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edit:

OK, so Hicks isn't back until next week.

Cowboys are a legit threat, but they've hit a wall the past couple of weeks. New England slapped them in the mouth and the Bills, themselves very Bears-like, stymied them in Dallas.

But the Bears have established themselves as bumslayers, and the Cowboys are not QUITE bums. The NFC playoff picture is a total mess, and the Bears know they're a week away from getting the heart of their defense back in Mack. If they win this game, the playoffs become a reality, and a lost season is possibly saved from ruin.

The season is basically on the line for both teams, and the Bears may want it more. I believe they do.

Dak Prescott is on the cusp of either getting paid or getting a new start. Jason Garrett's likely to be fired if the Cowboys don't make the playoffs. Ezekiel Elliott is in his prime. There's talent everywhere in Dallas, but the mindset in that locker room is where the Bears were a few weeks ago: Realizing that a team that had Super Bowl aspirations isn't made of championship stuff, and it's really hitting them in their hearts.

The Bears, on the other hand, had their reckoning a couple weeks back, getting absolutely fucking zilch against the mediocre Rams.

Since hitting bottom, the Bears have rallied against a couple of loser squads, and with the prospect of Hicks' return and Trubisky's relative competence starting to show, there's something to be said for their chances against Dallas.

The real shitty aspect of this is that Eddie Piniero hasn't been the same since the earlier portions of the season. His future is on the line on Thursday, as this is the type of game they signed him for - windy, wintry clutch games against a viable opponent when it matters most, and what Piniero's been lately is anything but reliable or clutch.

The guy's a coin flip.

I think this game plays out very similarly to the Eagles playoff game from last year, with Piniero missing a game-winner from 40+.

Bears 20
Cowboys 21

UOK wrote: ↑Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:47 am I'm going to make this prediction with the thinking that Hicks is back. If Hicks is out, I just don't know.

Bears 23
Cowboys 19

He's not eligible to return until the Packers game.

BR0D1E86 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:53 am

UOK wrote: ↑Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:47 am I'm going to make this prediction with the thinking that Hicks is back. If Hicks is out, I just don't know.

Bears 23
Cowboys 19

He's not eligible to return until the Packers game.

Fuck.

I'll edit my post.

UOK wrote: ↑Mon Dec 02, 2019 10:00 am

BR0D1E86 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:53 am

He's not eligible to return until the Packers game.

Fuck.

I'll edit my post.

He'd be huge in this game against Zeke. Wish we'd be able to get him a week earlier

Well, the Cowboys, although down, are not bums. They probably have one of the best teams (on paper) in the league. They have been playing well below par for that talent. I think their WRs give our secondary trouble. Prince has been a pauper of late and I see Cobb, Cooper and their 3rd guy, having their way. Dak is not Goff, he can get out of the pocket and has been throwing the ball really well.

Dallas' D is not the Lions.

I think the 'boys wake up and put the Bears to bed.

'boys 27

Bears 17

The healing can’t begin until Nagy and Helfrich are gone. Whatever happens with Mitch happens. But the Dude Bro Offense has to go. The only way for that to happen is for the Bears to lose. The problem is that even if we finish at 6-10 that puts Dude Bro Inc. at what an 18-14 record for the two years? That won’t be enough to get shitcanned by this organization unfortunately. There’s always next year I suppose.

This isn’t the GIants or the Lions we are playing. It’s a real team and their QB is better.

I do think it could be close, but we can’t get better by winning this game. The Cowboys wear down the Bears D by having a running game that works. The Bears go 3 and out or have enough short drives for the defense to not be rested.

Mitch throws for 2 TDs.
Monty has a solid game but doesn’t score.
Dinero kicks a FG.

Zeke wears down the defense and gets 2 TDs.
Dak throws for a TD.

Bears 17
Cowboys 21

Bears 24
Cowboys 17

Cowboys 24
Bears 17

Two disappointing 6-6 teams clinging to playoff hopes. As such, it could go either way. But the bears don't have the luxury of a bad division, and thus need it more.

Bears 20
Cowboys 17

Dallas can lose and would still control their own destiny in the division. It's going to be really hard for that division NOT to come down to the PHI/DAL Week 16 matchup.

