The #Bears have given up 415 points this season The crazy part is, they’ve given up 136 (32.7%) to 3 teams alone (all away games) In the other 14 games, they gave up an average of 19.9PPG. In their 9 home games (including the playoffs) they’ve allowed 18.7PPG, which ranks 10th
[Needless to say, Verse vs LT will be a battle to monitor]
The game may come down to how windy it is. If it’s too windy to pass, both teams will be forced to rely on the run, and neither have run as well as earlier in the season. If Thuney is indeed moved to LT, and McFadden starts at LG, gotta wonder how that may affect chemistry, combos, timing, etc.
Wind may also screw with the Rams’ specials which have struggled mightily. Santos may not have the strongest leg, but he’s made 50+ yarders in cold blustery clutch conditions.
If it isn’t that windy, then Stafford [likely MVP] can definitely dissect this toothless D IF it can’t generate pressure.
Allen is caught in a catch 22:
The front 4 aren’t monsters, but if he blitzes, Stafford has been a stone cold assassin:
Matt Stafford has a 125.4 passer rating with 32 TDs and an INT when facing the blitz. He also doesn’t turn the ball over; he set a record with 28 consecutive TD passes without an INT earlier this year.
So Da Beloved have their work cut out for them either way, but hey, what’s new?
They’ve been defying the odds all year. No reason to stop bearlieving now.
Per ESPN, Bears had a 13.5% chance before the season to win the NFC North.
After starting 0-2 in the division, odds plummeted to the low single digits.
Tonight, they earned the crown. 👑🐻⬇️
Against all odds, the Chicago Bears kept the faith & kept fighting until it was theirs! — Jacob Infante
Since the NFL merger in 1970, just 43 of 422 teams made the playoffs after an 0-2 start, a percentage of just 10.1% — Caleb on that 4th & 8 throw of the year: Running 13.2 MPH to his non-dominant side 35.3 yards in the air
— Bears vs Packers this season:
Offensive plays with the lead Packers: 106 Bears: 0 — The Bears are 3-3 when down 10+ points in the final 5 minutes of the 4th quarter this season.
The rest of the NFL is 3-158
—
Bears have won 6 games trailing inside 2 minutes. That’s impossible – Collinsworth — Notable #Bears win percentages in key games they’ve won this year:
Raiders: 19.3%
Commanders: 15.9%
Bengals: 14.1%
Giants: 4.0%
Vikings: 24.9%
Packers: 3.0%
The probability of all those games being wins? 0.0001295%.
Raiders needed a blocked FG Commies needed a fumbled snap/recovery Bengals score over 42 points + Loveland Gmen down 20-10 with 4:00 Vikings down 16-17 with :50 left + Durvernay KR Packers onside recovery, TD, 2 point etc Packers III 25 points in 4rth QTR
Bears odds of winning all 7 of these 4th qtr comebacks…1 in 61 million.
Wish Data was around to quan the maths, but needless to say, Bounceback Bears have defied all logic. There’s a word for that – magical. Christian Watson expressed the improbable season best.
Packers WR Christian Watson was completely shocked watching Bears QB Caleb Williams make magic converting the 4th & 8 to Rome Odunze:
These Bears will find a way. The Bears are the living avatars of “Just win, baby.” How many game day threads began “Same Ole Bears” and ended “How the F did they pull that one off!”
By now it’s a feature, not bug. Granted, that doesn’t make the Bears invincible. They were home underdogs vs Packers, now Rams, and likely will be the dogs until confetti drops on their heads; however, their “magic” fizzled out vs Ravens, 9ers, Lions[2X], and NEARLY to 6 other teams.
So here are some pertinent deets vs the Rams specifically.
Matthew Stafford's last 10 games outdoors in the rain/snow:
• 1-9 record • 16 TDs • 11 INTs
The current forecast for Sunday's game:
• 20 degrees • 18 mph wind • 55% chance of snow
The Rams are favored over the Bears on Polymarket.
It should be noted that Matthew Stafford [whose thumb may or may not be INJed] was born in FL, grew up in TX, played at GA, then for domed Lions and now sunny LAR. He has struggled in cold weather games, and has a penchant for self-destructing a la Jared Goff. Did you watch the final Aaron Rodgers’ game? Old QBs don’t like being hit, and they REALLY don’t like being broken in half like an icicle when it’s freezing, snowy and windy.
