On Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Bears will try to snap a 12-game losing streak in the NFC North. The Bears struggled against the Vikings’ pressure packages, but outgained them 275-220 in Week 6, when quarterback Justin Fields suffered a dislocated right thumb. In the third quarter, a Tyson Bagent fumble was returned for a touchdown, and the Vikings held on for a 19-13 victory.
The Bears have lost five of their last six games by a touchdown or less, with the exception of an uninspiring 30-13 road loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Oct. 29.
Three weeks ago, they were tied with the New Orleans Saints in the fourth quarter, had an ugly win against the Carolina Panthers, and melted down against the Lions. Prior to that, the Bears were defeated by the Vikings and lost a 31-28 decision to the Denver Broncos due to a series of late-game mishaps.
This will define the Bears until Matt Eberflus’ team finds a way to put teams away in the fourth quarter. When I spoke with Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeill after the game last week, I mentioned how amazing the turnaround was given that the Bears dominated all phases for 55 minutes.
“But they’ve got to finish it,” said McNeill, a third-round pick in 2021 who has aided the Lions’ comeback. “Fight. It’s just a way of thinking. You have to finish, and that’s exactly what we did. We were beating ourselves up for a lot of things — a lot of things. “We banded together.” The Lions rallied to beat the Chargers the week before, and their young team knows how to battle to the end of close games. After a 1-6 start, the Lions won eight of their final ten games last season, prompting many to question coach Dan Campbell’s future. The six losses were decided by four, three, four, and three points, so they were not blown out.
Finishing. We all recognize it when we see it, but it’s not something coaches can write on a whiteboard. How difficult is it to grasp the concept, or, perhaps more importantly, to put it into practice? “It ain’t easy,” McNeill acknowledged. “If you look at the previous two, three years, and how we started last year, we didn’t finish a lot of those games.” We’re almost done. We have a lot more work to do. We were expecting to do that (against the Bears).”
Finishing could have manifested itself in a variety of ways. A single defensive stop would have sufficed.
. The Lions moved 75 yards in 1:16 seconds and 73 yards in 2:04 seconds. On the two series, they faced only two third downs, both of which required 2 yards to convert. The Bears got three hits on quarterback Jared Goff, who had already been pressured into three interceptions, and were rewarded with a great call against Cover-3 on the 32-yard touchdown pass to Jameson Williams.
The Bears had the opportunity to run out the clock in between Lions touchdowns, but instead went three-and-punt. The play calling on those snaps has caused much consternation, but it has obscured what should have been a more thorough examination of how the defense wilted with the game on the line.
“I always say your losses are always lessons,” Tremaine Edmunds, the middle linebacker, said. “Even though it was a devastating loss, there are many lessons we can take from it in terms of (where) we want to go as a team, where we are now, and what we want to improve on.” It’s simply up to us to be honest with one another and work on those things. “Everything is a learning experience. The good stuff is lessons learned from that game. And the bad stuff that we didn’t get done is also a lesson in that game. It is our responsibility to come and correct that. That is the main point. That is what everyone is currently taking responsibility for. Nobody’s
Don’t underestimate the importance of the remaining six games. While some may want to focus solely on draft capital and how continuing to pile losses would improve the team’s standing come April — the Bears currently hold the Nos. 1 and 4 picks in the 2024 draft as of Week 12 — it’s probably instructive to consider how the Lions’ strong finish in 2022 led to success this season. The Lions are 16-5 in their last 21 games, and while it’s difficult to carry success from one season to the next, the core of that roster learned how to win and close games in 2022.
Consider what would have happened if the Bears had won their games against the Broncos and Lions. In an alternate universe, they’d be 5-6 heading into Monday night, one game out of the NFC’s final two playoff spots. What a difference that would make in franchise discussions.
The Packers have won three of four games, with quarterback Jordan Love completing 65.2% of his passes for 1,107 yards, eight touchdowns, and two interceptions, and with the league’s youngest wide receivers and tight ends. Love could be rounding into the quarterback the Packers hoped they’d have to pick up where Aaron Rodgers left off after 12 starts.
Another reason for the Bears to get started is that the division’s competition is looking for ways to improve. The Vikings are 5-1 since losing their best player, wide receiver Justin Jefferson, to a hamstring injury, and 2-1 since quarterback Kirk Cousins went down with a torn Achilles tendon.
This season, the Bears have played in the majority of games, particularly recently. In that regard, they have closed the talent gap. It’s time to learn how to put opponents away. “It’s just something that can’t really be explained,” said defensive end Montez Sweat. “It’s just those little things that help you win at the end of the game.”
When things are going well, it’s easy to notice the little things. Little things that are proving to be major roadblocks right now.
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