“You chop [the roster] down, chop it down,” Cutler said. “You wonder where those guys go, what happens to them. Some of them never play football again. The situation after the year, it’s gonna be similar. Coaches could leave. Players could leave. I could leave. That’s part of it. … Hopefully, we can make it through the next couple of days without something else happening. You never know though.”

What Cutler is referring to is part injury, part fear of a massive overhaul at Halas Hall. But there’s always the saying, “out with the old, in with the new.”

And “the new” includes a few less familiar faces on the defensive line: David Bass and Cornelius Washington, who will receive the first chance to replace Young at left defensive end.

“I’ve been training this whole offseason and then going into camp and this season for a moment like this,” Washington said of the opportunity. “Now I’ve got the moment, and I’ve got to make the most of it.”

Bass and Washington will be up against Vikings right tackle Michael Harris, who played every snap in Minnesota’s previous five games, surrendering four sacks and 11 quarterback hurries along the way, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

How Bass and Washington finish Sunday’s game will go a long way toward making the 2015 roster, as both are signed to low-cost, low-risk contracts for the Bears, per Spotrac.

There is even more uncertainty surrounding Cutler for next season, and his performance Sunday will likely have zero bearing on whether he returns to Chicago.

It has been a rough few weeks for Cutler. After being outed for poor decision-making by his offensive coordinator, Aaron Kromer, and being benched by his head coach, Cutler is back front and center.

Cutler is 198 passing yards shy of setting the franchise record for most in a single season, and he’s 360 yards away from 4,000 yards. With records in reach, expect the Bears’ franchise quarterback to play a lot of backyard football, flinging the ball all over the field.

Cutler threw for 300-plus yards and three touchdowns in Week 11 against Minnesota. There’s no reason to think he can’t blow past those figures in a game that will benefit the Bears more if they end up on the losing end.

Another player who is nearing records is running back Matt Forte.

Forte is just eight receptions shy of breaking the NFL single-season record for most by a back in a season, a record of 101 that was set by Larry Centers back in 1995.

The running back will have a few cheerleaders Sunday, all hoping he breaks records, via Dickerson: 

And that’s not all. Forte needs 13 yards and six catches to join future Pro Football Hall of Fame back LaDainian Tomlinson as just the second player in league history to rush for 1,000 yards and catch 100 passes.

Breaking those records would be pretty remarkable, but Forte says he’s not looking to only break records:

“It’s important, but not the most important thing to me, he said. “I’m not going to go out looking to get eight catches. I’m really just going out there to run the ball, catch the ball, block and do what I’ve got to do for us to be successful on offense and help us win the game.”

The Bears will likely win Sunday, in a last-ditch effort to save some face before splitting for the offseason. As poorly as the previous 15 games have been, though, a loss in ugly fashion wouldn’t be surprising at all. A loss would be better for the organization, ensuring the seventh overall selection in the 2015 NFL draft. A win would slot the Bears somewhere between eighth and 11th overall.

Prediction: Bears 34, Vikings 31

All stats provided by Chicago Bears weekly game matchup, sent by the team. All quotes used obtained firsthand.

Read more Chicago Bears news on BleacherReport.com