Minutes after the Vikings win, Bears players were touting the fact that their remaining five games were all outdoors.
“We’re gonna have to be able to rely on our run game,” tight end Cole Kmet said then.
Wednesday, running back D’Onta Foreman said that “these games are going to come down to the wire,” in part because “it’s going to be cold.”
Playing at Soldier Field in the coldest temperatures the Bears have seen since last Christmas Eve figures to be an edge against the Lions, who are housed in a dome.
“It’s an advantage for us …” safety Jaquan Brisker said. “At the same time they want to come in and beat us.”
Pro Bowl voting
No Bears were among the league leaders in Pro Bowl fan voting released Wednesday, but four appeared in the top 10 at their position. Defensive end Montez Sweat is eighth; fullback Khari Blasingame is fifth; inside linebacker T.J. Edwards is 10th; and Kmet is 10th.
Former Bears Roquan Smith and Raheem Mostert were the top AFC vote-getter at inside linebacker and running back, respectively.
The Bears didn’t have a single Pro Bowl player on their roster last year.
This and that
• Standout Lions center Frank Ragnow, who was injured Sunday, did not practice Wednesday with what the team called knee, back and toe injuries. Malcolm Rodriguez (ankle) was limited, while fellow linebacker Alex Anzalone (hand) was a full participant. Anzalone had 15 tackles against the Bears last month.
• The only Bears player with an injury designation was rookie linebacker Noah Sewell, who hurt his knee in practice during the lead up last month’s Lions game. He was upgraded for the first time to limited.
• Quarterback Justin Fields will wear cleats touting his new eponymous foundation in warmups Sunday as part of the NFL’s “My Cause, My Cleats” campaign. Eberflus’ shoes will support the Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center.