Matt Stafford's stats this season: 65% comp 4707 Yards 46 TD 8 INT
He's played 2 games this season not in a dome where the temperature is below 50 degrees
In general,domed teams this past decade are 1-15 in the playoffs when kickoff was at/below 40°
That being said, what WOULD worry me is that Goffesque QBs can dissect this “Bend Don’t Break D.” Goff did it twice. Brock Purdy once. Shit, even Grandpa Joe Flacco lit them up for 42 and had all of us sniffing glue on that final drive that ultimately floundered.
Savvy vet QBs [and two efficient backups] have made this defense look terrible, and they weren’t coached by Sean McVay.
Rams also roster lethal talent: Nacua, top 3 TE combo, top 3 HB combo, Verse, Young…
So none of us should bet our mortgage down quite yet.
Jeff’s famous line was “Why Do I like the Bears? I always like the Bears.”
Well, these Bears convert even haters into fans like Rocky-v-Drago.
Why do I like the Bears? I don’t. I LOVE these Bears, and I Bearlieve.
We all know what’s at stake. This is only the 3rd time the Bears have faced the Packers in the playoffs, and for all we know, they may not square off again in the playoffs for another 50 years, so this is YUGE.
So I got a little busy this week, but couldn’t think of anything awe-inspiring to write about the matchup.
A major part of that is because this is the THIRD time the Bears have faced Green Bay this season.
Divisional games are always a toss-up. That’s how you end up with Commanders defeating the Eagles last week, or the Bears prevailing against the Packers’ in the ’24 finale. Then you add this is the 3rd time [in 5 weeks] playing against one another in the same season, and voila, near coin-flip.
As they say, familiarity breeds contempt, and you know the Packers are still fuming over the dramatic loss, so they are going to come out brawling.
An interesting factoid though which caught my eye.
How many points have the Bears scored against the Packers in the first half this season?
If your answer is 3, you are sadly correct.
Clearly, the Bears can NOT sputter out of the gate this time around.
We saw what a slow start does to the crowd in the final Lions’ game; it totally nullifies the homefield advantage, NVM breaking any offensive rhythm while exhausting the D and sapping any psychological mojo.
Bears are not a juggernaut. Regardless of record, they are the underdogs [Vegas agrees: Pack are -1.5 road favorites]. They are young with little to no playoff experience. Difference makers like Rome, Gordon and Ozzy will be playing through INJs.
Soldier Field forecast predicts 9°F, snow and possibly 39 MPH wind!
Halas has heavily invested in transforming the Bears into a modern offensive-minded team. Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams and crew simply cannot afford to cede an entire first half or else “The Iceman” is going to mean starting cold.
The Chicago media-machine has conjectured what has gone wrong early. Some surmise it is BJ’s initial opening script, specifically that the NFL has figured it out. Some theorize Caleb is too unfocused and erratic when the game is not on the line. Clay Harbor pushes that it simply comes down to execution and eliminating mistakes, especially on 3rd down; he further elaborates the defense “bending” but not breaking for 8 minutes straight ices the offense. It is going to be hard to get into any sort of rhythm if Caleb, Swift and Burden are thawing in their snowy trench coats through two commercial breaks.
Whatever the issue for slow first halves, the Bears MUST solve it, PRONTO.
The easiest solution would be for the Bears’ oline to open up lanes for Swift and Monangai to win TOP and keep a shaky D off the field.
No reason Bears can not start hot either. The Packers’ D in the past 4 games[w/out Parsons] has imploded:
Which brings me to why I struggled a bit with a preview since I am going to sound cliche:
The team that wins the trenches, turnover and redzone battle will likely prevail.
This applies to the defense as well. They cannot for the life of them get off on 3rd down, which allows for QTR long, soul-sucking drives.
They began [up to Nov] the season top 6ish in opponent third-down conversion. They finished like 22nd [allowing around 40.8% success], and we have witnessed this downward trend in the two losses against SF and DET.
It does not even seem to matter what Dennis Allen calls either. He mostly played zone vs SF, and they lit that D up for 42 points.
He mostly played man vs DET, and they lost the TOP battle (19:12-10:48) while their WRs abused Wright, CJ and JJ to 7.7 yards per attempt.
So what is the answer?
Well, again, this is going to sound trite.
Bear players must rise to occasion. The roster must overperform. Sweat, Booker, Jarrett, Brisker, Wright…gotta play out of their minds.
