NFC North Notes: Bears, Lions, Packers, Vikings

Bears

• Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune says he doesn’t see the Bears cutting QB Mitchell Trubisky next season if he continues to struggle, but Chicago will likely bring in some form of competition. 
• Bears HC Matt Nagy said he doesn’t think giving up play-calling duties to focus on other areas would be good for him or the team. (Jeff Dickerson)
• Nagy acknowledged Bears TE Trey Burton is still not 100 percent after offseason groin surgery. (Dickerson)

Lions

Lions OC Darrell Bevell defended the team’s final play call with fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line in Week 9’s 31-24 loss against the Raiders, saying they felt a play-action pass would work given the success of their running game. Detroit took out all of its receivers and put in its goalline package before an incomplete pass ended the game. 

“We were on the 1-yard line, so we ended up going with goal-line package, which we practice all the time,” Bevell said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “We have a number of personnel groups, we have a number of formations that we line up in, I think as you could see during the game. We felt like we, from the 1, were running the ball well enough during the game to be able to go with a little bit of a play-action. We had good matchups. We got good size and unfortunately we weren’t able to execute it exactly the way we wanted to.”

Bevell mentioned that the injuries to Lions TE T.J. Hockenson and RB Kerryon Johnson‘s did not affect his playcalling in Week 9. 

“I mean, during a game, there’s all kinds of adjustments that have to go on, whether it’s different looks that the defense is presenting to you, whether they’re lining up exactly the way you wanted, whether you have injuries during the game,” said Bevell. “But there can’t be any excuses. You have to continue to move. You have to be able to make quick decisions. All that is being taken in, and in the time that you have.”

• Per Mlive.com’s Kyle Meinke, Lions HC Matt Patricia said P Sam Martin had some abdominal soreness after Sunday’s game.
• Detroit held Martin out of practice and signed P Matt Wile to the practice squad to take reps during practice this week. (NFLTR) 

Packers

• Per the Athletic’s Matt Schneidman, Packers HC Matt LaFleur says S Ibraheim Campbell will provide a boost on special teams and as a linebacker in Green Bay’s dime packages. 
• The Packers brought in LB D’Juan Hines for a workout on Tuesday. (Aaron Wilson)

Vikings

• Per Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press, Vikings HC Mike Zimmer says WR Adam Thielen wasn’t rushed by too soon from his hamstring injury and he doesn’t foresee it being a long-term issue, though he can’t commit to Thielen playing Sunday. 
• Vikings claimed S Andrew Sendejo off waivers from the Eagles. (NFLTR)
• Vikings waived S Marcus Epps.