Bears' defense getting long in the tooth?

In Super Bowl XLI, the Bears' defense was viewed as a young group with room for improvement. The arrow was still pointing up, and the window of opportunity was wide open.

Two years later, the window appears to be closing and the sense of urgency is greater.

If it doesn't happen this year for the Bears, it might be time to reload. By next season, defensive ends Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye will be 30 and 32, respectively, while linebacker Brian Urlacher and safety Mike Brown will be 31.

Should this now be considered an aging group?

"Aging, like senior citizens?" said linebacker Lance Briggs, who just turned 28. "I don't feel like I'm aging. I feel like I'm aging well. We do have a lot of veterans. Now is important. We have a shot; we have an opportunity to get in there. Once you get into the playoffs, it's a whole other ballgame. So yeah, there's a sense of, we need to do it now. But if we don't do it now, we'll do it next year."

Looks are deceiving: On paper, the 4-8 Jaguars just look like a team that severely underachieved this season when they were a popular pick to challenge for the AFC title. On tape they appear differently.

"Once you watch Jacksonville, you're not impressed with the record," said Bears coach Lovie Smith. "But you watch them on video, and you like the running backs (Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor) a lot, you like the quarterback (David Garrard), and they have big receivers. On the defensive side of the ball, they have a lot of athletic ability."

The Jaguars' starting wide receivers, 6-foot-6, 218-pound Matt Jones and 6-2, 220-pound Jerry Porter, and their No. 3 wide receiver 6-4, 212-pound Reggie Williams, are all significantly bigger than any of the Bears wide receivers and any of their cornerbacks.

"It seems that that's what they like; that's what they want," said Bears defensive coordinator Bob Babich. "They present some matchup problems as far as size, but we're looking forward to the challenge."

Time is now: Probably needing a four-game sweep down the stretch to make the playoffs, players agree that these are desperate times for the Bears.

"If desperate means a sense of urgency, yes (we are)," Lance Briggs said. "We're desperate for a win, and it starts with this week."

Allowing the Falcons to steal a 22-20 victory after they went ahead 20-19 with just 11 seconds to play Oct. 12 could come back to haunt the Bears, in addition to blowing leads against the Panthers and Bucs in Weeks Two and Three. Because of those losses, the Bears have no margin of error now.

"I'm always desperate for a win," said tight end Desmond Clark. "If you're not playing like that all year 'round, you shouldn't be in it because almost every game is a must win because you never know what's going to happen. Losing those games early in the season, those are going to come back to hurt us, so now every game is a must win."

Expensive game: Cornerback Charles Tillman and wide receiver Brandon Lloyd were each fined $7,500 by the league for horse collar tackles against the Vikings on Sunday night.

Vikings defensive end Jared Allen was fined $10,000 for using the football as a prop after one of his 3 sacks, and teammate Benny Sapp was docked $5,000 for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

Injury update: Defensive end Adewale Ogunleye (shoulder) and defensive tackle Anthony Adams (foot) both practiced Friday, but were limited, although Lovie Smith said they "should be ready to go" Sunday against the Jaguars. Both were categorized as questionable.

Linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer (Achilles) practiced without restrictions and was listed as probable. Fullback Jason McKie (quadriceps) did not practice and was listed as doubtful but will not play.