Note: It is very difficult to write a game preview for Monday night’s game with the Dallas Cowboys without knowing the outcome of the Detroit-Philadelphia game Sunday. Why? Because I think that result will greatly impact the energy in the Bears locker room and the enthusiasm of the faithful on a frigid night at Soldier Field. If Philly beats Detroit, the Bears will have an opportunity to win a single game and put a ton of pressure on the Lions down the stretch. Will they end up winning the division? More than likely not. But I don’t think it’ll be because Detroit wins out.

Why do I like the Chicago Bears this week?

I always like the Chicago Bears.

BUT WHAT FOOTBALL REASONS, JEFF?

• Bears are 4-2 at home. Cowboys are 2-4 on the road. That, folks, is a trend.
• Jeff Hughes will be sitting around the fifty yard-line. And we know the Bears never lose when he’s in attendance! (True fact, the Bears have never lost a primetime home game I’ve attended. This includes three fairly significant upsets.)
• As bad as the Bears defense has been, the Cowboys defense is statistically worse. Dallas will have no conceivable means of dealing with the abundance of weapons presented by the Bears. Think about how many different ways the Bears can attack opponents these days.
• Bears are most vulnerable against the run (see below) but the biggest knock on the Cowboys coaching staff this season has been their propensity to abandon the run too early in games. If the Bears can get just a tiny bit of a success in run defense early they could force the game onto Tony Romo’s shoulders.
• I started to wonder midway through last Sunday’s game if Julius Peppers knows he’s now playing for NFL future. I hope he approaches the next four games that way.
• Dallas does a poor job getting to the quarterback.
• I think Devin Hester is going to get some opportunities for returns and I think he’s going to get into the end zone.

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The co-sponsor of Sunday night’s event to benefit the Otis Wilson Charitable Organization is called Art of Men. Art of Men is a soon-to-launch digital platform that pairs the knowledge, experience and expertise of men with good works projects in their communities. Art of Men does not ask men to donate their money. They ask men to donate themselves; to donate their time. (To see video of Art of Men’s work with senior centers in NYC and the New York Yankees, CLICK HERE.)

Art of Men will be gathering volunteers Sunday night for two Chicago-based organizations desperate for the assistance. (For full event details, CLICK HERE.)

COMMON PANTRY

Common Pantry is Chicago’s oldest, continually-operating food pantry. On Friday December 20th they are receiving a shipment of more than 3,000 pounds of food to be served to the city’s neediest citizens. Their problem? They lack the man power (about ten people!) to unload the trucks and organize the food. From an email I received from the pantry’s Executive Director:

We are confirmed for the food drive pickup on December 20th.  It will be at Lane Tech High School at 10am.  The school is at 3500 N. Western Ave. We can have volunteers meet at the pantry (3744 N. Damen Ave) around 9:45a and then head over to the school.  It is only about a mile away from the pantry.  The process should last about 2 hours.  I have confirmed a large truck to use for transporting the food, volunteers will just need a vehicle to transport themselves (we can definitely car pool).

We’ll be signing up volunteers at the event and contacting them in the days after.

LEAVE NO VETERAN BEHIND

This is a truly unique organization to benefit Chicago’s veterans, providing educational and employment services to veterans facing economic hardships. Many organizations service the mental/physical needs of returning vets (though nowhere near to the extent they should) but LNVB helps them transition back into the working world. Here is an appearance the organization did on Windy City Live:

What we are attempting to mobilize is 2-3 individuals to work with veterans on mentor level. We’d like two or three men to meet regularly with a veteran or two and provide guidance on all those elements that aid in the transition to the working world: resumes/cover letters, interview approach…etc.

It is going to be a terrific night. I hope many of you will join us and help us make Chicago a better place to live.

CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS! (ONLY $10)

Thanks to Bears beat writer Adam Jahns our event received some promotion from Emily McFarlan Miller in the Sun-Times:

Did No Shave November work out really well for you?

Have you been looking for an opportunity to bust out your favorite sweater vest and stogie?

