Time: Kickoff at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Weather: There should be fresh snow on the ground with highs in the mid 30s.
Oddsmakers say: Chicago by five and a half with an over/under of 34.
Daily Record’s reckless reckoning: Bears 26, Jaguars 10.
Records: Jaguars 6-9, Bears 12-3.
The series: Tied at 1-1, with the visiting team winning each game.
Last week: The Jaguars talked of gaining momentum going into next season. What momentum? After three consecutive road wins, the Jaguars lost to the visiting Kansas City Chiefs 30-26.
Television: The game will be televised locally on Ch. 4 and regionally on CBS affiliates.
The game: This looked like an easy game for the Jaguars last summer — especially after a convincing season-opening win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Then Sept. 11 happened. The game was postponed. The Jaguars started losing. The Bears started winning. Now the Jaguars must travel to the Windy City deep in winter. While the Bears have clinched a playoff berth, they’re still trying to win the NFC Central Division over the Green Bay Packers and a cushy playoff schedule. While Chicago has given up a league-low 190 points, that statistic belies their total defense, which averages to a middle-of-the-pack squad. The weather may slow Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell and the passing game, which could be the key to a Jaguars victory against the Bears’ 29th-ranked pass defense. Recently-emerged Jaguars running back Stacey Mack (three consecutive 100-yard games) will have a stiff test against the Bears second-ranked rush defense, which has only yielded 81 yards a game. If Jacksonville wants to win, it will have to neutralize Bears running back Anthony Davis and make quarterback Jim Miller pass the ball around, which is a strategy the Bears have done begrudgingly all season. Still, the wind whipping off Lake Michigan will make the Jaguars wish they were anywhere but Soldier Field.
Next week: The Jaguars failed to qualify for the post-season. See you next year.
— by Glenn Tschimpke