An interviewer [Manziel] once tried to blame Rex Grossman for the SB loss, but Urlacher was having none of it. Urlacher pointed out that the Colts racked up 250 yards passing and a mind-boggling 190 yards rushing when season long that ’06 D gave up 300 TOTAL. Fans often forget that part.
In other words: The ’06 Bears’ SB D underperformed.
[Granted, no MB or Tharris hurt]
That cannot happen this time around. The Bears must not just meet but SURPASS their potential.
I compared the ’25 Bears to the both the SB winning ’08 Giants and ’10 Saints.
In short, both teams “overachieved”.
Racking up key TOs, clutch moments, and bold decisions. That is how a team overcomes a talent deficit.
Super Bowl XLIV February 7, 2010
Sean Payton calls for a Thomas Morstead onside kick to start the second half — the only onside kick made before the fourth quarter in #SuperBowl history.
Much like in life, the Bears gotta be the BEST versions of themselves on this unexpected playoff run because as Urlacher relayed, nothing is guaranteed going forward.
So Godspeed, Chicago Bears.
For once in 40 years shatter our cynical ‘same ole Bears‘ mantra.
Rewire the Favre-Rodgers trauma and make us once again BEARLIEVE.
Not gonna lie, it’s a little hard to get into this game because I simply don’t know what Lions’ team is going to run out of the tunnel.
Will they be like the Bears last year vs Pack in the finale desperately trying to play spoilers even if it only involved some marginal playoff seeding?
Or will Dan Campbell rest his MASH unit and call it a season, maybe even doing a small favor to his former OC Ben Johnson? I mean, the last thing Campbell would want is Goff tearing his achilles in a meaningless game [Remember when Lovie made Lach play the last game, and he INJed himself and was never really the same?]
The seeding is relatively simple now. Seattle clinched #1 Seed [that D impressed]. Bears currently hold tie breaker over Eagles for the #2 Seed, so if both win out, Bears are #2. If Eagles tie/lose, Bears are #2.
As for who the Bears will face as the #2 Seed, well, that’s a bit more complicated which I’m sure the pregame shows will math ad nauseum, but suffice it to say, Bears will likely host a game vs Packers which would be insane.
9ers and Rams are also possibilities. Sadly, not which ever NFCS team limp-dicks in.
✶ Sports Mockery ✶@sportsmockery·16h
Here are the odds for who the Bears might face in the first round:
Green Bay Packers: 78%
They are the clear favorite if the Bears win against Detroit or if Philadelphia loses. The Packers are already locked in at the #7 seed.
San Francisco 49ers: 13%
If the Bears lose to Detroit and Philadelphia wins, they will drop to #3. Seattle wins and the Rams beat Arizona also affects this.
Los Angeles Rams: 9%
Similar scenario as with the 49ers; Bears drop to #3 if they lose to Detroit and Philadelphia wins. If the 49ers win or if Seattle wins and the Rams lose to Arizona, this also matters.
I’m interested in Ben Johnson’s strategy.
Will he follow the Belichick way of playing all the starters to keep them sharp for the playoffs?
Or will he choose to rest players since they aren’t the #1 seed and don’t have a bye?
Maybe he’ll find a middle ground and rest some injured players and older veterans who usually would play.
Ultimately, the main goal is to win and stay healthy.
The Bears will need every advantage in the playoffs since they’ve exceeded expectations all year.
Since the NFL merger in 1970, just 43 of 422 teams made the playoffs after an 0-2 start, a percentage of just 10.1%
Bears have won 6 games trailing inside 2minutes. That’s impossible – Collinsworth
Final (OT) – Bears 22, Packers 16 📉
The @ChicagoBears' win probability was as low as 0.5% before recovering an onside kick coming out of the two-minute warning (trailing 16-9 w/2 timeouts). This is the 5th-most improbable win in the NGS era (since 2016).
McManus kicked an easy 28 YD FG to go up 16-3 with 5:03 left and two Bear TOs. I turn to the girl realizing this isn’t good and say, “We’re going to need a miracle, ” She adds “Christmas miracle?” “Yeah, a few, plural, actually.”
Mini-miracle #1. With about 4:57 left, the Bears [1/7 on 3rd/10 penalties 105 yds til this point] drive down the field and get within “FG Range.”
I put that in quotes because supposedly the wind was whipping up to 25 MPHs as we saw plastic cups whirling around like pigeons. So this 43 YD attempt with 2:04 left was mini-miracle #2.
