Heading into last Sunday, the feeling was as gloomy as ever with the Chicago Bears. The joy of being happy with the team was sucked right out of us, and there seemed to be no belief left in the team. Suddenly, the Bears hosted the Houston Texans and not only defeated them and ended their six-game losing streak, but they smothered the opposition. We all knew that the Houston Texans were one of the weaker teams in the league, but no one could have foreseen the outcome that eventually came to fruition.
It was an exciting, joyous win that halted one of the most painful stretches of underwhelming Bears football in recent memory. However, the win left mixed feelings with the team and their outlook for the season's current remainder. Within this article, I will review the blowout win over the Houston Texans while previewing the sudden must-win matchup this week against the Minnesota Vikings.
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My Early Week Prediction For Game: Texans Win 31 - 23
Actual Score: Bears Win 36-7
Huzzah! An Offensive Performance Of Quality!
^Never a bad time for a meme reference here.
For a team such as the Bears, no one should ever expect these types of blowout wins, at least not consistently. But what the team did to the Texans last week was fantastic beyond belief. Specifically, we have been desperately waiting for an offensive performance like this from the team. The Bears' first play from scrimmage saw Running Back David Montgomery shot through the Texans defense for an (almost untouched) 80-yard touchdown run that left my jaw dropped. Next thing you know, the Bears pad up an additional 23 points in the second quarter, finishing the half with a 30-7 lead. Who would have thought?!
Mitch Trubisky Celebrating With David Montgomery After His 80-Yard Touchdown Run
(Credit: Alton Telegraph)
A huge shoutout should go out to Quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Sure, he faced (yet again) one of the worst defenses in the league; I am fully aware of that (more on that later). But you still have to give credit where credit is due. Trubisky threw for 267 yards, three touchdowns, zero turnovers, and (best of all) out-performed his counterpart, Texans QB Deshaun Watson. He consistently fed his top target, Wide Receiver Allen Robinson, which was somehow avoided at times throughout the year and a key reason why the offense suffered previously. Speaking of things the team has avoided, they finally were able to take advantage of their mammoth red-zone threat in Tight End Jimmy Graham for a touchdown, too. Overall, Trubisky has played well after being benched for Nick Foles earlier in the year and is only improving his low stock as he approaches Free Agency. I also would be ashamed if I did not mention the work of the Offensive Line. It may still not be pretty, but the unit has undoubtedly improved in recent weeks, especially in the run game department.
The only chief complaint I have is Matt Nagy and Offensive Coordinator Bill Lazor deciding to (yet again) fade away from the run game when they were up significantly. As I said, David Montgomery started the game with an 80-yard touchdown on his carry. He ended the game with only ten additional carries and 113 rushing yards. Why Bears?! Why?! Keep feeding Montgomery! Yes, I get that we won, and I get that he still had a good game. But you should still feed your Running Back who has been killing it as of late, there should not be much debate on that part. They are beyond lucky that the team won in fantastic fashion, cause lord knows Nagy would have been ripped to shreds again if they lost.
Please Give The Defense Credit, Too
The offense put up such a rare gem of a performance where we may forget the defensive shut-down against the short-handed Texans. The previous two games against the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions saw our defense give up 30+ points each game in humiliating fashion, resulting in team losses. However, they finally stepped up to the occasion this time around and prevented the elite Deshaun Watson from doing any damage whatsoever. In fact, the defense was so good that they slowed down the expected, yet annoying "tHe BeArS dRaFtEd TrUbIsKy OvEr WaTsOn" talk throughout the game.
For starters, Outside Linebacker Khalil Mack looked like the Khalil Mack we all know and love again, forcing and recovering fumbles and getting the Quarterback down on the ground with the ball. But the case can be made for the player of the game being Middle Linebacker Roquan Smith. How about twelve tackles, two sacks (which included a turnover on downs inside their own five), and three QB hits? He keeps continuing his potential All-Pro campaign and has solidified himself as the most significant building block for this defense's future.
Roquan Smith Joining Khalil Mack On A Team Safety Last Week (Credit: Chicago Tribune)
Regardless of how injury depleted the Texans were, only allowing seven points to an elite Quarterback like Watson is an impressive feat. Even more impressive after considering the state of the defense heading into the game. The offense deserves a ton of credit for the incredible work they have done, but thank the defense for not making the game closer than what it could have easily been.
State Of The Opponent: Minnesota Vikings
After hosting an outer-conference opponent last week, the Bears are back to having themselves a division-rival showdown for the third time in four weeks. After winning five of their past six games since starting 1-5, the Vikings finally crashed down to earth and lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 26-14. Despite the loss and 6-7 record, the Vikings are currently in the NFC Wild Card playoff mix, thanks to their recent surge.
Their defense has been below-average in every aspect possible, while their offense has kept the team alive up to this point. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has the honor of throwing to the deadliest Wide Receiver duo in Adam Thielen and rookie sensation Justin Jefferson. Top it off with Running Back Dalvin Cook killing it this year creates a fearful offense attack for any defense.
