Bears

• Eric Williams from FoxSports suggests that the Bears consider hiring former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll as their next leader, especially after missing out on Jim Harbaugh last offseason.
• Williams emphasizes that Chicago requires a coach with “championship pedigree” to restore order to the organization, which has seen five different coaches in the last decade and hasn’t won a playoff game since 2010.
• Despite being known for his defensive strategies, Williams notes that Carroll has excelled in optimizing quarterback performance with players like Russell Wilson and Geno Smith. He also helped develop talents such as Carson Palmer, Mark Sanchez, and Matt Leinart during his time at USC.
• Bears quarterback Caleb Williams acknowledged his role in the team’s struggles, saying, “The connotation behind my offensive line has been annoying and frustrating because they work their tail off to go out there. … I’ve taken sacks, yes. A good amount have been on me.” (Kevin Fishbain)
• Interim head coach Thomas Brown stated there was “no thought” given to shutting Williams down for the remaining games, confirming that all healthy starters will participate in Week 18 (Courtney Cronin).

Packers

• Tom Silverstein reports that Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery to identify the issues he has been facing, though the procedure is not considered major.

Vikings

The Vikings are in a strong position heading into the postseason with 14 victories, possibly securing the No. 1 seed if they defeat the Lions in Week 18. However, there is some concern over sixth-round kicker Will Reichard, who started the season strongly making his first 14 kicks, but has struggled since suffering a quad injury in early November, missing three of his five attempts in the past four games. Vikings special teams coordinator Matt Daniels expressed the team’s desire for the rookie to remain “poised through the noise.”

“As we get into these more tighter games, as you’re building to it, every point is gonna truly start to matter here…so when he does miss that type of kick, he understands what the result is and how it can kind of affect the turnout of the game,” said Daniels, as reported by Emily Leiker of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “It doesn’t weigh on him from a mental standpoint, but he does kind of feel it.”