Then have we got an event for you: The Mike Ditka Look-a-like Competition at 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, at Double Door, 1572 N. Milwaukee Ave.

The event, presented by DaBearsBlog and Art of Men, will benefit the Otis Wilson Charitable Association. It also includes a Christmas toy drive and a performance by the Black Oil Brothers.

Anyone can enter the Mike Ditka Look-a-like Competition, and each entrant will get a moment to walk the stage for celebrity judges, including 1985 Super Bowl champion Otis Wilson and Bears legend James “Big Cat” Williams, according to the event page on Ticketfly. The winner will receive two tickets to the Chicago Bears v. Dallas Cowboys game on Monday, Dec. 9, where the Bears will retire Ditka’s No. 89 jersey at halftime, it said.

Anyone who brings a toy to donate to the Christmas toy drive at the event also will be eligible to win an signed Otis Wilson jersey, it said.

The Otis Wilson Charitable Association provides an all-inclusive health and fitness program for at-risk youth to educate and empower them to lead healthy lifestyles, according to its website.

DABEARSBLOG STILL HAS ROOM ON OUR COMPLIMENTARY RSVP LIST. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS EMAIL ME: JEFF@DABEARSBLOG.COM

After the jump you can once again experience the event’s amazing poster art…

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The Chicago Bears allowed the Minnesota Vikings to thoroughly dominate them for the final fifteen minutes of Sunday’s pivotal NFC North match-up. Because of that dominance the Bears now find themselves needing to make up two games on Detroit in the standings over the final month of the season if they wish to play a postseason game, at home, against either the San Francisco 49ers or Carolina Panthers. The playoffs are now unlikely. More than unlikely. But with or without playoff implications, the final four games of this 2013 season are not without significant merit. But an overwhelming amount of that merit depends upon Jay Cutler playing quarterback.

Sunday’s numbers for Josh McCown probably looked thrilling to the fantasy-obsessed, casual NFL fan. 63.5% completion percentage. 355 yards. 2 touchdowns. Quarterback rating through the roof. But it doesn’t require Ron Jaworski holed up at NFL Films headquarters in New Jersey with five pots of coffee and a bag of the devil’s dandruff to see McCown’s limitations at quarterback cost the Bears the ability to sustain drives and in the fourth quarter cost them the ability to put the Vikings away. McCown’s success had less to do with McCown and more to do with a superhuman performance from Alshon Jeffery.

McCown is a wonderful backup quarterback and I expect him to be a tremendous presence in the Bears quarterback room for the next few years. But every game he plays, every snap he takes, every throw he attempts hinders the development of the Trestman offense in Chicago.

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There is a lot to take from Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings – most likely the second consecutive year an unexplainable loss to the Vikes on the road will cost the Bears a chance at the playoffs. Here is the rapid fire recap from Sunday’s disappointing performance.

• People who want to blame Marc Trestman for attempting the overtime field goal on second down are simply lost causes. Chicago has the most accurate kicker in the history of the sport! He makes that kick in his sleep! Why risk a mistake on offense? Robbie Gould should have made the damn kick.
• Bears also should have never had the chance to make the kick.
• Craig Steltz wasn’t great today but there is no way on earth Major Wright should go back to the starting safety role. Steltz earned the right to start next week. Hell, I’ll be there.
• Julius Peppers delivered a magnificent first half.
• Alshon Jeffery delivered the most magnificent performance by a wide receiver in the history of the Chicago Bears.
• Numbers can be confusing. Josh McCown’s numbers were brilliant Sunday. His performance was not. The Bears needed Cutler’s accuracy and arm strength against the Vikings.
• Hey Kyle Long, don’t catch footballs.
• Hey Josh McCown, don’t act like Brett Favre. Take the sacks…and occasionally throw the football away.
• Bears need to stop pretending they have some power running game. They don’t. Their short yardage runs have been abysmal.
• 4th and 11 defines the season, defines the defense, defines the futility.

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Bye bye Metrodome. Here were my Quick Hits on Twitter from yesterday:

Quick hits for Bears v Vikings. #1 of 5. Bears need to dominate offensively & force Minnesota to throw. Keep Podlesh on the bench 1st half.

