Chicago Bears pass-rusher Robert Quinn hit out at the "crazy" officiating in the NFL after a close defeat to the Minnesota Vikings.

The Bears went down 17-9 on Monday as the Vikings kept themselves in the NFC playoff picture.

It was an eighth defeat in nine games for Chicago, while the Vikings have now had 11 consecutive games decided by eight points or fewer, one shy of the NFL record.

Chicago coach Matt Nagy was flagged by the referee in between the first and second quarters after Bears safety Deon Bush was penalised for hitting Tyler Conklin's head on an incomplete pass.

This had been deemed as "forcible contact" against Conklin, much to Nagy's chagrin, with the coach venting his frustration towards referee Scott Novak.

"I saw what happened," Nagy told reporters. "Our guys are fighting their asses off to get off the field, and I saw what happened. So, I explained my opinion on it. And I don't regret it."

Novak claimed Nagy's complaints "crossed the line", but Quinn, earlier named a Pro Bowler for a third time, defended his coach.

"Some of these calls are starting to get a little crazy," he told reporters.

"These refs seem like they're controlling the game a little too much. So, when a play is clean and they're throwing a flag for something that they thought they could change a game [with] just by one flag.

"Let guys play ball. If this was a couple of years ago, half of this stuff wouldn't even be called. But now they got so many of these stupid rules, they dang near in a ref's hands [and] could change the game in any given moment.

"I think they need to go check the refs they hire and not our coach."

The Vikings, too, had complaints, after linebacker Eric Kendricks was ejected in the final quarter for hitting the head of Chicago quarterback Justin Fields.

"I didn't get a good explanation, really. They came over late and said they thought he had an elbow to a head," Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. 

"I thought I saw it pretty cleanly, and I thought the quarterback slid and kept his head up, and Eric was going down and kind of raised his head to try to avoid it, and I thought they bumped heads."

Minnesota are second in the NFC North, behind the Green Bay Packers (11-3), while Chicago (4-10) sit third.

The Minnesota Vikings did not look like a playoff team Monday, but they managed to remain in the NFC postseason picture with a 17-9 defeat of the slumping Chicago Bears. 

Kirk Cousins threw a pair of touchdown passes for Minnesota but finished with just 87 yards passing, the lowest total in his 118 career NFL starts. 

Ugly as it was at times, that proved to be enough for the Vikings (7-7) as the Bears, who lost for the eighth time in nine games, could not find a way into the end zone until the closing seconds. 

Though Chicago out-gained Minnesota 370 to 193, the Bears (4-10) fumbled the ball away three times and came up empty on four of their five red-zone opportunities. 

Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields was more efficient than Cousins, completing 26 of 39 passes for 285 yards, but he repeatedly proved unable to complete the big pass when Chicago needed it. 

The Bears made it past the Vikings' 25-yard line on three consecutive second-half drives but saw each of them end with a failed fourth-down conversion. They finally tacked on a Fields-to-Jesper Horsted touchdown on the final play of the game, but by then it was too late. 

That otherwise-meaningless touchdown also emphasised the tightrope the Vikings have walked all year, as it was their 11th consecutive game decided by eight points or fewer, one shy of the NFL record.

The victory kept the Vikings in the NFC wild-card picture but they face an uphill climb, with games against the Los Angeles Rams and Green Bay Packers the next two weeks before a home rematch with the Bears to close the regular season. 

The Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers made light work of the Chicago Bears, yet the quarterback is concerned about an ongoing toe problem.

Rodgers threw for four touchdowns and no interceptions as the Packers came from behind to claim a 45-30 win over their rivals on Sunday.

Green Bay (10-3) are the third team in the NFL this season to hit 10 wins, while the Packers have now won six straight games against the Bears.

Rodgers extended his run to 23-5 when starting against Chicago, while he has now enjoyed seven four-touchdown, no interception games against the Bears – the most in NFL history against a single opponent.

Indeed, Rodgers is the only quarterback who also has six such games, having achieved the feat against the Minnesota Vikings. Tom Brady, with five such games against the Buffalo Bills, is the closest to matching Green Bay's talisman in that regard.

His final touchdown pass of the game took Rodgers to 61 career TDs against the Bears, taking him clear of Brett Favre (60) for the most against Chicago.

Rodgers aggravated Chicago after the clash with Green Bay in October, with a taunt of "I own you."

While team-mate Allen Lazard wore a shirt with the slogan "I still own you" to his post-game media conference, Rodgers said he does not need to reiterate the point.