I was IRATE screaming at the TV scaring all 7 rescue cats; the “hurricane” drill was too slow. Kicking unit needed to drill it well before the 2 min mark if the Bears wanted to stop the Packers on their ensuing possession with the 2 MIN as a defacto TO. I figured this is all but over. I was resigned. “Same ole Bears…pass the eggnog.”
This forced BJ to onside kick it. I don’t think he onsides it if he had the 2 MIN warning mark.
Teams were 4 for 47 in successfully recovering an onside kick [which now have to be telegraphed to opponents].
That’s an 8% success rate for us math challenged.
So the Bears with 1:59 line up for an onside. And somehow, someway, RECOVER IT.
Major Christmas miracle #3!
Relive the Chicago Bears miraculous comeback… Moneyball style.
Now the Bears had to matriculate about 52 YDs in 1:56 and two TOs [did I mention it was frigid and windy?]
They get the ball to the 14 with 28 secs left. 4rth and 4. Free blind-side blitzer. Caleb must throw off his backfoot drifting to his right, “Shit”. The ball looks like it’s sailing… then miracle #4. Some no-name rookie UDFA, only playing because both Rome and Burden are out, is wiiide open and the ball doesn’t sail but drops right into Walker‘s hands as he toe taps for the TD equalizing the game!
I start jumping up and down freaking out the rest of the cats – except the big fat fluffy one sprawled asleep on the couch, paws up.
I refer to her family as the KKK [Krazy Kat Kult].
“Christmas Miracle!” I shout. They obviously think I’ve lost my mind nonetheless get excited.
“No way…” she says under her breath “See what I mean about cardiac Bears?” I excitedly respond, relieved as much jubilant.
I’m standing up now leaving the couch to the oblivious blissful felines.
Going to OT. “Serenity now…serenity now…”
Bears win coin-flip [minor-miracle #5 since this will allow Ben Johnson to essentially use 4 downs on offense. This shouldn’t be overlooked].
Packers get ball. Montez Sweat utterly destroys their RT, sacking back-up Malik Willis and seemingly hurting his shoulder. [At this point I should probably include Austin Booker kill-shotting Jordan Love, literally knocking him out of the game, as minor-miracle #6].
Montez Sweat this year so far
-44 TOT -16 QBH -13 TFL -9.5 sacks (8.5 in the last 10 G) -5 PD -3 FF -1 FR -1 game saving sack to force OT (here)
What a bounce back year for him. And s/o Dennis Allen for unlocking him in this scheme https://t.co/MYhymesR3g
— Just Another Year Chicago: Bears (@JAYChi_Bears) December 21, 2025
Despite this, Willis still gets the Pack to about their 42.
6:58 in OT. 3rd and 1. “Not a chance they stop them from getting 1-yd two downs in a row.”
Naturally, I’m talking to the TV per protocal, to which she interjects, “You’re like that commercial where you think the players can hear you!”
I forgot if I chuckled or totally ignored her zeroing in on the screen.
Willis takes the snap, scrambles – stopped. That shoulder may have slowed him down just enough on a cold night for TJ Edwards to stonewall him.
4rth and 1, naturally, Matt LeFleur is going for it.
Fumbled snap!
Miracle #-lucky 7!
I’m fist-pumping air trying not to curse like a sailor and appear the complete maniac. This is why I usually watch these games alone, but she made me a delectable hoagie and wings, so least I can do is not show-up shirtless and painted like Puddy.
Bears’ ball. 5:38 left in OT. 3rd and 3. Kyle Monangai shoots right up the middle to about Bears’ 53.
1st and 10, figure, Bears are just going to keep pounding it, bleeding the clock. They only need a FG, after all.
Apparently this is what the Packers assumed as well, as Caleb extends like a handoff to Monangai. The safeties bite, he pulls it down – launches:
Ben Johnson had been waiting for the Packers to be in this “low quarters” look all game long. #DaBears
Bears get in 13 personnel and go heavy play action at the perfect time & the safeties are at 6 yards on the snap 👀
This play will forever live in Chicago memory as “The Throw” or “The Catch”. TBH, I don’t even know which of the two was more remarkable. It may have been the most clutch play in Chicago sports, ever? Well, at least in decades.
That ball seemingly floated in the wind for eternities. “No way…” I gasped.
