Hub Arkush: Can the Bears defense bounce back into playoff contention?

Regardless of how we got here, if the Chicago Bears win their last three games of the season it is very, very likely they will be a playoff team.

They don't totally control their own destiny, but their odds would be very good.

Are the Bears a legitimate playoff team?

I'm going to plead the Fifth on that one for the moment and focus on the tried and true one game at a time plan before I waste time figuring it out.

If they get by the Vikings on Sunday, things become a lot more interesting, and here's what I find fascinating about most of the dialogue I hear around that one.

All anyone wants to talk about is can Mitch Trubisky and the offense keep it up, as if that were the most important door to unlock to enter the postseason.

Nobody wants to believe the much improved play of Trubisky and his charges is real. All they want to talk about is how bad the Texans were and how the Bears blew the Lions game.

But here's a little bit of reality you may want to munch on.

Not only are the Packers, Lions and Texans defenses poor to awful - and it was the defense as much or more so than the offense that blew the Lions game - so are the Vikings and Jaguars D's.

The Bears don't have to face a good defense to win out.

There is every reason to believe the offense can do enough the next three weeks to contribute to a somewhat miraculous bounce back.

What I find a bit worrisome is - can the defense?

After playing their two worst games of the year vs. the Packers and Lions, some of the defense's numbers against the Texans were impressive.

But the 7 sacks came against one of the leakiest offensive lines in the league - only four teams have fewer interceptions than the Bears, and Eddie Jackson left their eighth on the Soldier Field turf. Houston's 32nd-ranked ground game rushed for 108 yards and 27 carries, and after being the best defense in the league all season on third down until they went to Lambeau Field, the Bears allowed the Texans to convert 7 of 14 last Sunday.

Nonetheless, allowing just seven points in any NFL game is big, and defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano doesn't seem nearly as concerned as I am.

"There's a sense of urgency around here, but it's a confident ... it isn't like, 'hey, whatever,'" he said. "You saw that last week in our preparation. You saw when they came back for the first time yesterday and we'll see it today and see it Friday.

"There's a sense of urgency from a physical standpoint, a mental standpoint, and then our preparation is vital. Winning is important, but preparation is vital. They prepare well. They'll go play well.'

Plus, Pagano has Khalil Mack on his side.

"I think he just finally said, 'OK, regardless of who they put on me, one, two, three, whatever it is, I'm taking this thing over. We're not going to be denied a win today.' "We need the same thing this week out of him, and he'll do that."

That's all good news and there is more.

Four weeks ago, Dalvin Cook came to Chicago as the hottest running back in the league and the Bears took him away, limiting him to 30 carries for 96 yards on the ground and just 4 catches for 16 yards.

Over their last five meetings since Mack came to town, the Bears have held the Vikings to 14.8 points per game, 20 is the most points the Vikings have scored in a game, and the Bears have won four of them.

But ... I have yet to hear any reasonable explanation as to what happened to the Bears D against the Packers and the Lions.

Will Jaylon Johnson, Buster Skrine and Deon Bush be able to go, and how close to 100 percent is Akiem Hicks?

If the group we know and love shows up in Minny on Sunday, then we can start to have some serious conversation about the playoffs.

But if it's the guys we saw against the Lions just two weeks ago, we'll be right back to talking about people getting fired.

With the next big day after Sunday being Christmas, let's all hope it's the former.

• Twitter: @Hub_Arkush