Big victory for Bears, but big questions remain
Win and they're in.
That's what this season boils down to for the Bears, who overcame a lackluster first half to defeat Jacksonville 41-17 on Sunday.
Now a victory over Green Bay at Soldier Field next Sunday means the Bears will be one of seven NFC teams to qualify for the postseason. Even if they lose, the Bears (8-7) will be in if Arizona (8-7) falls to the Rams.
The Bears have overcome a six-game losing streak by winning three straight, outscoring those opponents 110-51 in the process.
"We had a message for the last three weeks about where we're going and what we're doing together," Nagy said. "They've completely done it. This credit goes completely to the players and the coaches."
It's at this point, however, that we need to hit the pause button and remember something: These wins came against Houston (4-11), Minnesota (6-9) and Jacksonville (1-13).
Not exactly a terrifying trio, is it?
Even Sunday's victory left us shaking our heads on numerous occasions and made us wonder if the Bears can even come close to competing with Green Bay, New Orleans or Seattle.
To wit:
• Jacksonville, which hasn't won since the season opener, put together scoring drives of 70 and 71 yards on its first and third possessions. That second drive tied the game at 10-10 with 8:21 remaining in the second quarter.
• A jet sweep to TE Cole Kmet lost 3 yards on first-and-goal from the HALF-YARD line. Where is the QB sneak? Or David Montgomery? You are 18 inches from the goal line. Enough with the chicanery. Unable to score on the next two plays, the Bears were forced to settle for a field goal.
• Mitch Trubisky continues to make baffling decisions late in drives, just as Jay Cutler did during his entire tenure in Chicago. This one happened late in the first half, with Trubisky heaving a prayer into an end zone occupied by six Jaguars. Allen Robinson had no chance and the ball was picked off.
• Finally, on the Bears' second possession of the third quarter, Trubisky threw a pass that could have been returned for a touchdown by Jarrod Jones, but the Jaguars' safety dropped it. So instead of making it a 20-17 game, the Jaguars allowed the Bears to march downfield for a touchdown that made it 27-10.
After that, the Jaguars laid down and it was all Bears.
"We kind of just said, 'Let's just go out and be us,'" said Trubisky, who was 24-for-35 for 265 yards and 2 TDs. "We weren't finishing the way we wanted to finish, we weren't executing on all cylinders like we can.
"So let's play 11 as one. Let's go out there and be us and let's have some fun in the third quarter and in the second half."
So give credit to Trubisky for having a next-play mentality, to Robinson for torching his former team with 10 catches for 103 yards, and to Montgomery for racking up 121 yards from scrimmage.
Jimmy Graham also had a nice game, catching both TD passes and finishing with 4 catches for 69 yards.
The defense was led by Roquan Smith, who picked off two passes and had a team-high 8 tackles.
Afterward, Nagy and the players reacted as you'd expect. They were positive and excited about the chance to play for a postseason berth.
"I just love our mindset, where we're at right now," said Trubisky, who led the Bears to 21 third-quarter points Sunday. "We battled adversity as a team. We continue to come closer together.
"That's how you create special memories, just getting through the tough times and enjoying the great times together. So we've got a great opportunity this week to continue to finish strong, to get better and that's what I'm looking forward to. It's been a fun ride."
Well, it's certainly been a wild ride. But it won't last if everyone isn't honest with themselves about what it will take on the biggest stage against the toughest opponents.