Tuesday, December 30th, 2025, I was not going to do another audio this calendar year, but after my normal squabbles when it comes to these Week 18 games, I felt the need to defend my position on how I think the Bears should treat this game against the Lions. And how I think the Bears should treat this game against the Lions is as a de facto preseason game. The idea that you think it is more important to preserve the possibility of a second home game in the postseason as opposed to going into the postseason as healthy as they are now, risking the idea of being this healthy to preserve the possibility of a second home game to me is nonsensical. You have a healthy quarterback, two healthy backs, the entire offensive line is healthy, two tight ends healthy, DJ is healthy, Burden escaped major injury, Rome will be back for the playoffs. You have the dream scenario for a team that is predicated on winning on the offensive side of the ball. You have an entirely healthy offense. Why would you risk that in order to preserve the possibility of a second home game? Adding into the fact that if you don't have that second home game, that means Philly has that home game and you just went to Philly and kicked their ass a month ago. What are you afraid of? Stop pretending this is the ghost of Bears past. They would go into Philly and they can beat Philly. Philly is the dream matchup with that offense. They can't score 30. This is a team that is wildly healthy right now on the side of the ball that they need to be. And if you play all your starters Sunday, you are risking that one moment where Caleb goes into the concussion protocol. That one moment where Colston Loveland twists an ankle because it's going to be deadly cold and that's the kind of shit that happens in January football. That is your risk. Have you not been paying attention to the rest of this league? The Phillies are dropping every series. I get it. I want to preserve two playoff games. Fucking stop. You've got one and you're healthy. Win that game and then see how the chips fall. You don't think the Green Bay Packers can go into Philly and win? That game is going to be a two point spread. The Packers can easily win that game and then you're going to have your second home game. Why would you risk health when you've managed to get this far in the season and be this healthy on that side of the ball? To me, it's just crazy. I get this Neanderthal viewpoint. No, you play every game. You play hard to win every game. Sure, go ahead. I mean, go right ahead. The risk is not worth the reward. The risk is not worth the reward. I got news for you folks. The 2-7 game with the Packers coming in, the Bears might be underdogs in that game. You don't get some dream matchup here. You don't get some easy ride. The only easy ride in the playoffs is whoever gets to go to Carolina. The other thing I keep hearing is you want to keep the team sharp. What the hell have you seen from this organization that you think a week off is going to deaden the blades? That's not going to happen. This is about as well coached a team as there is in the league. And I counter that by saying the last time they took a week off, their bye week, they came back as one of the best teams in football because their coach was able to rest them and whatever he did, reinstall the offense, it worked. I know he has said they are playing to win the game. I assume all the starters are going to play, but let me tell you something. That risk is not worth moving from the three to the two. It's not worth it. And all it will take, all it will take on Sunday, I'm telling you right now, all it will take is one shot to a big player in the first quarter of that game. When that player comes out, Ben will start pulling starters out of that game, which will show you how little he actually gives a shit about winning the game. And let me add one more thing. For the fucking meatheads, Ben wants to revenge week two. Who fucking cares? You can't, in all honesty, in all sanity, you can't actually care about week two right now if you're a Bears fan. What is wrong with you if you do? The Lions lost this season. The Bears won this season. Nobody on earth will ever remember the records between the Lions and the Bears this year. Ben wants vengeance for week two. If he does, then he's a small-minded man. This game means so little, so little on Sunday, and I'm telling you, you are risking, you are risking not going into the playoffs fully healthy for the promise, the potential of a home game three weeks later, two weeks later. Think about the risk-reward here. Think about how concussion protocols work now. Caleb takes one shot in this game. He is not going to play wild card weekend. Days are not getting cleared anymore to play the following week. He takes one shot to the head and enters into that protocol. They are going Tyson, Bajun, wild card weekend. Why on earth would you risk that? It makes no sense. Bear down.