LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) -- Two games remain for the Bears after they were eliminated from playoff contention Sunday. Though the standings no longer carry relevance for Chicago, this team wants to showcase urgency and treat the games like usual.
The Bears won't shut down key players or alter their game plan in the final two games, coach Matt Nagy said Monday. The Bears will approach the games as if the postseason was still at stake.
The hope for Nagy is the final weeks can offer an evaluation of the roster and understanding of why the Bears fell well shy of their Super Bowl aspirations in 2019.
"We want to try to figure out the whys," Nagy said.
The Bears plan to continue on with their starters playing the last two games. That even includes defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, who twice reaggravated his left elbow injury in a 21-13 loss to the Packers on Sunday, his first game back from injured reserve.
There's also little draft positioning at stake for the Bears, who don't own a first-round pick because of their acquisition of star edge rusher from the Raiders back in 2018. Chicago (7-7) could still finish with a winning record, but that still wouldn't negate the disappointment for a team that won the NFC North crown at 12-4 in 2018 and believed it could accomplish more this season.
Difficult decisions will await the Bears' brass soon enough, and the final two games still provide the chance for the players to make an impression -- good or bad -- in the front office's evaluation of them.
The Bears host the Chiefs on Sunday in a primetime game that was expected to carry significant playoff implications but won't. Chicago plays at Minnesota in its finale on Dec. 29 in a game that will only matter for the Vikings' postseason prospects.
Nagy intends for his Bears to continue put their best foot forward.
"I really am looking forward to our team finishing and playing really hard these last two games," Nagy said. "We can do that. So, my message to the guys is we're rolling. There's nothing that changes. It stinks that we can't get to the playoffs, but that's on us. We made this. Hopefully we learn from it and remember this feeling."
Injury update: The Bears removed cornerback Prince Amukamara from their loss Sunday because of his hamstring injury acting up, Nagy said. Kevin Toliver played 53 percent of the team's defensive snaps at cornerback compared to 47 percent for Amukamara, who missed the Dec. 5 game because of his hamstring ailment.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
