Chicago Bears: Mitchell Trubisky is not practicing on Wednesday and head coach Matt Nagy said that means Chase Daniel will be prepared to start his fourth career game on Sunday against the New York Giants. Trubisky is likely to be a “game-time decision,” Nagy said. He added that there is no level of anxiety around Daniel starting due to his overall experience and knowledge of Nagy’s offensive system. Nagy hinted on the Around the NFL podcast this week that the Bears could err on the side of caution. “He’s improving each day, which is important. He’s a tough kid, you know and sometimes when you get in these type of situations, you need to make sure that he understands that we need to do what’s best not only for him but for the team as well. He wants to be out there, but we need to just make sure we’re doing the right thing.”

Detroit Lions: Defensive tackle Damon Harrison’s impact on the Lions’ run defense has been tangible, but it will get another stiff test Sunday against Todd Gurley, the NFL’s second-leading rusher and a key to the Rams’ fastbreak offense. Before Harrison arrived via trade, teams averaged 139.3 rushing yards per game against Detroit. With Harrison, teams are being limited to 90.4 rushing yards per game. “Obviously (Harrison has) done a great job for us helping us inside,” Patricia said. “Just being a guy that has great experience to be in the middle. He’s seen a lot of different blocks, he’s seen a lot of different schemes and maybe helped settle some things down for some of the younger players we are trying to play there and some of the new guys to the scheme.”

Green Bay Packers: Injuries are taking a toll on the Packers, who enter December already needing a lot of help to return to the playoff chase. Head coach Mike McCarthy estimated only 42 players are on solid footing for Sunday’s game and he was hopeful for good news on a slew of others, including left tackle David Bakhtiari. McCarthy said Bakhtiari is “improving” but was relegated to the rehab group and focused on film on Wednesday. Left guard Lane Taylor (quad) is also still hurting.

Minnesota Vikings: Playing Tom Brady has not been an enjoyable experience for Mike Zimmer, but he said he thrives on the competition of facing the Patriots’ championship pairing at quarterback and head coach. “He sees so many things, with the experience, I really don’t know that he’s changed all that much,” Zimmer said of Brady, who beat Zimmer as a defensive coordinator with the Cowboys and Bengals. “Like Bill Belichick said of Aaron Rodgers, I’m glad he’s not in our division.” Zimmer identified one key challenge the Patriots’ present. “They’re the best play-action team in the NFL. The runs look exactly like the play-action,” he said.

—Field Level Media