Just Bad Enough
Just Bad Enough
The Long Road
January 3, 2021
Packers 35, Bears 16
You Suck, But That’s Enough
The Chicago Bears closed the regular season by losing to the Green Bay Packers, 35-16 at Soldier Field to finish with an 8-8 record. But because this is the year 2020, well, not anymore but it’s still the 2020 season, that mediocre record still qualifies the Monsters of the Meek for the postseason as a seventh seed.
This is the first time that the NFL has ever had a seventh seed so the Bears are pioneers.
The Bears dropped at least three would-be interceptions in this one and when Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers gives you the chance to intercept three passes you have to take them because the soon-to-be named NFL MVP doesn’t do that often. Granted, the Packers dropped a would be interception as well and also had a few other miscues but overall Green Bay did what they always do against the Bears: play better football.
The Bears opened the game with their best opening drive of the season to take a 7-0 lead but after Rodgers went to work, they quickly fell behind. But still, the Bears hung in there and trailed 21-16 in the fourth quarter when they failed to convert on a 4th-and-1. It was a terrible play call, a pass from Mitch Trubisky that had no chance of being caught. This came after the Bears had converted several fourth down opportunities by running the ball but the Bears do what the Bears do which is always find a way to call the wrong play.
The Packers scored twice after that and poop goes 9-7.
Oh hell, this is awkward. The Bears don’t belong on the same field as the Packers. And they sure as hell don’t belong on the same turf as the New Orleans Saints whom they now face in the wild card next Sunday.
The Bears do, however, belong in the playoffs. They are in for the second time in three years and just the third time in the last decade and they deserve every bit of it because by expanding the playoff field to seven teams per conference, the NFL was begging to see not very good teams play in the postseason. The Washington Team That Plays Football in Washington is in the playoffs with an even worse record than the Bears, 7-9, and actually gets to host a playoff game because they’re the champs of the NFC East which is the worst division ever.
You take what you’re given and don’t apologize. This is America, this is football, this is January, this is a new year and the Chicago Bears, wounded, weak, and weird, are alive. Take what you’re given, kids. And march down the field with it. --TK
Sunday, January 3, 2021