That Would Be Another Football Game That We Won, That’s What That Would Be
That Would Be Another Football Game That We Won, That’s What That Would Be
We Like What We Don’t See
October 18, 2020
Bears 23, Panthers 16
Squinting, Wincing, Winning
There was a viral Internet photo about a year and-a-half ago that drove everyone crazy. It was a collection of images that appeared to be designed to make the viewer think they were having a stroke, or a nightmare, or an acid trip, or just a really bad day because, try as you might, you just can’t explain what the images are.
You look, you squint, you cry. Everything in the photo looks familiar but you cannot name a single thing.
As it turns out, the photo was indeed a collection of a familiar images; a woman, a pepper grinder, jewelry, a glass of wine, a deer, and a few more things that had all been distorted just a breath beyond recognition.
Which brings us to the 2020 Chicago Bears who are now 5-1 after defeating the Carolina Panthers 23-16 in Charlotte, North Carolina on Sunday. Put on your glasses and your thinking cap. Light a candle, open a fortune cookie, call a friend, smoke a cigarette. Do what you have to do to help you figure out who and what these Bears are.
Are they good? 5-1 says yes. Are they bad? This offense says yes. Are they getting better? I think I’m having a stroke.
Bears quarterback Nick Foles threw for 198 yards – not great. He threw a few bad passes. He won again.
The Bears ran for 63 yards. Huh? They made dumb plays, they got confused and had to call a timeout then got a penalty for delay of game. They were facing a team missing its best player yet came in on a three-game winning streak. But…these…Bears…just…keep…winning.
The defense is good. We still don’t think it’s great but safety Eddie Jackson’s interception return for a touchdown was called back because of a penalty otherwise we might say this defense is great. Eddie has had at least two TD’s taken from him by the zebras this year. Let us take this moment to say the Bears seem to have been on the short end of most of the calls through the season’s first six weeks. Let us also say, again, they’re 5-1.
Rookie tight end Cole Kmet, who we were thrilled to get, finally broke through with his first TD catch. Kicker Cairo Santos was 3-for-3 on field goal attempts including a 55-yarder just before halftime. After starting the year by whooping up on bottom feeders the Bears have now won consecutive games against respectable squads; Tampa Bay and now Carolina.
So, what are we seeing here? No one thinks the Bears are good, but just because we don’t think it, it doesn’t mean it’s not so. We have to enjoy this. We have to love this even if it’s a blurry dream that we can’t explain and are bit disturbed by, sort of like getting a kiss from your cousin that lasts a bit too long.
The Packers finally lost, the Vikings lost again, the Lions don’t even count. (ok they won.) The Bears probably need just four more wins to make the playoffs. Can they hit .400 from here on out?
Adjust your lens. You don’t know what you’re looking at but it has your attention. And if you’re just patient for a few more weeks, it should all come into focus. And we think it might look rather pretty. --TK
Sunday, October 18, 2020