Then when I saw DJ laying there on his back half-dead, “No way…” I whispered, almost like a prayer.
DJ, in the endzone, rolls over, flops arms out…football drops as the ref runs by gloved hands in air…
“TD! TD! TD!” holy shit! this was one of the most ecstatic sport’s moments in my life.
Right up there with Hester opening the SB with a KO TD return. Right up there with Mike Tyson uppercutting [insert name], Kirk Gibson pumping his arms around the bases, MJ hitting that shot vs CLE… I wasn’t old enough for Miracle on Ice, but fuck it, throw that in retroactively.
DJ laying there like the Undertaker reminded me of when they carried MJ off the court in his flu-game.
It is perhaps the most fitting metaphor for us Bear fans up to now.
Just emotionally and maybe physically and psychically drained. Not just from this ’25 season, but perhaps for the past cumulative FORTY years [since ’85], and definitely for the past Favre-Rodgers’ era where the Packers have seemingly defeated the Bears in every soul-crushing fashion imaginable [Blocked FGs, Conte, Smoking Jay riding an exercise bike on the sidelines….].
I ran out of “Fuck yeahs!” or “Can’t believe this!” or “No way in hell!” or “Are you freaking kidding me!”
I was depleted of exclamation marks which were equal parts disbelief, terror and rapture.
Somewhere in the distance I faintly heard, “10 of 10, A+ Throw…the throw of Caleb William’s life. The catch of DJ Moore’s life…”
Like DJ, I just wanted to lay down, rest and/or absorb it all.
And like DJ, my circle probably had to also ask, “are you good?” before stabbing me through the sternum with adrenaline like in “Pulp Fiction”.
Bears win. Bears win. Bears win. #1 in division. Knock down bitter rivals to 7th circle of hell. Still in the hunt for the #1 over-all seed. All on prime-time for the world to witness on a Saturday Night.
Bears like DJ resurrected.
Cold dish of vengeance dealt by the chilly arm of the Iceman.
"Cardiac" Caleb Williams when trailing this season:
One detail that stuck in my mind…instead of Caleb being all jubilant over the Browns ass-kicking, he was still salty from the previous loss at Lambeau even invoking the immortal words of Dennis Green, “We feel like we left them off the hook.” Other players expressed similar sentiments.
Bears really don’t like the Puke, and as we saw on TNF, when SEA felt disrespected ‘laughed at’, they flipped the switch.
BJ also doesn’t want to be made the fool for that whole “Kind of enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year” WWF statement.
1. Caleb Williams was on point. [17/28, 242, 2 TDs, 112.5 QB Rating]
Been making a lot about his comp% because regardless of what some Caleb-stans want to believe, accuracy does matter.
So many games are lost on balls that are behind, drive dead. Game over. Ball too high, off hand, right into a critical INT. Or just plain ole misfires that leave a fan scratching his head.
I was actually surprised to see that Caleb’s comp% was ‘only’ 60.7% vs Browns.
Caleb Williams managed to crack the 60% completion percentage barrier for the 5th time this season (out of 14 games) vs. Browns. • Vikings 60.0% • Lions 63.3% • Cowboys 67.9% (Season-High) • Ravens 65.8% • Browns 60.7%
Luckily for the Bears, they faced an even less efficient QB!
Shedeur Sanders has a sub 60% completion percentage in 4 of his 5 games:
Caleb’s comp% felt higher because it wasn’t simply completing the passes, but the ball placement of said completions. They seemed to strike that hit-box over and over again.
The Kmet catch where he gets up-ended really excited me. It was nothing spectacular. A simple play-action boot to a wide open Kmet in the flats, but Caleb didn’t sail it, or throw it too low, or late. He floated it in there allowing Kmet to turn up field and convert a 1st down.
That was the theme of the day. YAC. And the receivers YACked it up ’cause Caleb for the most part hit them in stride on a chilly day.
If Caleb keeps playing like that consistently over 4 QTRs, I tell you now, they have a legit SB chance especially if Swift keeps running like Forte [what du fook did Swift eat!]and defense continues creating TOs.
From ESPN Research: The Bears pressured Shedeur Sanders on 20 of his 42 dropbacks (48%), their highest pressure percentage in a game this season. Chicago entered ranked 31st in the NFL with a 24% pressure percentage on the season.
2. Speaking of which, wowzers, Dennis Allen wasn’t screwing around. The NFL gods threw him a raw QB who struggles with recognition, accuracy and timing, and unleashed the hounds of hell. No quarter offered – nor given. I love it.
