Bears Zeroing in on Playoffs

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November 24, 2018

When the season began, I said if the Bears could gain a split in their divisional games there was a good chance of making the playoffs. They won their third game in 12 days against divisional opponents, assuring the split with two more division games left.  Winning the NFC North is a distinct possibility, after the Bears defeated the Detroit Lions in the annual Thanksgiving Day game. The Lions are always tough in this game and the Bears struggled, but they stayed on a roll and won their fifth straight game, 23-16.

The game started auspiciously, with the Lions taking advantage of a fumble by Bears’ tight end Trey Burton and the resulting short field to cash in on running back LeGarrette Blount’s touchdown. The Bears found themselves in an unfamiliar position, trailing 7-0. Quarterback Chase Daniel was making his first start since 2014, subbing for the injured Mitch Trubisky.  Completing mostly short passes, he moved the ball into position for a Cody Parkey field goal and he connected his fourth straight. Daniel was smoothly operating the Bears’ offense and they scored a go-ahead touchdown on a lob in the end zone to reserve running back Taquan Mizzell.  Inexplicably, Coach Matt Nagy went for a two-point conversion which failed. Instead of leading by a field goal the score was 9-7. In the second half, Blount scored his second touchdown and the Bears trailed going into the fourth quarter 13-9. Daniel, who completed 27 passes in 30 attempts for 230 yards, led the Bears  on a long dive downfield capped with a short lob pass to wide-open running back Tarik Cohen in the end zone. Bears lead 16-13.

 The defense once again proved to be the decisive factor, holding the Lions to seven points in the first half. Coming off a game on only three days’ rest, it seemed the defense was tiring in the second half. Detroit easily drove about 70 yards, ending with a fourth down and short yardage near the end zone.  Detroit Coach Matt Patricia decided to tie the game with a field goal. With nothing to lose, why not go for the win? However, this seemed to be the right decision when Detroit got the ball back.

The Bears have always discussed needing playmakers. They found one in second-year cornerback Eddie Jackson, who intercepted Lions quarterback Matt Stafford and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown and seven-point lead. This game was not quite over as the Bears went three-and-out on their final possession. The Lions had the ball on their 41-yard line. The Bears were surrendering huge gains on Lions’ runs and Stafford guided his team to the Bears’ 10-yard line. In trying to tie the game and force overtime, they got no yardage on first down and had an incomplete pass on second down. On third down another playmaker, safety Kyle Fuller, intercepted an overthrown end zone pass.

The Bears are now 8-3 and control their own destiny. The best-case scenario would be to clinch the division before their last two games against the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings.  Prior to that are very winnable games and the L.A. Rams. Two wins and they should make the playoffs. Although Daniel played well, it will be nice to get Trubisky back and shoot for the division championship and a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Bears Euphoria

November 19, 2018

In front of a national TV audience, the Chicago Bears proved they belong in the playoff conversation. They defeated a good Minnesota Vikings team in every phase of the game, 25-20.  The Bears’ record now stands at 7-3; the Vikings are one-and-a-half games back, followed by Green Bay trailing at two-and-a-half back and the Detroit Lions three games behind.

 The Bears’ defense was the primary reason for the victory.  The Vikings have a great defense but on this night the Bears were better. It all starts with the front seven. The Vikings only gained 22 yards rushing. The tone was set early. Minnesota had third down with inches to keep a drive going. After calling a running play that lost 2 yards, they had to punt on fourth down.  Another key play came with the half winding down. Minnesota was poised for a touchdown or at least a field goal.  Linebacker supreme Khalil Mack recovered his own forced fumble to preserve a 14-0 halftime lead.

Not being able to run the ball, the Vikings’ offense became one-dimensional. Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins was under constant pressure. The Bears got close to him many times, forcing hurried erratic throws and two interceptions. The second was costly. Cutting the deficit to eight points, Cousins was intercepted by safety Eddie Jackson who returned it 27 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion gave the Bears a 16-point lead.  Later, down 11 points]  the Vikings would score a touchdown but miss the two-point conversion. This last drive left them only 48 seconds and their on-side kick was unsuccessful.

