Monday night was an evening of firsts for Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, who managed his first win over an NFC North rival and his first victory against an opponent with a winning record by taking down the Minnesota Vikings, 12-10, in Week 12.

The Bears also became the first NFL team to win a game in 2023 without scoring a touchdown. Justin Fields and Co. want to put more points on the board, but the fact that Chicago pulled out tonight’s victory is a testament to its defense, which Eberflus has been running since ex-DC Alan Williams resigned in September.

Will the Bears’ defensive resurgence help Eberflus keep his job? Or will Chicago be searching for a new head coach in 2024?

Is Bears HC Matt Eberflus Still on the Hot Seat?

Eberflus’ defense looked like one of the worst units in the league through the first four games of the season, all of which were Chicago losses. The Bears gave up at least 27 points in each game and ranked 31st in EPA per play, ahead of the Denver Broncos, who’d given up 70 points to the Miami Dolphins in Week 3.

But since Week 5, Chicago has allowed just 18 points per game and improved to 13th in EPA per play. Even with Fields out of the lineup for part of that stretch, the Bears managed a 4-4 record over that eight-game span.

Their most significant improvement has come on the ground. Chicago ranks No. 1 in EPA per rush and rushing success rate over the past two months. Only one Bears opponent has topped 100 rushing yards since Week 5, while Chicago has limited RBs Josh Jacobs, Austin Ekeler, and Alvin Kamara.

Of course, the Bears’ defense has still had issues against quarterbacks like Justin Herbert (298 yards, three touchdowns) and Jared Goff, who tossed three picks but led the Detroit Lions to a devastating comeback against Chicago in Week 11.

But the club might have shown enough flashes — and won enough games — to save Eberflus’ job. If young defenders like safety Jaquan Brisker, cornerbacks Tyrique Stevenson, and defensive tackles Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens can continue to develop alongside veterans such as pass rusher Montez Sweat and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, the Bears could have a workable core.

Let’s Make a Shopping List for the 2024 Bears Defense

Still, Chicago’s roster makeover isn’t nearly complete. While Bears general manager Ryan Poles could use most of his available assets to improve the club’s defense, there will be need areas on the defensive side of the ball.

Here are the top three moves Poles could consider to improve Eberflus’ defense in 2024.

Extend CB Jaylon Johnson

Multiple teams reportedly made offers for cornerback Jaylon Johnson at this year’s trade deadline, but the Bears ultimately held on to the pending free agent. The 24-year-old posted his third interception on Monday night as he continued his breakout campaign.

Entering Week 12, Johnson ranked second in snaps per reception (18.2), third in opponent passer rating (49.5), fourth in yards per reception (8.8), and sixth in catch rate allowed (51.4%).

MORE: 2024 NFL Free Agents by Position

He should be in line for a contract worth $20 million or more annually, especially after the Bears already extended Sweat — a trade acquisition, not a draft pick — at $24.5 million per year.

But Chicago projects to have over $80 million in 2024 cap space, eighth-most in the NFL, per Over the Cap. That level of flexibility should give Poles the breathing room to franchise tag Johnson if two sides can’t agree on a deal.

Add Another Edge Rusher

The Bears already addressed their pass-rushing woes by acquiring and extending Sweat, but they shouldn’t stop there. Eberflus wants to get pressure with his front four, so Chicago needs additional edge defenders to help Sweat.

No other Bears defensive end has more than three sacks or six quarterback hits. As a team, Chicago has the fourth-worst pressure rate in the NFL (16.9%).

Free agent pass rushers like Brian Burns and Josh Allen might not actually hit the open market, but the Bears could pursue FAs like Danielle Hunter, Bryce Huff, and D.J. Wonnum next offseason. They’ll also have the draft capital to target the 2024 NFL Draft EDGE class on Day 1 or 2.

Sign a Free Agent Safety

Eddie Jackson is one of the Bears’ longest-tenured players, but the 2017 Draft pick will turn 30 years old in a few weeks and has already missed five games due to injury this season. Chicago can clear $7.5 million by releasing Jackson next year.

If the Bears cut Jackson, they should target a free agent defensive back to play opposite Brisker in the back end. From top to bottom, safety might be the most impressive position group during next year’s free agent period.

Antoine Winfield Jr., Geno Stone, Grant Delpit, Kam Curl, Kyle Dugger, Xavier McKinney, and plenty of others are playing on expiring contracts. The variety of options might cap asking prices, but Chicago should be able to afford the FA safety it wants.

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The fantasy football playoffs are just around the corner, and there is no more time to go out and build the perfect team. For the most part, the roster you have is the roster you are going to have to play.

One thing you must still keep an eye on is injuries, and there are a lot of players whose status for next week is still in the air. A few of the guys to keep an eye on are Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins, New England Patriots WR Demario Douglas, and Philadelphia Eagles TE Dallas Goedert.

