With win, Chicago Bears' confidence on the rise
Even at the tail end of a losing season, victories have a way of lifting spirits in the NFL, instilling confidence in the present but even more so in the future.
As Chicago Bears players returned to work this week, that's what some felt about the most recent one, a 26-21 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that ended a three-game losing skid.
"It was huge, a big confidence boost for us as a team, big confidence boost for us as a line because that wasn't an easy front," Matt Slauson said. "We need to carry that over into this week and hopefully get a win so that springs us into the spring feeling good and feeling like we have something really solid to build on."
Indeed, the offensive line had a resurgent day. After a couple of challenging weeks in the running game, the three-headed attack of Matt Forte, Jeremy Langford and Ka'Deem Carey combined for 37 carries for 153 yards and a touchdown against a Bucs defense that was allowing just 94 yards per game.
The success happened in tandem with Vlad Ducasse unseating Pat Omameh at right guard and Slauson sliding from left guard to center to fill in briefly after Hroniss Grasu injured his knee.
Likewise, the defense had a bounce-back of its own.
One week after Minnesota's Teddy Bridgewater set a Bears record for opposing quarterback rating, the Bears held No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston to just 15-of-29 passing and 21 points.
Performances like these are good for the morale of the unit but also for the individual players. On defense, Pernell McPhee on Sunday fought through a lingering knee injury for his first sack since Week 8 against Minnesota, and a collection of undrafted rookies - John Timu, Jonathan Anderson and Harold Jones-Quartey - made plays.
For undrafted rookies and impending free agents, the final few games of a losing season can hold a special value.
"I think what's crept in the locker room as far as the season coming to an end is the fact that a lot of us want to stay together," said Sam Acho, who joined Jarvis Jenkins and Tracy Porter, among others, on a one-year 'prove it' deal.
"We all see that we're building toward something - yeah, our record is 6-9 at this point - but we see the hope, and we see that we're building toward something."
Acho said he doesn't have a feel for his situation, as Pace and the Bears' front office have sent the message that they'll wait until the end of the season to make decisions on which players to bring back.
That makes a game, and especially a win over Tampa Bay, crucial. It also sets up Sunday's finale against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field as one last shot to prove something for players who want to stay.
It's bittersweet, really.
"The games that we've lost, we essentially gave those games away," Acho said. "People talk about those kinds of phrases, euphemisms or whatever. But we gave those games away.
"We lost. We had no business being close in 4 or 5 of those losses that we had on the last play or the last second. We should have blown those teams out. So we know we're in control of our success."
• For more on the Bears and the NFL, visit chicagofootball.com and follow Nate on Twitter @NateAtkinsCF.