"I've already said what I've said," he explained. "I don't need to double and triple down. I'll let those words stand for themselves."

However, it was not all positive for Rodgers, who conceded the toe injury he has been carrying has not improved.

The reigning NFL MVP sustained the fracture to his pinky toe during his COVID-19 quarantine earlier in the season. Despite allowing the injury time to heal over the Packers' bye week, the 38-year-old revealed he was suffering throughout Sunday's game.

"It feels worse," Rodgers told reporters.

"I don't know what kind of setback that I had tonight but we'll look at it tomorrow. Definitely took a step back tonight."

Rodgers has previously confirmed that surgery is an option, though he is hoping to avoid a procedure if possible. Further scans, set to take place on Monday, will determine the next course of action.

"That would be last resort, for sure," Rodgers added when asked about the possibility of surgery. "But I've got to see what kind of setback it was tonight."

Aaron Rodgers' domination of the Chicago Bears continued as the reigning NFL MVP fuelled the Green Bay Packers' come-from-behind 45-30 victory on Sunday.

Rodgers, who controversially remarked that he "owns" the Bears following October's clash, threw four touchdowns to help the Packers (10-3) rally from a half-time deficit.

The Packers quarterback – now boasting a 23-5 record against the Bears – completed 29 of 37 attempts for 341 yards as NFC North leaders Green Bay overturned a 10-point second-quarter deficit.

Packers wide receiver Davante Adams finished with two touchdowns, including one late in a wild second quarter where both sides traded six TDs, while Aaron Jones also had two TDs.

The game burst to life in the second quarter with 45 points scored – the most ever in the Packers-Bears rivalry, after Rodgers had been sacked by Robert Quinn in the first.

Rasul Douglas had a second pick-six in consecutive games, this time from Justin Fields on his return from a rib injury for the Bears (4-9), completing 18 of 33 attempts for 224 yards with two touchdown passes and two interceptions.

Jakeem Grant scored two for the Bears, including the season's first punt return TD, running 97 yards – the longest in Chicago's history. Rodgers found Lazard and Adams for touchdowns, while Damiere Byrd also crossed for the Bears.

After the Packers trailed 27-21 at half-time, Jones capped a nine-play, 75-yard drive with a rushing TD to take the lead, before Rodgers lobbed a pass to him for his second.

In the fourth quarter, Rodgers found Adams for his second to stretch the lead to 18 points, while Kindle Vildor's penalty for being out of bounds on the punt denied Damien Williams a TD for the Bears, who scored their only second-half points late from Cairo Santos' fourth field goal.

Chicago Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson expects to make his return from a hamstring injury in Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers.

The 28-year-old one-time Pro Bowler has missed the past three games for the Bears due to a hamstring injury sustained on November 8 in the 29-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Bears have lost six of their past seven games, including going down 33-22 to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, with Robinson's absence not helping.

"That's the plan," Robinson told reporters on Thursday when asked about returning to play. "Everything is trending in the right direction."

Robinson has endured a difficult season, troubled by an ankle complaint and managing only 30 receptions for 339 yards for one touchdown in nine games.

"Seasons like this are tough," Robinson said. "They're extremely tough.

"But being able to compartmentalize all of it, putting certain things to the side and trying to focus on the main thing, continuing to improve, figuring out how to get better, figuring out how to possibly change the result and figuring out how to continue to put yourself in a position to ultimately do what you want to do, and that's win the game. It's tough when you have seasons like this. But again, the season's not over."

The Bears, who are 4-8, are likely to also get quarterback Justin Fields back after missing two games with broken ribs.

Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers said he has no regrets after taunting the Chicago Bears with the comment "I still own you!" as he prepares to renew his rivalry with the NFL franchise.

Rodgers was at his brilliant best as the reigning MVP claimed his 22nd win over the Bears 24-14 in October, the veteran quarterback throwing two touchdowns and running for another at Soldier Field.

His 22-5 record against the Bears ranks third-best for winning percentage (81.5) by a quarterback against a single opponent since 1950 (minimum 25 starts), behind Tom Brady (91.4 per cent against the Buffalo Bills) and Ben Roethlisberger (87.0 per cent against the Cleveland Browns).

As he left the field, Rodgers could be heard taunting Chicago supporters: "All my f****** life, I own you. I still own you. I still own you."

The two teams meet again on Sunday, this time at Lambeau Field and Rodgers was asked about those remarks.

