BigSlick

Yeah we're about as healthy as can be expected for an NFL team at this point in the season. A complete contrast to the Packers. In fact, if Rome is healthy and playing at his talent level... there are no significant injuries on Offense. Which is crazy.

I just want to see the Bears utterly dominate the Packers in a beautiful, snowy Soldier Field - something like that glorious Bears-Saints 2006 NFC Championship game. It would go a looooooong way to putting away decades of Bears humiliation at the hands of the Packers. If we could get a replay of the Eagles game that would be fine by me.

maybe I set my sights to low but if it was against anyone but the Packers, I even would have been more than satisfied with a one-and-done playoff appearance for this year. This is the first year of Ben Johnson for a team that was 5-12 last year, a total dysfunctional mess, Caleb with a very up-and-down rookie season with a bunch of nimrod coaches, etc. etc. Winning the division and making the playoffs would have been a HUUUUGE win. If they got knocked around by Seattle or LA, ok, whatever, fine. This team has a lot of growing up to do and one half of the ball barely suits up on Sunday. But, because its the Packers, we absolutely, positively have to win. And maybe thats for the best for me. It's not good, as a fan, to just feel like you're playing with house money. I may be the only person here, but I watched that San Fran game in complete zen mode - I was happy to see them move offensively and score and it didn't really bother me too much when the defense did bupkis after the first play. They lost and I was serene. It didn't really matter... they had secured their playoff ticket. I was satisfied with that. (This past sunday pissed me off more because they tried and sucked). Because its the Packers... we have to win. I can't even really think about what I'll feel if they lose. It unfortunately would tarnish a lot of the good feeling of 2025. Don't even want to think about that. Win. Win.

You’re not the only pessimistic Packers fan I’ve seen and I find it utterly bewildering. I can’t imagine what it must be like to have 35 straight years of top 5 QB play, but it wouldn’t make me pessimistic, I think.

The Bears 2020 playoff appearance feels like one of those shortened seasons in MLB where there was a work stoppage and all of the stats and results were super weird. I guess it technically happened but I don't really believe it counted.

Its nice to see him dancing and all but I want to see what he looks like running routes

Also shows how much offensive line performance isn't just the pure talent of the guys but coaching and quarterback. Caleb is light years ahead of where he was last year and where Justin Fields was in terms of pre-snap reads, checking, accounting for a free rusher if there's one anticipated, etc. etc. Talent wise the guys are way ahead of where they were in previous years but they're also just handling protection better as a whole offensive unit.

the John Harbaugh firing kinda superficially reminds me of the Lovie firing but he's also been there 18 years and won a Super Bowl. Sometimes its right to just move on, but don't be surprised if moving on from a coach who's baseline is "pretty good" results in disaster. It's a gamble.

I actually think thats exactly how it should be done - the most important parts of modern football are the coach and QB. They got that down. They got an O-Line to protect and run block. Got that down. Defense... well, you might not be able to get it right in exactly one season (and obviously they spent money, they devoted resources to it), but you can get it right in the next season. The big building blocks are there. I almost look at modern NFL defenses like an MLB bullpen. They are less "sticky" than offenses, they can have a lot of variance year to year. On offense if you figure it out, you have it figured out for years and years (this isn't guaranteed, variance and injuries and poor OCing happens, but its more of a sure thing than defensive quality). Go get some bullpen arms, lock it down, and have a Super Bowl contender for next year.

Gordon being back could be huge, it could also be a nothing because looking at Jaylon back makes me very sad I do think their defense is qualitatively different with a healthy Kyle Gordon in the lineup.

It's so so crazy considering the move to a 17 game schedule. I know that a lot has changed in the league to facilitate more passing and coaching for QBs has changed significantly to emphasize a decrease in interceptions but this stat almost feels like DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak... how does one not accidentally get an interception over 17 games??

