The 2-3 Chicago Bears are back at home to play the the 1-4 Washington Commanders at Soldier Field in a Week 6 matchup. Here’s what you need to know before kickoff (7:15 p.m., Prime/Fox-Ch. 32).
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Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson will return to the lineup after missing three games with a quadriceps injury. His presence should boost a young secondary that had early trouble with Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson on Sunday.
Along with Johnson’s return, wide receiver N’Keal Harry practiced in full Wednesday after missing the first five weeks of the season following ankle surgery. Harry does not have an injury designation, meaning he’s healthy enough to play, but offensive coordinator Luke Getsy indicated Harry might still have a ways to go before he’s a big offensive contributor, given his limited practice time with quarterback Justin Fields.
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Safety Dane Cruikshank, who has been out with a hamstring injury, is listed as questionable.
For the Commanders, wide receiver Jahan Dotson (hamstring), tight end Logan Thomas (calf), cornerback William Jackson III (back), offensive lineman Sam Cosmi (finger), running back Jonathan Williams (knee) and safety Percy Butler (quadriceps) were ruled out.
Prime has all of the league’s Thursday night games — the first time a streaming service has had the full rights to an NFL package. Amazon partnered with the league to stream 11 Thursday night games since 2017, but it took over the entire package from Fox Sports this year.
For local viewers, it’s a little easier if you aren’t a Prime subscriber. The Bears-Commanders game will be shown on Fox-32 starting at 7:15 p.m. You also can listen to the game on WBBM-AM 780 and WCFS-FM 105.9.
Entering Week 6, only the Seattle Seahawks (82) have allowed more first-half points than the Bears and Arizona Cardinals (80 each). As a result, the Bears (2-3) have trailed at halftime in all five games.
When Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins pushed ahead for a 1-yard run with 2 minutes, 26 seconds remaining Sunday, it was the first touchdown the Bears allowed in the second half this season. They have allowed 12 points in the third quarter and 14 in the fourth.
“If I knew the answer, I’d tell you,” linebacker Nicholas Morrow said of the drastic difference. “We’ve just got to come out earlier and execute at a higher rate. I don’t know if there is any true answer to it because it’s not a different set of players on the field in the second half than it is in the first. It’s the same players, same coaching staff. We’ve got to figure it out.”
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“Tons of progress? I don’t like using those adjectives that are extreme,” Getsy said. “I’m just not that type of person. But, no, there has been progress. And we’re sticking to the plan.”
Step by step, the Bears remain persistent with their offensive evolution while resisting any urges to skip too far ahead or land on any exaggerated conclusions.
“Your goal is to just have progress all year,” Fields said. “Progress takes patience.”
- Brad Biggs’ 10 thoughts: Justin Fields’ Week 5 performance is no breakthrough — but it’s clear evidence of improvement
A conceptual site plan for the Bears’ proposed redevelopment for a stadium and a residential and entertainment district in Arlington Heights got a mixed reception from village trustees at a Committee of the Whole meeting.
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Trustees at the Committee of the Whole meeting were concerned about the density of the proposed transit-oriented development, why there was not yet a stadium rendering available and about whether the proposed development would hurt Arlington Heights’ current downtown area.