"I don't know that you can question a whole lot of what I said," Rodgers told reporters on Wednesday.

"We have gotten the better of them the last, I don't know, 27, 28 times we've played them for the most part ... A lot of times in situations like this, the trash talk is only going to be used if you're getting after that individual that was trash-talking.

"So in order to trash-talk, you have to have a lot of confidence in what you accomplished and what you're going to accomplish in the future.

"At some point, what I said will be used against me -- that's just part of it. But I have no regrets for saying what I said, and obviously I think the record kinda speaks for itself. But I get it. "At some point that will be used against me. It is what it is. I don't regret saying it at all."

Rodgers heads into his fourth straight game with no, or very limited, practice time due to a fractured toe.

"I don't want him to take anything away," Rodgers said regarding head coach Matt LaFleur. "I don't think there will be any restrictions on anything come Sunday [against the Bears].

"It might be on Matt's mind, but every time we've talked, I always tell him that everything's in. There's nothing that we need to hold out."

The series is the most played in NFL history with 201 games between the Packers and Bears.

Rodgers threw for two touchdowns with no interceptions in Green Bay's 36-28 win over the Los Angeles Rams last time out. He has the best career touchdown to interception ratio (4.68, 435 TDs to 93 INTs) of the 201 quarterbacks in NFL history with at least 1500 career attempts, per Stats Perform.

The return of Kyler Murray will be a game-time decision according to Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury who reiterated they will be cautious with their quarterback.

Murray has not played since sustaining a left ankle sprain in the Week 8 loss to the Green Bay Packers but is closing in on a return to full fitness and availability.

The Cardinals take on the Chicago Bears on Sunday holding a 9-2 record and top spot in the NFC West.

Arizona's winning record has enabled them to maintain a cautious approach for Murray's return, with his absence entering its sixth week.

"There's obviously some cat-and-mouse in this sport, but I mean, with a player like him, the position we're in, we were going to be overly cautious this entire time," Kingsbury told reporters on Friday.

"We still are and so we want to make sure when we get him back, he's playing at a high level, and he can't re-injure it to a point that we lose him for a substantial amount of time."

Kingsbury is also cognisant of the last season's tailspin after starting the season 5-2 before finishing 3-6 with injuries taking their toll and missing the postseason.

"I just think we want to finish the right way this season and we didn't last year," Kingsbury added. "So, we're just trying to be smart about it."

Meanwhile, Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields will miss the game despite making progress in his return from broken ribs.

"Justin's making good progress, [he's] just not there yet medically for the clearance," Bears head coach Matt Nagy told reporters.

Fields, who practised on a limited basis three times this week, will be absent for a second consecutive game with Andy Dalton to start again as QB for the 4-7 Bears.

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy expressed his gratitude for how his team handled "distractions" after their Thanksgiving triumph over the Detroit Lions.

The Bears scrapped to a 16-14 victory against the winless Lions on Thursday amid uncertainty over Nagy's future in Chicago.

Nagy had to answer questions about his future this week, following reports he had been told his final game would be against the Lions (0-10).

But after snapping a five-game skid, Nagy savoured Chicago's result as the Bears improved to 4-7.

"When there's distractions, which is in every sport, in all facets of life, there's always going to be distractions," Nagy told reporters.

"It's how you handle them. And again, we got the win today, and it could've went a lot of different ways. But the reason why we got the win is because of how they handled the distractions, you know? That's where to me, when you're in this business and you lead people, it's my job to make sure of honest and open communication.

"That's where, for me, I just can't tell you how much this win means today to me because of what they did."

Chicago's defence allowed a season-low 239 total yards and just 14 first downs against Detroit.

Andy Dalton fuelled the Bears with a touchdown on 24-of-39 passing for 317 yards – his 30th 300-yard career passing game and the most yards by a Chicago quarterback since November 2020.

"Again, for me, there is only my understanding, which is what it's been since the day I signed up to be this coach, is to win as many games as I can possibly win, and do it the right way," Nagy added.

"When you lose five games in a row, you understand. When you're 3-7, you know what territory it can get to. You know what I mean? That comes with the job. I knew that four years ago when I took this, and so here we are. Every week is a little bit different.

"This one was definitely different. This is one of those weeks where you use it moving forward. You don't make any predictions, but what you do is when you go home on that plane tonight and everyone's having a good time because they're able to celebrate and have fun watching the tape and enjoy their Thanksgiving and get back to being healthy and understand what games are next, but the only game that matters is Arizona coming up.