Thus, the Bears need this game more. It's literally win or your season is over the rest of the way. And not like "lose to Philly" or "lose to Rams" kind of "season over". Literally, you need a damn miracle if you lose this game. It's not QUITE "mathematical" but it may as well be.

That being said...

Dallas NEEDS this game to calm the noise circulating around them. It just FEELS like this game means just as much to them as it does us. If they lay another egg on primetime. The media frenzy around them and Garrett/Jerry Jones is going to amplify tenfold.

These two teams are BOTH "bumslayers" as UOK likes to say. In fact, the Bears are the only one out of the two to have beaten a team with a winning record (Vikings Week 4).

I expect our defense to bend and not break (pretty much what they became after Hicks was lost). They've kept us in games all year and I expect nothing to change. I do worry about Zeke getting going a little.

All in all, I just don't know if I see it. I think this is the end of the line. Their dysfunction is a little less pronounced than ours. If that makes sense.

We return to scoring our usual 14-19 points. Unless the D is lights out. That's not enough.

Cowboys 24
Bears 19

Bears move the ball okay and play a cleaner game. However, they constantly settle for FG's with their red zone chances. Trubisky gets a shot with a final drive but never even sniffs the end zone.

Another game of missed chances and opportunities.

The Cowboys are better than the Lions and the Giants, but not by a lot. They make a lot of noise, but they are bum slayers, just like the Bears. However there is a lot of noise around Dallas right now, and it's got Garrett making poor decisions and taking unusual risks in order to try and win. Unfortunately for the Bears, I don't see Nagy being able to take advantage of it. Dallas will get their run game going early behind that OL, which opens up everything else. Bears don't have, or rather won't try that. Besides, Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith are going to wreck any attempt at it.

Dallas gets ahead early, and there's no hope of coming back.

Cowboys - 27
Bears - 13

My bad feelings are now amplified after Minnesota losing. This game actually matters now.

Feels like I'm allowing my hopes to get somewhat up again just so they can be destroyed one last time on Thursday.

this game isnt even hard. Bears will obviously win. The league is obviously setting it up so week 17 , cowboys vs Skins, decides division winner.

Richie wrote: ↑Tue Dec 03, 2019 12:19 am My bad feelings are now amplified after Minnesota losing. This game actually matters now.

Feels like I'm allowing my hopes to get somewhat up again just so they can be destroyed one last time on Thursday.

yep, they want Packers,VIKES, Bears, bunched up for the last 3 weeks

I forgot Ditka was an Eagle too

right now, i'm leaning on 27-17 Bears
27-20
26-20
20-14

Richie wrote: ↑Tue Dec 03, 2019 12:19 am My bad feelings are now amplified after Minnesota losing. This game actually matters now.

Feels like I'm allowing my hopes to get somewhat up again just so they can be destroyed one last time on Thursday.

The Bears have no hope of making the playoffs. None.

Now maybe there's some scenario involving String Theory where we get into the playoffs, but give me a break.

For me, its really just a balancing act of how bad should we screw over the Raiders by continuing to win or lose and try and get Nagy out of here.

Even if they were a good team, which they aren't, good luck in GB with the refs. Might as well fight Drago in Russia and hope the judges give it to you on points. Then there's the Chiefs.

The time to save this season was a month or two ago when the schedule was easy, but Dude Bro Inc. decided to fuck it all up by handing it off to Cohen and other assorted disasters like pulling the rug out from under Mitch during the Chargers game,

They're done. They deserve to be done.

Cowboys 22
Bears 17

Bears: 31
Cowboys: 23

I do believe the Bears have been bum slayers. It is SO tempting to predict a Cowboy blowout... after all - Zeke, right? Amari, right?

But no. I'm not...gonna...doit. The reason is because while Hicks is important he is not the key to the Bear run defense. That, my friends, would be Nick Kwiatkowski - whose snap count perfectly coincides with good Bear defense. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/ ... iaNi00.htm Sorry, Danny T ... but you've been exposed.

"Zeke, Dak ... meet Nick Kwit... the heart and soul of the Bear D"

And then on the other side, I think Professor Nagy has gone back to the drawing board and has re-implemented Nagy 1.0. Looks like it to me. And Anthony Miller = Amari Cooper. There - I said it.

