Fresh off a convincing 28-13 upset of the first-place Detroit Lions, the Chicago Bears are immediately pursuing one thing that appeared unattainable 10 weeks in the past. December relevance.
No, the Bears haven’t nudged their method into the “in the hunt” column of all of the playoff graphics but. They are nonetheless 5-8, in final place within the NFC North and behind 11 different groups within the convention because the common season enters the house stretch.
But who is aware of? A 3rd consecutive victory subsequent weekend in Cleveland might reawaken the wildest of playoff fantasies for the Bears and their followers. Sunday’s victory wasn’t simply encouraging. It was completely convincing. The Bears outscored the Lions 18-0 after halftime, made the massive performs once they wanted them most after which sealed the deal within the late phases of the fourth quarter.
The quest to construct on this newfound momentum and confidence will proceed in Week 15. To set the stage, Tribune writers Colleen Kane and Dan Wiederer survey the scene at Halas Hall and tackle 4 key subjects in “true or false” format.
True or false? It’s OK for Bears gamers to be speaking a few attainable playoff push.
Kane: True. I imply, I don’t actually suppose I can govern what the gamers needs to be speaking about relating to objectives, particularly given all of the losses they’ve endured during the last two years. If their surge of three wins in 4 video games provides them motivation to see if they will make the playoffs, if it convinces them they’ve one thing to play for over the ultimate 4 video games, why not?
But actually, I didn’t get the sensation after the sport that many gamers have been considering too grandly a few two-game successful streak. They know there’s a protracted option to go for this staff. I preferred heart Lucas Patrick’s reply about it Monday, saying he thinks the gamers’ focus is solely on the 8-5 Cleveland Browns, who simply beat the Jacksonville Jaguars behind apparently-not-yet-retired quarterback Joe Flacco.
“The awesome part about the NFL is it doesn’t allow you to do that,” Patrick stated. “This is a really good defense we’re about to go up against. Their offense just became pretty explosive with the quarterback addition they had. We’ve got to go into a different environment and play and win a game, so we’re completely locked in right now on this week. Because as soon as you start talking about Week 16, 17, what that might look like, what divisional round, wild card, is when you start metaphorically putting the cart in front of the horse, and that’s when you really don’t pull in the same direction.”
Wiederer: I’ll see your Lucas Patrick perception and lift you with knowledge from Cole Kmet, who additionally struck the right steadiness between optimism and grounded focus after Sunday’s win. While Kmet acknowledged the Bears’ upset of Detroit felt like the largest win of the previous two seasons, he additionally wasn’t seeking to distribute occasion poppers round Halas Hall.
“If you’re just being real about it, it means nothing if you don’t continue on with this (momentum),” Kmet stated. “This is one down and there’s four more of these to go. We are (already) in playoff mode in a sense. And this doesn’t mean anything if we lose out or anything. It just doesn’t. So you take this for what it is. And now we have to move on to next week.”
Kmet once more emphasised that the Bears’ push to shut the common season with a six-game successful streak was need-based, the one method they may realistically attain the postseason and provides this surge of progress most that means.
“We have been looking better,” Kmet stated. “And I do believe in that. You see that on tape. But the results have to come with that. This is a results-based league.”
Amen.
True or false? Justin Fields’ efficiency in opposition to the Lions provides common supervisor Ryan Poles a justifiable motive to stay with him because the staff’s quarterback for 2024 and past.
Wiederer: True. Oh. And additionally false. That’s proper, I’m going fence-straddling right here, if solely to light up simply how complicated and tough this QB determination goes to be for Poles within the coming months. Fields was, at occasions, good Sunday, a tough-minded chief with infectious confidence and particular playmaking capacity. He helped propel the Bears to a convincing upset of the first-place staff of their division. The 38-yard free play TD cross to DJ Moore was equal components fortunate and clutch. (More on that shortly.) And Fields made at the least a half-dozen different performs Sunday the place he torched the Lions with both his scrambling explosiveness or passing prowess. Most considerably, he didn’t flip the ball over and has now thrown just one interception in his previous 5 begins.
Yet with all these positives to construct on, Fields nonetheless has too many moments the place it’s simple to fret about his total pocket presence and his inner clock and his hesitance to throw into tight home windows. As a passer, he was shaky on third downs Sunday and contained in the crimson zone. He held the ball for six.3 seconds on one 9-yard sack within the first half and for 8.1 seconds on one other play the place heart Lucas Patrick was finally known as for holding. Fields was given a cross by the officiating crew on what ought to have been an intentional grounding violation one snap earlier than the TD cross to Moore. He airmailed a wide-open Moore on a attainable 30-yard achieve over the center.
Poles should regularly ask himself whether or not Fields can grow to be the engine of a number of championship runs and never simply be a stable starter the Bears can win with. Sunday’s efficiency provided quite a bit to dissect and ended with a significant victory. But by a big-picture lens, it could not have altered the analysis considerably.
Kane: And all of it turns into extra complicated when you think about the Carolina Panthers misplaced once more Sunday to drop to 1-12, and the New England Patriots gained in Week 14 to enhance to 3-10. With 4 video games to go, the Panthers seem like they’re stumbling towards the No. 1 draft decide, which might go to the Bears due to Poles’ commerce of the 2023 high decide.
