The stakes are simple. They could not be more straightforward or any easier to decipher.
The Bears, currently on the very edge of every “In The Hunt” television graphic at 7-6, cannot afford to fall short in another game. That is, if they hope to extend their season into the first January of the 2020s. A depressing reality of needing two other crushing playoff weights to fail, the Rams and Vikings, can be forgotten for a moment. The Bears have to take care of their own business before they worry about receiving any assistance from the outside.