TBH, this is sorta what I expected. My only reservation was if the Bears could generate enough pressure on Shedeur Sanders for him to implode, and boy did they. As the Latin maxim goes, “If you’re not strong, you better be smart” and Allen completely outflanked the Browns’ O. Austin Booker specifically had himself a game.
In 6 games, he has 22 TOT, 14 Solo, 3 sacks, 2* TFL.
The Bears win by 28+ for the first time since 2020, get their first 5-sack game since October 2023, and have won 10 games for the first time since 2018.
The defense dominated. The 3 points only came because BJ failed on a 4rth and gave the Browns the ball at midfield. Add junk-time yards in that final drive where the Browns still couldn’t score, and that’s about it. This Browns teams wanted nothing to do with winning at a freezing SF.
Overtime: We’ve given the special teams the biz [and for good reason], but they were good on Sunday [Outside the Santos missed FG]. Nice returns from Duvernay, solid gunning, Tori/Blackwell pinning Browns inside 1. I think it had more to do with the Browns sucking than the Bears’ sp teams transforming into Toub-ers, but hey, I’ll take it.
All in all, by far the Bears’ most complete game this season. I didn’t even have to bust out my glue in the 4rth QTR! Only took 15 weeks, but hey, it’s better to be gelling late heading into the playoffs then falling apart like the Chiefs.
Maybe it’s the eggnog, but I’m getting 2009 Saints/2011 Giants vibe.
In those seasons, neither were SB favorites in August, and both squads were far from a perfect roster.
The Saints particularly remind me of this D
The 2009 New Orleans Saints defense, under aggressive coordinator Gregg Williams, wasn’t dominant in yards/points but excelled at forcing turnovers (2nd in NFL with 39), leading to their Super Bowl XLIV win, featuring key playmakers like Darren Sharper (9 INTs), Will Smith (13 sacks), Jonathan Vilma, and Tracy Porter, who sealed the championship with a famous pick-six
Meanwhile the ’11 Gmen [9-7] had a young QB with ‘so so’ stats, but all he did was make clutch plays to win games in Eli Manning.
Bears are some hybrid of those two SB Champs, and in a year where no true juggernauts exist, hey – why not the Bears?
Browns, Pack, @9ers, home finale Lions, and that’s a wrap.
Season has flown by, and we’re zooming into 2026. So savor it.
Ever consider Chicago’s never had a 4,000 yard QB because part of their games are played in weather you simply can’t throw in? 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/ntZccebEBL
This is going to be a cold AF game. Like Dante’s 9th circle of hell freezing. Could be windy too, so the passing game will likely suffer.
That type of game should theoretically favor the Bears with their potent 1-2 HB punch while limiting Myles Garrett. However, Browns are no push-overs. Gotta remember they BEAT the Packers 13-10. I loved Quinshon Judkins in the draft and was hoping Poles could somehow steal him. He’s a 5’11, 220 pound hammer who runs a 4.48.
That being said, Shedeur’s depth of target is relatively low [screens]and his season long comp% is 52.4% [hey, finally a QB lower than Caleb!], so the key will be for Dennis Allen to find some way to pressure him. If Allen befuddles the rook, we could see a multiple INT game. If not, well, see above.
Their defense is scary lead by this generation’s Julius Peppers.
Myles Garrett already has 20 sacks! He needs 3 more vs Bears to break the all-time record of 22 [if I recall, Strahan got that with a little help from his buddy Favre]. Garrett’s record breaking campaign impresses more given the fact that the Browns were likely trailing in most games. Man, I hope Bears start recruiting him for next season!
Garrett is also a beast against the run, so via con dios, Ozzy Trapilo. Their run D overall has limited explosive runs [11th best] but allowed 2 vs Titans while the Bears didn’t have a run play over 10 yds vs Pack, so this is anyone’s guess in freezing conditions.
TLDR.
Bears control run, TOP, with tactical Caleb strikes while pressuring Shedeur = WIN.
*Cairo Santos doesn’t cuck it
According to ESPN analytics the Bears rank:
31st in pass rush win rate 27th run stop win rate.
We cover Caleb Williams a lot since QB is the most important position in all of sports, but we gotta give some laurels to what Dan Roushar is doing with that Oline.
