Bears coach Matt Nagy said he is not planning significant changes — in approach or personnel — in the final two games of the season after the Bears were eliminated from playoff contention Sunday following a 21-13 loss to the Packers at Lambeau Field.
The Bears (7-7) play the Chiefs (10-4) at Soldier Field on Sunday night, then conclude the season against the Vikings (10-4) on Dec. 29 at U.S. Bank Stadium.
“We can’t [do] anything about the playoffs — that’s done,” Nagy said. “But what we can do is continue to fight our tails off and coach our tails off and that’s what I’m gonna be looking for — how our guys respond to this situation.
“This is the first time that we’re in this situation in the two years I’m here. I know how our guys will respond. I know how our coaches will respond. So our main objective now is to treat this game no differently than what it would have been if we would have won [Sunday].”
The Bears will have some decisions to make on injured players. Defensive end Akiem Hicks gutted out a sore left elbow he had dislocated previously this season in his return from injured reserve against the Packers on Sunday. He still could play the final two games.
“We want to continue keep going forward with him like we’ve been,” Nagy said. “I don’t look at this as changing anything with that. We’ve got to talk through all that and I think that’s the biggest thing, is making sure we’re on the same page. But I know Akiem’s going to want to be out there and playing and helping our defense as much as he can.”
Hicks’ performance and effort under duress against the Packers made an impression on Nagy. Hicks played virtually with one arm at certain points in the game. At one point he went to the sideline with his left arm hanging, but returned for the next series. He had four tackles and two quarterback hits.
“He was unbelievable. I thought he played lights out,” Nagy said. “Even all the stuff, fighting through the aggravations of the injury throughout the game, the way he played and the plays he made [Sunday], that was fun to watch. We missed that.”
Nagy said decisions like Hicks — and presumably Danny Trevathan (dislocated elbow) and cornerback Prince Amukamara (hamstring) will be collaborative.
“The one positive that we do here in this building is togetherness,” Nagy said. “We’ll talk through everything, and we’ll make sure it’s the right decisions for all parties. I think that’s the only way to go about it.”
The Bears still have a chance to finish with a winning record for the second consecutive season. That’s not the playoffs. But to Nagy, it beats the alternative.
“I really am looking forward to our team finishing and playing really hard these last two games. We can do that,” Nagy said. “And so my message to the guys is, ‘We’re rolling, man. There’s nothing that changes.’ It stinks that we can’t get to the playoffs. But that’s on us. We made this. So hopefully we learn from it and remember this feeling. But these next two games are very important to us and we’re gonna play ‘em hard.”