Bear 31
Boy 24

The Marshall Plan wrote: ↑Tue Dec 03, 2019 5:43 am

Richie wrote: ↑Tue Dec 03, 2019 12:19 am My bad feelings are now amplified after Minnesota losing. This game actually matters now.

Feels like I'm allowing my hopes to get somewhat up again just so they can be destroyed one last time on Thursday.

The Bears have no hope of making the playoffs. None.

Now maybe there's some scenario involving String Theory where we get into the playoffs, but give me a break.

What? They are on the verge of controlling their own destiny.

If they win their final four. All they need is Minnesota to lose to GB and the Rams to lose to just ONE of Dallas, Seattle or San Francisco.

String theory?

If they just win their games. The Bears getting into the playoffs is actually the probable outcome.

Now, you want to talk about how we have little chance of winning those games? Fine, I actually agree with that. But this is FAAAARRRR from some convoluted scenario of needing a bunch of shit to fall correctly.

The more the Bears win, the less likely they are to firing Nagy, which is clearly the only problem this team has.

Richie wrote: ↑Tue Dec 03, 2019 2:45 pm

The Marshall Plan wrote: ↑Tue Dec 03, 2019 5:43 am

The Bears have no hope of making the playoffs. None.

Now maybe there's some scenario involving String Theory where we get into the playoffs, but give me a break.

What? They are on the verge of controlling their own destiny.

If they win their final four. All they need is Minnesota to lose to GB and the Rams to lose to just ONE of Dallas, Seattle or San Francisco.

String theory?

If they just win their games. The Bears getting into the playoffs is actually the probable outcome.

Now, you want to talk about how we have little chance of winning those games? Fine, I actually agree with that. But this is FAAAARRRR from some convoluted scenario of needing a bunch of shit to fall correctly.

Cowboys, Fuck The Packers, Chiefs, and Vikings. Going 4-0 against that lineup with the shit shows the Bears have put up this year is its own “convoluted scenario”.

Like I said, they have no hope of making the playoffs. None.

The Marshall Plan wrote: ↑Tue Dec 03, 2019 2:53 pm

Richie wrote: ↑Tue Dec 03, 2019 2:45 pm

What? They are on the verge of controlling their own destiny.

If they win their final four. All they need is Minnesota to lose to GB and the Rams to lose to just ONE of Dallas, Seattle or San Francisco.

String theory?

If they just win their games. The Bears getting into the playoffs is actually the probable outcome.

Now, you want to talk about how we have little chance of winning those games? Fine, I actually agree with that. But this is FAAAARRRR from some convoluted scenario of needing a bunch of shit to fall correctly.

Cowboys, Fuck The Packers, Chiefs, and Vikings. Going 4-0 against that lineup with the shit shows the Bears have put up this year is its own “convoluted scenario”.

Like I said, they have no hope of making the playoffs. None.

You called it a playoff scenario which requires "string theory" to decipher. You were wrong. Just own it. Don't give me this "well, what I had meant was" crap.

Then you can get back to screaming at the clouds.

OK let's agree they have hope but virtually no probability.

Richie wrote: ↑Tue Dec 03, 2019 3:05 pm

The Marshall Plan wrote: ↑Tue Dec 03, 2019 2:53 pm

Cowboys, Fuck The Packers, Chiefs, and Vikings. Going 4-0 against that lineup with the shit shows the Bears have put up this year is its own “convoluted scenario”.

Like I said, they have no hope of making the playoffs. None.

You called it a playoff scenario which requires "string theory" to decipher. You were wrong. Just own it. Don't give me this "well, what I had meant was" crap.

Then you can get back to screaming at the clouds.

STFU.

You quote half of what I say and then try to take me to task over it.

Eat shit asshole.

Playoff scenarios:

GB will lose to Washington, minn just lost. Bears aren't out of it yet.

Once again I discover that UOK has made a prediction very nearly reading my own thoughts. I think this game is won or lost by a field goal: if Piniero makes it, the Bears win by 2, otherwise they lose by 1. Each team will score at least 14 but no more than 21. There's not a likely combination in that range. Although the miss is more likely than the make, I'm going with:
Bears 17
Cowboys 15
As to string theory, I give the Bears a 2% chance of winning out. I see an 8-8 record as slightly more likely than 7-9.