I do consider Fields has made strides this season. That stat you throw out of 1 interception within the final 5 begins is large, although there have been three fumbles in that stretch too. He has come by within the clutch, as has been on the guidelines. He has had moments the place his pocket presence is best, in addition to protecting his eyes downfield to cross whereas on the transfer. And he nonetheless has that jaw-dropping playmaking capacity, like he confirmed in a first-quarter third-and-8 play from the Bears 11. It twice appeared like Lions defenders have been going to take Fields down close to the purpose line, and he escaped their grasp for a 19-yard achieve.
But what if the Bears can have their decide of USC quarterback Caleb Williams or North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye? Has Poles seen sufficient positives from Fields to know that he’s the higher possibility over creating a kind of two? Or is there sufficient to fret about in Fields’ recreation after almost three seasons to go for the overall reset on offense?
I don’t envy Poles’ determination as a result of I actually don’t know. But all of us do know one thing about quarterback-choice remorse in Chicago.
True or false? Montez Sweat is having a Khalil Mack-like impact in his introduction to the Bears protection.
Kane: False. (But additionally type of true, if we’re fence-straddling right here.) Sweat’s influence on the Bears protection has been simple. He has 3 1/2 sacks and 10 quarterback hits in 5 video games with the Bears and mixed together with his stats from Washington has reached 10 sacks in a season for the primary time in his profession.
He was all around the Lions within the second half Sunday as he totaled 5 tackles, a sack, 4 quarterback hits and a cross defended for the sport. Plus coach Matt Eberflus and Sweat’s teammates have raved about what his presence does for them because the protection has totaled 10 takeaways (plus a particular groups takeaway) within the final three video games.
I simply don’t know for those who can name it Mack-like but. Go again and take a look at Mack’s first 4 video games with the Bears. He had an interception, 4 compelled fumbles and 5 sacks within the first 4 video games of 2018. He put collectively an All-Pro season for a 12-4 playoff staff that yr — although it needs to be famous that staff had another monster gamers on it, together with Akiem Hicks.
Sweat is trying like one of many extra thrilling issues to occur to this Bears staff shortly. But the bar Mack set, given his capacity to make game-changing performs, was fairly excessive.
Wiederer: Right. Having lived the beginning of the Mack period, we’re certified to remind people who it was like watching 50 barrels of TNT ignite for a protection that turned the most effective within the NFL that season on a staff that gained an NFC North championship. I nonetheless keep in mind standing within the customer’s locker room in Arizona after Mack’s strip-sack of Sam Bradford helped the Bears steal a 16-14 win over the Cardinals and listening to Prince Amukamara evaluate him to LeBron James. Then, not 5 minutes later in a special pocket of the identical locker room, Danny Trevathan dropped the M.J. comparability. Especially early on in Mack’s keep right here, there was a wow issue for everybody he was round.
This isn’t that. At least not but. But that additionally mustn’t diminish the importance of the vitality and perception Sweat is supplying the Bears at a time once they want each. When the Bears traded away a second-round decide to land Sweat final month after which assured him greater than $62 million on a four-year, $98 million extension, I expressed my wish to see Sweat make his presence felt in each quarter of each recreation whereas additionally offering simple proof that he’s elevating the protection as an entire. All of that’s at the moment occurring. It’s been enjoyable to look at. And for Sweat, who’s signed with the Bears by the 2027 season, it’s only the start.
True or false? The free play TD cross from Fields to Moore is probably the most important play within the Bears’ season thus far.
Wiederer: True. I’m all in. True. True. True. Normally, I hate exaggerated prisoner-of-the-moment reactions. But on this case, it’s a simple argument to make. That free play landing was the largest momentum-shifting play within the Bears’ most significant victory in years. It was the type of play the Bears have so typically been on the unsuitable finish of in shut video games in opposition to high quality opponents. It was an instance of a second the place the Bears not solely took benefit of an opponent’s mistake however cashed it in within the largest method attainable. It was an adrenalizing second on a day when the Bears appeared each bit like an on-the-rise playoff contender whereas the Lions seemed to be a flawed and mistake-prone also-ran.
That play helped the Bears win their second consecutive recreation total and their second consecutive contained in the NFC North. It gave life contained in the locker room to the dream that the staff can emerge late within the yr as a shock wild-card contender. It was the play inside a recreation full of huge performs in an enormous residence win that has the Bears and plenty of of their followers feeling legitimately hopeful.
Kane: Pondering the importance of 1 play is what NFL reporters who cowl one recreation per week do! What about DJ Moore’s 56-yard landing catch in opposition to the Washington Commanders to assist shut out the Bears’ first win of the season and a 14-game shedding streak? What concerning the 36-yard Fields-Moore connection that arrange Cairo Santos’ successful area purpose in opposition to the Vikings for the Bears’ first NFC North win beneath Matt Eberflus? Thousands of phrases have been typed collectively by the Bears beat on these passes.
I additionally suppose the Bears defensive gamers who’ve 11 takeaways in three video games and have largely fueled the current resurgence would possibly argue for a few of their performs. They simply have too many to select from.
But given the stakes of this one, the Bears have been making an attempt to beat the NFC North leaders for his or her first two-game successful streak beneath Eberflus. And given the continuing quarterback dialog in Chicago. And on condition that the Bears so typically have been the staff on the mistake-making finish of such performs — I’ll agree. Big second for a Bears staff that wanted extra of them.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com