Can Nagy refocus Bears and prove they belong in the playoffs?
The index card read: Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, 7 p.m.
Bears coach Matt Nagy gave one to each of his players in the days after a Dec. 6 loss to the Detroit Lions - the team's sixth consecutive loss. On Dec. 8, the Tuesday following the Lions game, the first time the team reconvened in person at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Nagy had an index card ready for every player.
The future moment written on the card was the evening after the Bears' final game of the regular season. That was the last possible moment they would know if they were going to the postseason or not.
Not that professional athletes need the extra bit of motivation. But it was a reminder of the end goal. Work hard now and that moment could be a celebratory one.
"The last four games of the year - to be where we were at after those six (losses) wasn't easy, but they fought," Nagy said. "And that's a credit to them, that's a credit to our coaches."
Nagy didn't know at the time if the Bears needed three wins or four in their final four games. They wound up winning three of the last four and reaching the postseason with an 8-8 record. They will face the New Orleans Saints in the wild card round at 3:40 p.m. Sunday in New Orleans.
Bears receiver Allen Robinson said he kept his index card hanging in his locker.
"For myself, I'm a glass half full kind of person anyway," Robinson said. "In this league, you go through so much adversity and things like that, that's the only way to be. For us, we went through a tough patch at that point in time, but I knew the players that we have, I knew the team that we have."
Even with the playoff berth, 7 p.m. Sunday was a moment of mixed emotions. It came after a 35-16 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Nagy was understandably upset with his team, noting that it was "OK to feel like crap" after the loss, despite making the playoffs.
The challenge now will be to turn the page from that frustration. The Saints don't care what it took the Bears to reach this point. The Saints just want to win and move on.
The Bears have to have a short memory too. The fact is, getting into the postseason after a six-game losing streak was the hard part. Now anything can happen.
"I always kind of digest things over 24 hours after the game," Robinson said. "And that stance on Sunday (changed) probably a little bit quicker because it's the playoffs. So just kind of quick review of the film to see in some ways where I can be better at. But other than that, again, with it being the playoffs it's a totally different thing."
Quarterback Mitch Trubisky said the energy at Halas Hall was good Wednesday as the Bears returned to practice. For Trubisky, this week is another chance to show what he can do in the postseason. It's a chance to prove he deserves another season in Chicago.
As much as kicker Cody Parkey's missed field goal overshadows what happened in the last Bears playoff game two years ago, it often goes forgotten that Trubisky led the Bears down field in less than a minute to set up that field goal attempt.
"I remember thinking back to that game and remembering being so close, but at the end of the day being close doesn't matter," Trubisky said. "We have to go out and finish it. The mindset is win this week and we are focused on that."