The Bears’ offense had a good start, confusing the Minnesota defense with multiple formations and misdirection. Quarterback Mitch Trubisky was completing passes to multiple receivers. He also kept some drives alive with his scrambling ability. The first drive stalled and in came Cody Parkey to attempt a 31 yard field goal. After the previous game’s four misses, Bear fans held their breath and let out a sigh of relief after the kick was made. A long drive culminated with a spectacular catch by Anthony Miller for an 18 yard touchdown. .Maybe worried about Parkey, Coach Matt Nagy goes for a two-point conversion, a pass to receiver Josh Bellamy.  He is a perfect example of the new Bears, making good catches with few drops. Next Bear fans hold their breath again as Cody Parkey hits from 41 yards out.]

As good as Trubisky was in the first half, he was equally bad in the second half. His two interceptions and a Tarik Cohen fumble gave Minnesota a chance to catch up, and they almost did. Letting this lead slip away would have ruined the season. But the Bears’ defense saved the day. After Eddie Jackson’s pick-six the Vikings came back and were within a touchdown and two- to tie point conversion the game. With just under three minutes left the Bears were in no-man’s land, facing fourth down and needing more than five yards and a choice of running an offensive play or letting Parkey try a 48-yard field goal. If he missed Minnesota would get the ball back at its own 38 yard line with over two minutes left, enough time to drive a short distance for the potential tying score. So in came the much-maligned Cody Parkey, who kicked the ball straight through the uprights to seal a Bears’ victory.

The euphoria of this win will not matter if the Bears have a hiccup against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day. However, the Bears are on a roll and should prevail. With the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers on the schedule, that totals 10 wins, which should be enough to make the playoffs. Any more wins would be gravy.  The last regular-season game of the year in Minnesota should be fun. 

Bears Set Up Game For First Place

 November 12, 2018

The Chicago Bears scored the first 26 points and cruised to an easy 34-22 victory over the Detroit Lions. The loss squashed any faint hope the Lions had of making the playoffs as they are now three games behind the first-place Bears. The victory sets up a game for first place with the Minnesota Vikings on national TV.

Young quarterbacks usually have some bad and some good games. Sunday against Detroit, Mitch Trubisky had a very good game. The accuracy he has shown returned. He completed 23 of 30 passes. He read the defenses and made smart decisions. Trubisky had a career-best 355 passing yards with three touchdown passes. He also scored on a four-yard quarterback draw play. A big key: he was not intercepted.

Allen Robinson returned from a two-game absence and showed why the Bears made him their priority free agent signee. He had six catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns. Another free agent, tight end Trey Burton, has been good all year. The steal of this year’s draft, wide receiver Anthony Miller, had five receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown. The only downside to the offense was that aside from Trubisky, running backs Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen rushed for only 36 yards on 18 carries. The Lions came into the game ranking 30th in rushing yards allowed per game. The Bears have to improve on this, especially with the winter weather ahead.

After sitting out two games, Khalil Mack returned to lead the Bears’ domination of the Lions offense. Detroit quarterback Matt Stafford was under constant pressure, sacked six times – twice by Mack. Linebacker Leonard Floyd also recorded his first sack of the year. The Bears forced two interceptions and a fumble. An unsung hero of the defense is nickel-back Bryce Callahan, whose coverage has been good all year and had a monster sack and interception on Sunday.  And first-round draft pick, inside linebacker Roquan Smith, contributed with the first sack that took the Lions out of field goal range.

This game was marred by the lousy performance on special teams. Signed for four years, kicker Cody Parkey missed two extra points and field goals from 41 and 34 yards out. Taquan Mizzell (who?) muffed a catch on a kickoff return, letting a ball bounce at the one-yard line.

The Bears probably have their most important game in years playing the Minnesota Vikings for first place in the division. Minnesota has an elite defense which can shut down any offense. Coach Matt Nagy will have to devise a game plan to put up some points.

Easier said than done.

However, the Bears’ defense isn’t too shabby. Minnesota’s free agent signee, quarterback Kirk Cousins, hasn’t provided the huge impact the Vikings expected. Therefore, this should be a low-scoring game.  My fear is that it might be a battle of field goals.