"That's it. So again, for me, the only thing I can say to those players is that I appreciate them and we have a hell of a group of guys, players and coaches, and they showed it today by getting a win."

The Chicago Bears scrapped to a 16-14 Thanksgiving win over the Detroit Lions, as the returning Jared Goff's wait for a first career win without Sean McVay went on.

Bears coach Matt Nagy had to answer questions about his future this week, but he was boosted by a trip to Detroit to play Goff and the winless Lions in Thursday's early game.

Goff – back after an oblique injury – is now 0-16-1 when not coached by McVay, having gone 42-20 in their four years together with the Los Angeles Rams, and this was another outing to forget.

Although a matchup between the teams ranked 29th and 30th for points per game heading into the week was never likely to be a classic, it started well for Goff when he connected with Josh Reynolds on a 39-yard touchdown.

D'Andre Swift soon went down with a shoulder problem to check Detroit's momentum, however, and Cairo Santos' field goal got the Bears on the board before two Andy Dalton passes broke the game open late in the half, as he threw 52 yards to Darnell Mooney and then 17 yards to Jimmy Graham up the middle for a TD.

That was quickly followed by a Goff fumble – his eighth of the year and the fifth he has lost – and the Lions continued to struggle to move the chains even after an Amani Oruwariye interception, instead allowing Santos to stretch Chicago's lead before half-time.

But Goff's work through the air was much improved and a patient third-quarter drive ended with a pass to T. J. Hockenson to edge the Lions in front.

The hosts came close to their first win of the season but were ultimately thwarted by the boot of Santos as Chicago's final drive led to a successful 28-yard field goal in the final seconds.

The Chicago Bears scrapped to a 16-14 Thanksgiving win over the Detroit Lions, as the returning Jared Goff's wait for a first career win without Sean McVay went on.

Bears coach Matt Nagy had to answer questions about his future this week, but he was boosted by a trip to Detroit to play Goff and the winless Lions in Thursday's early game.

Goff – back after an oblique injury – is now 0-16-1 when not coached by McVay, having gone 42-20 in their four years together with the Los Angeles Rams, and this was another outing to forget.

Although a matchup between the teams ranked 29th and 30th for points per game heading into the week was never likely to be a classic, it started well for Goff when he connected with Josh Reynolds on a 39-yard touchdown.

D'Andre Swift soon went down with a shoulder problem to check Detroit's momentum, however, and Cairo Santos' field goal got the Bears on the board before two Andy Dalton passes broke the game open late in the half, as he threw 52 yards to Darnell Mooney and then 17 yards to Jimmy Graham up the middle for a TD.

That was quickly followed by a Goff fumble – his eighth of the year and the fifth he has lost – and the Lions continued to struggle to move the chains even after an Amani Oruwariye interception, instead allowing Santos to stretch Chicago's lead before half-time.

But Goff's work through the air was much improved and a patient third-quarter drive ended with a pass to T. J. Hockenson to edge the Lions in front.

The hosts came close to their first win of the season but were ultimately thwarted by the boot of Santos as Chicago's final drive led to a successful 28-yard field goal in the final seconds.

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy poured cold water over speculation his sacking is imminent, labelling the report inaccurate.

Nagy has found himself under pressure following Chicago's 3-7 start to the NFL season and there have been reports his job is on the line heading into Thursday's clash with the winless Detroit Lions.

A report claimed Nagy's final game would be against the Lions and that he has already been told of the franchise's decision.

Nagy was asked about his future and the particular report on Tuesday, telling reporters: "That is not accurate."

The Bears – beaten by the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11 – have lost their last five games, and they had a six-game losing streak last season.

According to Stats Perform, this is the first time the Bears have endured a five-game or longer losing streak in each of two consecutive seasons since 1997 (seven straight losses) and 1998 (six in a row).

Nagy, who has led the Bears to the playoffs in two of his three full seasons since being appointed in 2018, added: "My focus is on these players and Detroit, and that's it. That's my job as a head coach and a leader, is to do that.

"These players have been amazing. They've been great. You have this quick turnaround after a loss like [Sunday's to the Ravens], and now here you go.

"The only thing we can do is focus on the now and do everything we can. Thursday is going to be here quickly."

Andy Dalton is expected to start at quarterback for the Chicago Bears on Thursday as Justin Fields recovers from a rib injury. 