I’m glad to hear others felt the same way I did on the 4th and 5 at the end of the game. I felt punting was nearly tantamount to surrendering the game. Obviously a 4th and 5 on your own 30ish isn’t ideal, but going for it I felt like gave the Bears better odds of winning than punting it away. Ah well.

You know, watching the game again after the fact today, I don't even really think the problems on D are a lack of effort... I think these guys are trying their damndest out there they just are slower and out of place a lot and they get no horsefeathers pass rush. Like, I don't think Jaylon is making "business decisions" out there - he's playing the run really hard but he just doesn't have the top end speed he has when he's healthy so he's getting burned. The coverage is getting burned because all too often Goff is sitting in a pristine pocket for 5 seconds and then hits a guy on a long crossing route. There are some issues tackling, and I'm a little concerned about the linebackers not having the same closing speed they used to (whether due to injury or whatever else). And the poor offense simply can't have 3 and outs or they don't get the ball for another 10 minutes. At this point, its unfortunate, but they have to be perfect. Caleb has to be money and the receivers are simply not allowed to drop balls. The running game needs to be better, and it wasn't even necessarily bad but it was simply pedestrian. They need to get 5, 6 yards a carry, not 3 or 4. It's a tall order but if we don't hit those marks, we fall behind, and we don't have a lot of possessions to squander.

This is, objectively but not emotionally, the best match up in the first round the Bears could hope for. Emotionally, of course, it would be excruciating to lose in the playoffs to the Packers....again. However, it does allow for the tantalizing opportunity to beat them and shovel some dirt on the decades-long ownage the Packers have had over Chicago. The Bears D is just terrible. On Bernstein's podcast they mentioned that aside from defensive plays that result in turnovers (which of course cannot and shouldn't be set aside from an analysis of the D as a whole) the Bears D is last of all NFL teams in EPA per play. The turnovers have kept the Bears D in the mid-20s, they're the life support that allow the Bears to even be competitive. Without them, they can't stop anyone, aside from completely inept offenses like the Browns. They'll need a couple, at minimum, to win on Saturday. I'm as pissed as anyone about how lifeless the Bears offense was to start the game against the Lions, but the Bears D is so bad it limits how many possessions we even get. The Bears once again only had 2 drives before the two minute warning on Sunday. They may keep the opposing offense out of the end zone and limit the damage, but like the Packers game, the defense gives up 10+ play drives of 5, 6, 7 minutes and you just don't get the ball. It means the offense has to play complete mistake free football to be competitive. They haven't done that. They almost did it against the Niners. They almost did it yesterday in just the second half. They can't keep doing it. My biggest hope is that the defense is able to do just enough to limit the damage and the Bears offense with Rome and Trapilo back, comes out of the gate just even a little bit hotter. Give us a game, give us a victory, and come what may.

ok, i'm a little happier but i'm still pissed they wait so long to be good

hahahah for the first time, seemingly ever, the Lions being super cute horrifically backfired on them (against us)

great response defense!

The annoying thing is there’s literally nothing that can happen to make me happy now. Even if they do come back and even win this game I’m still pissed. Stop playing games where you don’t do anything for 2 or 3 quarters! It’s annoying, to me!

I mean who cares about narratives. Nobody should suffer an injury or whatever because of narrative. there was something material at stake, although it’s not huge, the difference between a 2 and 3 seed.

Great job Bears, you managed to make me angry about a game that only barely matters after clinching the division. You didn’t even have to play!

This is a shameful and unacceptable effort from a playoff bound team. If you start your starters, you cannot be shut out for 3 quarters. Everyone should be ashamed of themselves.

I don’t enjoy ending the season where our final 2 home games were completely shut out in the first half and the defense can’t even pray to force a punt

This is a bad “tune up” game, IMO. Makes Ben Johnson, for the first time all year, look outcoached and dumb.

I can attest that this is the case. It may *literally* be true, but it’s spiritually true.

Even if the Bears come back in this one I’m annoyed they start off flat and listless again for the 15th time in like 17 games