#2 of 5. Trest can say all he wants about run fits but safeties are reason the 6 yd run is going for 60. 1 bad Conte angle = 6 AP points.

#3 of 5. Bears gave Minnesota 14 defensive/special teams pts the first go-round. Need a clean sheet from both departments.

#4 of 5. I can see Christian Ponder rolling casually to his right & hitting the TE for a meaningful 1st down. McClellin/Woot can’t let him.

#5 of 5.Time for Bostic & Greene to grow up. Play aggressive, violent yet disciplined game. Watch some Singletary tape. Or just ask Briggs.

One more week without the game chat. Live in the comments, my friends!

For years I have written game previews and for years I’ve picked the Bears every week. But I think the more attentive readers of the site understand I give multiple clues in the previews when I don’t ACTUALLY think the Bears will win. (As much as I’d like to see it happen I have never predicted the Bears to win 16 games.) A week ago, against the Rams, I could have populated Da Bear Concerns with eleven different elements and said during my appearance on 1490 the Jock in Des Moines I believed St. Louis was a match-up nightmare for Chicago. They were. Losing that game could not have surprised me less.

Sadly, the same goes for Sunday’s contest in Minnesota. I can’t make a single, plausible argument for the Bears defense containing Minnesota’s offense. And Minnesota’s offense isn’t very good. When these two teams played the last time the Bears only allowed 16 offensive points. But that was before this unit collapsed completely. Last week the Vikings ran the ball 40 times for more than 200 yards. Why would anyone expect a different approach this week? Why would you not expect BETTER results for Minnesota?

Why, oh why, do I like the Chicago Bears this week?

I ALWAYS LIKE THE CHICAGO BEARS!

But I do not like the Chicago Bears defense. You name the player on the Vikings offense and I will give you a half dozen reason he can be successful Sunday. We all made a big deal about the Bears porous rush defense but when they had the Rams in advantageous down-and-distance Sunday Kellen Clemens was able to chuck the ball to wide open receivers and tight ends all over the field for massive gains. It hasn’t just been a failure in run support. It’s been across the board.

No, I like the Chicago Bears this week because I like their ability to score a lot of points against this Vikings defense. The writing is on the wall for Josh McCown and it was written by Jay Cutler during his appearance with Waddle & Silvy on ESPN radio this week. The starting QB intends to return for the Cowboys on Monday night, December 9th. And the Vikings have given up the most points in the NFL this year. If this season is going to be salvaged it is going to be salvaged by the best players on the Chicago Bears: McCown, Forte, Marshall, Jeffery, Martellus Bennett and the offensive line. They have no other choice.

Chicago Bears 38, Minnesota Vikings 30

I know many of you think the Packers, with Rodgers, are a greater threat to the Bears postseason hopes. But that should not matter. With the Lions owning the tiebreaker, the Bears need a one game lead on them and that might be too difficult for this defense to pull off. Root for Green Bay today.

And as always, I give thanks for those of you who’ve spent time on this site over the years. I love this site because of you.

Feel like gambling on Thanksgiving Day? Drink six beers, select a member of your family and tell them exactly how you feel about them. Or bet on sports. I make my three picks for the day after the jump.

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On Sunday night, December 9th we’ll be co-hosting an event with the Otis Wilson Charitable Association at the Double Door in Wicker Park. Tickets are $10 – with all proceeds going directly to OWCA. At the event we’ll be having a Mike Ditka Lookalike Contest with the winner receiving a pair of tickets to the following night’s contest between the Bears and the Cowboys.

As a Thanksgiving gift, DaBearsBlog has 20 complimentary tickets to give away! All you need to do is send me an email to Jeff@DaBearsBlog.com letting me know who you are and who you’d like to bring. I will select the winners by the end of the week.

Otis Wilson and James “Big Cat” Williams will be confirmed celebrity judges and you’ll have a chance to meet and take a picture with both.

To support this wonderful cause and purchase tickets, CLICK HERE.

To learn more about the entire event, CLICK HERE.