Fantasy Injury Updates

Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Few teams have had to deal with the injury bug quite like the Bengals. Any time you lose your franchise quarterback, it will be a tough year. However, there have been more Bengals who have dealt with injuries, and Higgins is one of those guys.

In the game against the Buffalo Bills, Higgins had his best game of the season, as he eclipsed 100 yards for the first time this year (eight catches for 110 yards). However, he hasn’t played since that game, as he has been dealing with a hamstring injury.

The Bengals are on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs, but they still have a puncher’s chance. On Monday, when asked what Higgins’ status will be for this week, head coach Zac Taylor gave an indication there is hope from the team that he does play.

“I think so,” Taylor told Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer when asked if Higgins could possibly go. “We’ll see what we can get out of him this week, as it goes.”

Like always with these injuries, keep an eye on the injury report moving forward. The fact that Taylor hopes he can go is a positive sign, but these things can change quickly.

Demario Douglas, WR, New England Patriots

Douglas has been a pleasant surprise for the anemic Patriots offense, but he left Sunday’s game against the New York Giants early after taking a vicious hit. The official report listed him with a head injury, and he will have to pass concussion protocol before he could possibly come back.

Multiple Patriots players blasted officials for how the call was handled. Wide receiver DeVante Parker was among the most vocal.

Parker, who has had to deal with concussion issues of his own, told NBC Sports Boston the following.

“That’s some bull[expletive]. The refs need to do something about that because that’s some bull[expletive],” Parker said. “They need to either throw a flag or something. He better get fined or something.”

MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor

The reaction by the Patriots players in the postgame conference shows how serious this injury is, but his status is unknown at the moment.

As is the case with all head injuries, expect the Patriots to be careful with his return, but we should know more by Wednesday evening or Thursday morning.

Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles

Goedert has missed extended time due to a forearm injury, but he is making a serious push to be back for the game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. The Eagles play quite possibly the two biggest games on their schedule in the next two weeks, as they host the 49ers and then travel to take on the Dallas Cowboys.

If they are able to win both of those games, they will all but lock up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

So, while it is understandable for Goedert to want to get back, don’t expect the Eagles to rush him back if he isn’t ready to go. He will need to show the team in practice he is ready to go — whether or not he is limited in practice the next couple of days should be a huge indication of whether the team will have him on Sunday.

Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!

It is quite a letdown if you are depending on a player to perform in the season to catapult you into the fantasy football playoffs and they don’t deliver. It is even worse when they get injured. What are the injury updates on Cooper Kupp, Amari Cooper, and Quentin Johnston?

WR Injury Updates

Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

Los Angeles Rams star WR Kupp has become less than automatic after returning from injury. At first, it was battling back from his hamstring, but now he seems to have a nagging ankle injury that has been affecting his fantasy production. He was the WR87 in Week 11 and WR78 in Week 12, numbers we are not used to seeing from Kupp.

MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor

It looked like Kupp may have aggravated the ankle early on in the game, and he did leave the field to have it taped, but he continued to play. The WR looked slightly off, so he might be battling more than we know. If Kupp has a setback, expect more targets to head to Puka Nacua and possibly Tyler Higbee, who had a huge outing on Sunday.

Amari Cooper, WR, Cleveland Browns

All of the Cleveland Browns’ offensive weapons have taken a hit since Deshaun Watson was ruled out for the season and Dorian Thompson-Robinson took over under center. Cooper has had a rough last two weeks, finishing as WR51 in Week 11 against Pittsburgh and WR88 in Week 12 against Denver.

However, it might not just be QB play that will affect Cooper moving forward. Cooper left Sunday’s game in the second half due to a rib injury. When he left the game, he had only caught two of his targets for 16 yards. He avoided broken ribs and head coach Kevin Stefanski said the X-rays were negative. Stefanski “thinks he will be OK.”

If Cooper is sidelined this week against the Rams, you could see extra targets heading toward TE David Njoku, especially if P.J. Walker ends up starting for a potentially injured DTR.

Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

The rookie receiver Johnston has not yet turned into the star the Los Angeles Chargers hoped for when they drafted him. He is currently the WR95 and his highest finish was in Week 10 when he was WR25. He has had plenty of opportunity too, with multiple weeks where one or more players were injured allowing him the chance to step up.

On Sunday, Johnston left the game in the third quarter with a rib injury after catching one pass for seven yards. Head coach Brandon Staley said that Johnston was medically cleared to re-enter the game, but they “didn’t feel like … it was the right thing to go back in the game.”

Even if Johnston is healthy, it is beginning to look like the Chargers will start to look elsewhere. Fantasy managers should do the same.

Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!