NFC Notes: Bears, Panthers, Vikings

Bears

• NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport says the future for Bears GM Ryan Pace and HC Matt Nagy is still uncertain, but a loss against the Texans would be bad. Not only would it be their seventh straight, it would also bring into sharp relief Pace and Nagy’s failings at the quarterback position. 

Panthers

• According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey does not believe his season is over. McCaffrey is out in Week 14 with a quad injury but wants to return and play this season despite the Panthers being out of contention.
• Panthers HC Matt Rhule says he “absolutely” believes Teddy Bridgewater is the quarterback that can lead them moving forward. However, Rhule did stress that everyone has to play better around Bridgewater. (David Newton)

Vikings

On Sunday, Vikings K Dan Bailey missed three field goals and an extra point.

After the game, Vikings HC Mike Zimmer told reporters that while he’s disappointed, Bailey wasn’t solely responsible for the loss.

“I don’t know right now,” Zimmer said, via ESPN.com. “He kicked good during the week this week. So we’ll just have to make a decision and go with it. I like the kid a lot. Like I said before, I’ve had tons of confidence in him. He’s had a very good year. He’s had a couple bad weeks now. But you know, we can’t throw away 10 points and things like that. It’s not just Dan Bailey. We gave up a 50-yard throw because a couple guys weren’t in the right place. You can’t do that either. If you guys want me to fire guys for making a mistake here, a mistake there, then we wouldn’t have any players. Let’s not put this all on Dan Bailey.”

“I don’t know. I’m really disappointed,” Zimmer added. “I have a lot of faith in him, I have a lot of confidence in him. But these last two weeks have not been good. I love the kid, he’s a great kid, he’s very even-natured. I don’t know.“