LAKE FOREST Elgton Jenkins Jersey , Ill. (AP) — The NFC North champion Chicago Bears are rolling along with eight wins in nine games and their first playoff appearance in eight years approaching.Coach Matt Nagy hopes they haven’t hit their peak.“I want us to get to a point where we literally don’t peak until wherever our final game is of the year,” he said Wednesday.“As long as our arrow is going up and we’re practicing every week the right way, and we get to each game … We’ve had some games where I feel like we’ve been close in all three phases, but what I do like about where we’re at right now as a team is we find different ways to win.”The Bears (11-4) head to Minnesota for Sunday’s regular-season finale with a shot at the No. 2 seed in the NFC and the first-round bye.They need to beat the Vikings for the second time and get some help from San Francisco when the struggling 49ers visit the NFC West champion Rams. Chicago trails Los Angeles (12-3) by a game, but holds the head-to-head tiebreaker thanks to a 15-6 victory at Soldier Field on Dec. 9.Whether the Bears get the bye or not, this is all quite a change after four straight last-place finishes. They’re eyeing a playoff run for the first time since the 2010 team won the division and advanced to the conference championship game.They’re in this spot largely because of a defense with four Pro Bowl picks led by Khalil Mack that ranks fourth overall in the NFL and leads the league in both interceptions (27) and takeaways (36).The Bears have shown some promise on offense, but haven’t developed the consistency they hope to achieve. And quarterback Mitchell Trubisky understands that starts with him.In his second season in the league and first in Nagy’s system, he has made huge strides — and experienced some bumps.“There are no excuses,” he said. “It doesn’t matter that it’s our first year. It doesn’t matter that we have a new head coach and a new offense, we also want immediate results so we are out there working hard and wanting to continue winning games.”Trubisky has made a big jump statistically in 13 games this season after playing in 12 as a rookie last year under former coach John Fox and offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains. His completion rate is up from 59.4 percent to 66.4, as are his yards (2 Jace Sternberger Jersey ,193 to 3,060) and passer rating (77.5 to 96.0). And his touchdown-to-interception ratio is much better, with 24 TDs and 12 interceptions after throwing seven of each as a rookie.He has had QB ratings of more than 100 in six games, but in the other seven, it’s been 83 or lower.Teams have also been attacking the Bears differently, with Green Bay and San Francisco using zones the past two weeks. That has forced him to find holes and take the shorter passes the defenses have been giving him. It has also led to a combined 79 percent completion rate and 119.4 rating.“It helps him grow as a quarterback because you make more decisions,” Nagy said. “Not that you don’t do that vs. man, but there’s holes in the zone areas. Now are the holes, are they short, intermediate or long, with how they’re doing it with their scheme? He’s continuing to get a lot of looks. And I truly believe that only in the long run Dexter Williams Jersey , him getting these zone looks that’s he getting right now, he’s getting better and better at them.”The Bears are in a good spot overall at the moment, with the playoffs approaching. Nagy reiterated Wednesday he plans to keep his foot on the gas and go with his top players Sunday, as long as the Rams aren’t blowing out the 49ers.It doesn’t hurt that the offensive line could also get a key player back, with guard Kyle Long hoping to come back after missing the past eight games.The three-time Pro Bowler suffered a tendon injury to his right foot against the New York Jets on Oct. 28 and returned to practice last week.If he’s not ready to play against the Vikings, then the playoffs are a possibility.“It’s just a matter of getting my body right and having an understanding with the coaches of where I’m at physically,” he said. “That’s a big thing, that open line of communication.”Notes: Safety Eddie Jackson (ankle), linebacker Aaron Lynch (elbow) and WR Allen Robinson (ribs) did not practice on Wednesday. Defensive lineman Bilal Nichols (knee) was limited. The XFL continues its search for football players, and some former NFL players are searching for another chance to play football.Former NFL tight end Fred Davis (pictured) and former NFL safety Rahim Moore were among those who tried out fo the XFL at a Friday showcase at Long Beach City College in California.Davis, who last played for the NFL in 2013 Rock Ya-Sin Jersey , flew across the country and arrived just in time for the start of drills.“Wish I got here earlier,�? Davis told Jack Harris of the . “But it feels good to be out here, running around, catching balls.”Davis made the trip for one simple reason: He wants to play football.“For me, that’s what it’s really about — having the chance to still be able to play the game you love to play, that you’ve played for a long time,�? Davis said. “Even though you take a break off, it doesn’t mean you can’t play it now.”Davis isn’t sure that the XFL will work, but he welcomes the chance to get to work.“It is easy to be skeptical, because it’s just now getting started,�? Davis said. “You’re fighting the big giant — the NFL.”Moore agrees with Davis: The goal is simply to play some football.“It’s still football http://www.clevelandbrownsteamonline.com/anthony-zettel-jersey , you know?�? Moore said. “There’s a risk in everything you do. But if you love something, man, just go do it.”Moore played earlier this year in the Alliance of American Football, which went belly up after only eight of 10 planned regular-season weeks.“It was a little bittersweet, a little emotional,�? Moore said. “Because the group of guys that we had, it was the best team I’ve ever been on, as far as the camaraderie. … It was different.”The XFL realizes that there’s reason to wonder if the latest spring football league is legitimate.“They really should be skeptical,�? Commissioner Oliver Luck said. “Maybe not cynical, but they should be at least skeptical. So putting an invitation-only thing together with good facilities . . . I think leaves an impression on these young men that, ‘Oh http://www.detroitlionsteamonline.com/jahlani-tavai-jersey , this league, it is going to be a little bit different.'”There’s that word again: Different. Whether different is better remains to be seen. For now, different gives guys like Davis and Moore, both of whom have been forgotten by the NFL, an opportunity to play football again. While that may not be enough to sustain spring football, which has consistently failed despite how different anyone tries to make it, it’s enough to attract guys who simply want something the NFL used to give them, but no longer does.