Bears Taking Care of Business

November 6, 2018

The Chicago Bears kept their focus and remain atop the NFC North, crushing the Buffalo Bills 41-9. The weekend improved as the Green Bay Packers lost to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots 31-17. The Minnesota Vikings recorded 10 sacks in their 24-9 victory over the Detroit Lions to remain in second place. The Bears’ next opponent: The Detroit Lions.

The Bears’ Khalil Mack sat out his second straight game. He was not needed, as the rest of the defense suffocated the Bills. Granted, Buffalo is an extremely bad offensive team; however, the Bears’ defense would have overwhelmed many other teams. They had constant pressure on quarterback Nathan Peterman, forcing errant or hurried throws. They had four sacks and caused four turnovers. A fumble recovery by Eddie Jackson] turned into a 65-yard touchdown. Kyle Fuller, who is having a really good season, jarred a ball loose that landed in the hands of Leonard Floyd, who returned it 19 yards for a touchdown[. The Bears had two more interceptions and forced many three-and-outs, setting up excellent field position. The defense should get better with Mack back at 100 percent.  If he doesn’t play next week, the Bears are lying about the severity of his injury.

This was a game where the offense didn’t have to be good and it wasn’t. Ever since his otherworldly game in which he threw for six touchdowns, Mitch Trubisky has regressed. His accuracy has dipped where he is completing only about 50 percent of his passes, mostly for short gains. On deep sideline throws he has no touch. His reads and decisions are not as good as they should be after eight games. The last game was his worst, completing only 12 of 20 passes for 135 yards. He had an interception with no receivers in sight and a fumble that thankfully the Bears recovered. The touchdowns they did score were on short-yardage possessions set up by the defense and a Tarik Cohen punt return. You know the offense is stumbling when it has to settle for field goals in Cody Parkey’s range. The total offense gained less than 200 yards.

The possibility of making the playoffs still exists. The Bears have five division games left and most likely have to win three of those games. Trubisky needs to get better, which is the job of offensive guru Coach Matt Nagy. Only in games against teams like Buffalo can you gain less than 200 yards, commit 14 penalties and win. In the span of 12 days they play the Lions and the Vikings in home games. Then they have the Thanksgiving game which a beatable Detroit Lions team gets amped up for. After that the playoff picture will get a lot clearer.

Bears beat Jets. Don't get Excited.

October 29, 2018

The schedule dictates who you focus on from week to week. The Bears can thank their lucky stars that the New York Jets were on their schedule last Sunday. Although the Bears won 24-10 their lackluster performance does not bode well looking at second half of the season opponents that are in their division.

Holding Khalil Mack was probably the smartest move in the Ryan Pace era. His participation against a lousy Jets offense was not needed. If he’s not 100% by next week the Bears can afford to sit him against an equally bad Buffalo Bills offense. The Jets like to establish their running attack.The Bears defense shut them down to 2.4 yards per carry. The Jets helped the Bears with multiple false starts and dropped balls. However, Bears regressed to the dumbness of last year when Eddie Jackson got penalized for unnecessary roughness after the play was over. This extended a drive that resulted in a Jets touchdown cutting the Bears lead to seven. I was wondering, could the Bears lose to the lowly Jets? There was virtually no defensive pressure and they only had one sack. For the first time this year they had no turnovers playing against an interception prone quarterback.

For the second week in a row Mitch Trubisky’s legs were better than his arm.  The inaccuracy problems returned as he completed only 16 of 29 attempts. Only two went for gains of twenty yards. His total yards were inflated by a perfectly executed screen pass for a 70 yard touchdown. Trubisky did make nice throw on a pass to Anthony Miller in the end zone for a touchdown. The Bears once again attempted a long sideline pass that didn’t come close to being completed. They haven’t completed that type of pass since the game against Tampa Bay. Coach Matt Nagy finally figured out the Bears have a good running attack and called plays for Jordan Howard who scored the game’s last touchdown. Cody Parkey missed a 43 yard field goal. He is no better than last year’s kicker Connor Barf.

There was a point this year when I thought playing the Buffalo Bills would be an easy victory. However, despite the fact they have no offense the defense is pretty good and be trouble inconsistent Bear offense. This Bills dominated the Vikings earlier this year. Even Tom Brady and the New England Patriots had trouble. They had to settle for four field goals before scoring their lone touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Bills offense could only score six points. For the Bears to go to the playoffs this a must victory