Our 2024 Oline was abject dogshit. Now it’s one of the top units in all the NFL. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced this dramatic turn around for a Bears unit in my lifetime.
Here is Roushar’s former OT Terron Armstead talking about his coaching.
If you’re wondering about Ozzy Trapilo specifically, here is an excellent breakdown of him thus far.
After 44 years of fandom, I attended my first in-person Bears game In 2018, purchasing tickets for the Rams-Bears tilt I knew would be both meaningful and cold, after learning of the Khalil Mack trade, a sure sign that these Bears with their visored offensive egghead would climb to the mountaintop once again, while shedding the preposterousness of the recent Trestman and Fox regimes. I had gambled correctly, and the four tickets I got for my son and his Rams-loving friend (and me and his step-mother) climbed steeply on Stubhub as the season moved from autumn to winter and the Rams and Bears appeared on a collision course for Conference supremacy. The week running up to the game, it was flexed to Sunday night, and the forecast called for a brutally cold Chicago December night, prompting whispers from my wife that the $75 dollar tickets could be offloaded for triple their face, and we discussed the possibility of watching from the comfort of our family room in Skokie, warm beneath the throws with cheap(er) drinks in our hands and chili on the stove. The experience was too strong to wave away with comfort. My son commented that this could really be a new Bears team and this game could be a dynasty harbinger; it cemented our resolve to brave the elements and watch the Beloved live and in person beneath the sharp, crisp lights of a winter’s night.
On game day we snowmobile bundled in thickly lined boots and snow pants, layering undershirts and wool sweaters beneath mountain parkas stuffed with “hot hands”, wearing hats that clung to the ears. Driving to the millennium lot beneath Grant Park, we were stuffed in like a bag of cotton balls, shoulders pushing out, cushioned against the doors. Spilling out of the car, we took the long walk through Grant Park sidling along the unshirted yahoos, hatted and gloved and drunk, and as we approached the stadium beneath the tunnel at Roosevelt, the brightly lit Soldier Field rose into the starred sky. I was not regretting the trek nor the cold. The energy for this Bears team felt like 2006 again. I thought back on taking my 4 year old son to the Candlelite on the North side to watch them dispose of the Payton Saints, a clash of offensive creativity and defensive stability, while he ate pizza and became a Bears fan at the same age I became one, wearing the Hester t-shirt jersey I had bought him for the occasion.
I have a few regrets in the 12 years between that game and this, and the situation had shifted from mom to step-mom, but the bond between us felt strong that night. We sat in the South end zone with a view of the action that allowed us to see plays develop across the field, watching Mack stalk Goff with a predator’s rage and hunger, seeing our cagey veteran DC dismantle the boy genius McVay. A deep playoff run was certain; the curtain had risen for this cast of young offensive and defensive stars and a coach who pumped the blood of the new NFL, what Mad Hatter Trestman was supposed to be, and a foil to the checked-out and somnambulistic Fox. The wail of the third down siren and the panicked Goff papered over Trubisky’s 3 interception night; these Bears were real, we thought, and the marching faithful returning to their vehicles chanted “Green Bay Sucks” with the fervor of an armed mob looking to draw, quarter and put to rest any thought that Aaron Rodgers would continue to reign over the NFC North. They ran out that season with defining wins over the Pack, the Niners, and the Vikings, a three game parade over our most hated rivals until coming to a halt in a most Bears way with the belt of history pulling strongly around our coach’s neck, visor unable to hide his incredulous gape, as Staley toppled sideways to the Soldier Field turf.
The next couple of years saw missteps and finger pointing, with Nagy unable to rekindle the pilot light of his vision, and my son, getting older, piled more resentment and anger onto his stepmom and myself, eventually coming back from his first year of college during the autumn of COVID, and deciding to live exclusively with his mother. The strings of that relationship snapped over the next year as did the Bears and Nagy, and more incompetence emerged through 2 ½ years of Eberflus. Eventually the communication between my son and I ceased. I have not spoken with him for 3 and a half years.
With the optimistic hire of a new messiah, and the passing of another Easter without reconciliation and redemption, my hope for the seeds of another draft to sprout and flourish moves lockstep with that same hope for my son and me. Maybe this year we will build something with a rock mantle foundation, with the base to support the winds and storms of passion. All I wish for is a hot bowl of chili, a cold Old Fashioned, and the warmth of an afternoon game next to him and beside my wife, as the Bears march forcefully down the field.
