Imrem: For Chicago Bears, momentum is the schedule
A day ago it said here that how the Chicago Cubs do in the playoffs will have nothing to do with their opponent.
As the reputed best team in baseball, whether the Cubs win or lose depends on them.
Today it says here that how the Chicago Bears do week to week has everything to do with their opponent.
The NFL schedule is at the mercy of good teams and bad teams are at the mercy of the NFL schedule.
In case you haven't noticed, the Bears are a bad team.
The Bears have a chance this month to prove the point about the schedule or to prove that they're even worse than we thought they were.
Player absences play a part, but the Patriots went 3-1 without Tom Brady. The Bears are rocked by injuries, but they beat the Lions anyway.
Wednesday wide receiver Kevin White went on injured reserve, and the Bears still have no excuse but incompetence Sunday if they lose to the Colts.
It took four weeks for the Bears to find a team worse than they are.
The Lions were that bad.
Detroit's veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford looked like he was throwing a Frisbee and his receivers looked like they were chasing butterflies.
The Bears should have momentum now, but it doesn't always work that way.
In Major League Baseball, momentum is the next day's pitcher. In the National Football League, it's the next game's opponent.
By that measure, the Bears are on the brink of a mini-roll from 0-3 toward 3-3 with the Colts up next in Indianapolis and then the Jaguars scheduled to visit Soldier Field.
The Colts just lost to the Jags in London and have to shake the rigors of travel before colliding with the Bears.
If, that is, two 1-3 teams playing each other can be referred to as a collision.
How bad are the Colts?
Consider this assessment in the Indianapolis Star under the headline, "Call Colts what they are - bad."
Columnist Gregg Doyel wrote from England, "They're just not very good. If you've been waiting for the Indianapolis Colts to reveal themselves, well, they've done it. They've been doing it. They've done it in Indianapolis, they've done it in Denver, and now they've done it here in Europe."
Being bad is one thing; being bad without borders is another thing.
Similar criticism applied to the Bears after they lost at Houston on opening day and to consecutive rookie quarterbacks the following two weeks.
Ah, but then the Bears beat the Lions and the Colts lost to the Jaguars and now the rear-end kicks are on the other feet.
The Bears likely are eager for practice every day this week while they enjoy the opportunity to stack victories.
Rookie running back Jordan Howard provides the semblance of a rushing attack. Backup quarterback Brian Hoyer provides a more efficient offense. Young defenders provide the energy to smack ball carriers.
Together, they and a few other Bears provide hope.
Plus, yes, the schedule is an opportunity for the Bears to build … not so much a winning streak as a winning crawl.
But guess what? The Colts also receive a copy of the NFL schedule and to them it says, "Hey, the Bears are a team that we can beat this week."
The Lions thought the same thing last week and the Jaguars will next week.
Even the NFL schedule can be fickle and its opportunities fluid.
mimrem@dailyherald.com