The 2-6 Chicago Bears will play the 4-4 New Orleans Saints at the Caesars Superdome in a Week 9 matchup. Here’s what you need to know before kickoff (noon, CBS).

When will Justin Fields be QB1 again?

Bears quarterback Justin Fields practiced Friday afternoon for the first time since dislocating his thumb on his right throwing hand during the Oct. 15 game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Fields said at his locker after practice his grip strength is not all the way back and there was still a bit of pain as he participated in a limited fashion.

As he and the Bears consider when he can return, Fields said he needs to see “if I’m going to be able to make all the throws and be able to withstand hits and stuff like that during the game.” Read more here.

5 things to watch in the Bears-Saints game — plus our Week 9 predictions
Column: The Superdome has been a house of horrors for Bears QBs. Can Tyson Bagent reverse the trend?
True or false: The Tyson Bagent fairy tale has reached the end for the Bears after a shaky Week 8 performance

Can Montez Sweat be an ‘eraser’ for Bears?

It’s going to be a lot to ask Montez Sweat to make the impact Khalil Mack had with the Bears in his first game and before him Julius Peppers.

But Ryan Poles was dreaming big when he became the only general manager for a team with a losing record to be a buyer at the trade deadline day Tuesday.

Poles is banking on Sweat being a difference maker for seasons to come and used the term “eraser” when talking about the need to add elite players to the roster Wednesday after Sweat passed his physical and the trade of a 2024 second-round draft pick to the Commanders was finalized. Read more here.

Montez Sweat reportedly agrees to a 4-year, $98 million extension with the Bears
Column: Bears GM Ryan Poles assumed risk in Montez Sweat trade, but free agency and the draft make it a worthy gamble

How to weigh the embarrassments vs. the triumphs?

Maybe, if what the leaders at Halas Hall are selling has substance, the Chicago Bears may truly be ready to enter the on-ramp toward meaningful progress.

If, as Bears general manager Ryan Poles asserted, coach Matt Eberflus is the right leader for this moment, a head-down grinder with high integrity and a knack for unifying, then the Bears can withstand another bumpy week and emerge with greater strength.

“I know it looks like we’re far away,” Poles said Wednesday. “But this dude comes in every day and just keeps chipping away.”

If so, November should be as defining as any stretch the Bears will face. The midway point of the season will officially arrive at halftime Sunday at the Superdome and the Bears will land there with as many departed assistant coaches from Eberflus’ staff (two) as they have victories. Read more here.

Jaylon Johnson is still seeking common ground with Bears on an extension: ‘I’m not asking to change the market’
Bears fire running backs coach David Walker — the 2nd assistant to exit since the season began

Miss anything this week? Catch up on all our coverage.

Bears sign nose tackle Andrew Billings to a 2-year extension, keeping the run stuffer through 2025
Column: When will the NFL and TV networks learn to stop putting the Bears in prime time?
Bears Q&A: Why wasn’t an extension in place with Montez Sweat before the trade? Could Jaylon Johnson get the franchise tag?
Cornerback Jaylon Johnson stays with the Bears despite a late request before the NFL trade deadline
3 things we heard from the Bears, including the running backs’ reaction to assistant coach David Walker’s firing
Will the Bears draft a QB in 2024? What to know about top prospects Caleb Williams and Drake Maye.

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