It would be fair to immediately think that the Bears should be more afraid of Dalvin Cook and the Vikings' rushing attack. However, I am more-so afraid of Thielen and the red-hot Jefferson. This is mainly due to two things: 1) I am confident in the Bears being able to slow down Cook. They did it in their previous match against the Vikings on Week 11 and have done it before that, as well. Especially if Defensive End Akiem Hicks is healthy (knock on wood) throughout the game, I have high hopes in our defense slowing him down. 2) Speaking of the last matchup against the Vikings, Justin Jefferson cooked our secondary and ended up with eight catches for 135 yards. He left his mark against the Bears last time and will be aiming to do the same (or more) yet again while playing on his home turf.
Do Not Forget About Special Teams
Talking about the Vikings' offensive success and defensive struggles may be one thing, but their special teams took a nose-dive last week as Kicker Dan Bailey missed all four of his kicks (three field goals, one extra point). After losing by twelve points, those kicks could have made a significant difference in how the game could have been handled. Vikings fans have rightfully been frustrated as they have had their large share of kicking struggles in recent memory. Who would have thought that the Bears would (thankfully) solve their Kicker situation with Cairo Santos, while the Vikings would still be searching for their answer?
Head Coach Mike Zimmer brought in several Kickers for tryouts this week, including former Arizona Cardinals Kicker Chandler Catanzaro. However, Zimmer decided to stick with Bailey for the week and will play against the Bears. While word from practice has been that he has been nailing his kicks this week, that is nothing to justify the risk of committing to a shaky, inconsistent kicker into a strong playoff push here as the season closes.
Dan Bailey In Disappointment Missing One Of His Four Kicks Last Week (Credit: Grand Forks Herald)
Having your team commit to a Kicker after missing four kicks in a game, and they would regret it later on? Hmmm, where have I heard that one before? Take it from experience, Minnesota; it is probably best to part ways with Bailey before it could be too late.
State Of The Bears
Man, it is funny how things turn around. The Bears go from losing six-straight games and having the franchise seemingly crumble from inside and out to having one solid performance, feelings of the team returning to form, and entering a game with dire playoff implications. Precisely like the Vikings, the Bears also hold a 6-7 record and are in the mix of the NFC Wild Card playoff mix.
Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy's job statuses were becoming crystal clear that they would be gone at season's end, but the victory over Houston certainly bought them some extra time to fight for their jobs. Fans (like myself) support the potential firing of Pace and Nagy, no matter what happens. While a win is undoubtedly fantastic to see, I genuinely worry that the chances of those two staying certainly increasing if the Bears continue to win. As I mentioned in my last article, I never want the Bears to lose, but my fear of Pace and Nagy remaining with the team next year is legit and makes me worry about the team's future even more.
Take It Easy With Trubisky, Folks
I will be the first to admit that I was wrong about Nick Foles, as Trubisky is clearly better for the offense at the moment. But does that mean that Trubisky is a good starting Quarterback? No, he still has a LOT to prove, specifically consistently performing well against more formidable defenses.
(Heads Up: Prepare for some unnecessary questions for the remainder of the article) Did Mitch Trubisky look great against the Texans? Yes. But do I trust him yet to keep up a consistently excellent performance? No, and neither should you. The Trubisky truthers had an absolute field day after the victory, thinking that he is "back" and pleading to be our Quarterback of the future. Have we seen him put up consistently good performances against an above-average defense? No! And the problem in that perspective is that he is facing below-average defenses the next two weeks, too. I want Trubisky to succeed and love seeing him perform well recently; you must still give him credit. However, you also must proceed with caution with him and keep in mind the light competition he is facing.
I am sick and tired of having to talk about this perspective with people, and I know it will not end anytime soon. The last thing I want is for clueless fans to have their hopes up with him again, only for it to be crushed swiftly again. Keep supporting him, but I just recommend not going crazy and thinking unrealistically.
My Preseason Prediction For This Game: Vikings Win
My Pick Now: Vikings Win
Final Score: Vikings 18 - Bears 16
I will admit that I feel a little more guilty about picking the Bears to lose in this game. In my last three articles, my stance was, "I will pick the Bears to lose until they prove otherwise." I had no trust in them whatsoever, but they finally turned it around on both sides of the ball in epic fashion last week.
However, despite my stance and the Bears proving otherwise in claiming a victory, I do not feel right picking the Bears again. The offense was able to beat up a struggling defense, and they face yet another struggling defense. But I cannot squeeze enough trust out of me to have faith in the offense to do enough again to win. The chances of another blowout win are slim, making it difficult to predict how the Bears could respond. Are they going to keep some of that momentum and carry it over into this week? Are they going to have the same luck of not making as many mistakes as they did not do against the Texans? Will the defense be able to handle a Vikings healthy offense full of weapons? I am not sure, I want to feel confident enough to pick them to win, but I would be a liar if I said I did.
For this game, I am not expecting as many points on the board as some may think. Regardless of whether it is a high scoring affair or single-digit showdown, I expect the game to be close. I believe the Bears defense will not allow the Vikings offense to find pay dirt frequently, yet I confidently expect the Bears offense to fall back to earth. Unfortunately, I believe the Vikings' offense will do just enough to outscore the Bears to claim a victory in a crucial contest.
Jobs and team's season's are on the line for both sides this week. The expanded playoff format is working in both team's favor if they want to have a chance at playing football in January. Whoever wins will keep their hopes alive, while whoever loses will be all but eliminated from playoff contention. I did not expect this to be a must-win game for the Bears, as I imagined our season would be over by now, but here we are.
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Thank You and Bear Down!