NFL Network reported the short turnaround ahead of the trip to Detroit to face the Lions likely will keep Fields out of action, though Bears head coach Matt Nagy said Monday the team was still "gathering facts". 

Rookie QB Fields got pummelled by the Baltimore Ravens defence in a 16-13 defeat Sunday, leaving in the third quarter with rib problems. 

He had completed just four of 11 passes for 79 yards at the time. Dalton came on in relief and completed 11 of 23 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns. 

Nagy acknowledged there could be a "safety issue" playing Fields against the Lions but remained vague about the team's plans. 

"‘We always want to make sure that we’re not putting our players at more risk, regardless of who you are," Nagy told reporters Monday.

"Obviously, there’s more magnitude to everybody else — and to us — with Justin. And being the quarterback and touching the football every play and throwing and that sort of thing. So we’ll have to keep that in mind.’’

Quarterback shuffling has been a season-long theme for the Bears (3-7), as the veteran Dalton started the first two games of the season before suffering a knee injury.

Sunday marked only his second appearance since then, as the 22-year-old Fields has had mixed results but generally shown improvement while settling into the starting role. 

The 11th overall pick in this year's draft threw for a career-best 291 yards in Chicago's previous game, a 29-27 loss at the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

The Lions (0-9-1) also are expected to be without their starting QB, as Jared Goff continues to deal with an oblique injury that kept him out of Sunday's 13-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns. 

Tim Boyle likely will start again in Goff's place in the Lions' annual Thanksgiving Day showcase. 

Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson is listed as questionable for Sunday's NFL clash with the Chicago Bears.

Ravens quarterback Jackson is in doubt to face the Bears due to an illness, the franchise announced on Saturday.

Former MVP Jackson returned for full practice on Friday, having missed two days with an illness.

Jackson has only missed two games in his four-year career in the NFL – sitting out the 2019 season finale (rest) and a Week 12 fixture in 2020 (COVID-19).

Baltimore's Jackson rushed nine times for 39 yards in the Week 10 loss to the Miami Dolphins for an average of 4.3 yards, his lowest mark since Week 4 against Denver Broncos. However, his 6.0 yards per carry this season leads the league amongst qualified players, according to Stats Perform.

This season, Jackson has completed 199 of his 309 passes for 2,447 yards and 14 touchdowns with a 93.1 passer rating, while he has rushed for two scores and 639 yards.

The Ravens, who top the AFC North with a 6-3 record, have lost their last two games against the Bears but both encounters have gone to overtime and were decided by a field goal.

Chicago Bears outside linebacker Khalil Mack will miss the rest of the season due to a foot injury requiring surgery next week.

The 30-year-old six-time Pro Bowler sustained the injury in the Bears' Week 3 defeat to the Cleveland Browns but played on for the next four games.

Mack had missed the Bears' past two games – defeats to the San Francisco 49ers and the Pittsburgh Steelers – and head coach Matt Nagy confirmed he will require season-ending surgery.

"With him, it's been the last several weeks just trying to get right," Nagy told reporters.

"I think we did everything as far as trying to attack it the right way with him, and I know he's put a lot of time and energy in trying to get back and see where things are at. But this is where we're at.

"I know he's frustrated because he's such a competitor. But this is the best thing for him and the best situation to be able to help him out and get it fixed."

Mack joins veteran linebacker Danny Trevathan on injured reserve for the Bears who have a 3-6 record and face the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

Former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Mack recorded 19 tackles, 6.0 sacks and six tackles-for-loss across seven games this season.

The Baltimore Ravens are bullish that quarterback Lamar Jackson missing practice due to a non-COVID-related illness this week is not a "big deal" ahead of Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears.

Jackson was not part of Thursday practice due to illness, having been sent home from the team facility on Wednesday morning.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh clarified the illness was not COVID-related, easing doubts about Jackson's availability for Sunday's game, but Thursday's practice was the fourth time he has missed a session this season.

"I don't really think it's that big of a deal," Ravens center Bradley Bozeman said on Jackson's absences. "I know Lamar is doing his things at home that he needs to do. He's watching plays. He's getting everything right at home.

"When he comes back in, he's not going to miss a step. Week in and week out, he's continued to build on that and step up to the plate when he needs to. I don't see that being an issue."

The Ravens quarterback is enjoyed an MVP-like season, ranking eighth in the NFL in passing (2,447 yards) with 14 touchdowns and seventh in rushing (639 yards) with two touchdowns.

Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman added: "I think he's feeling better."