In a frigid atmosphere with a Ditka “sweater retirement” ceremony on tap, the Chicago Bears manned up on Monday Night Football and put down the Dallas Cowboys. I was freezing the whole time, and I wasn’t even at the game. (But letting in the pizza delivery guy was KILLER.) Let’s happily bounce through this Gameday Review!
(7-6) Chicago Bears 45
(7-6) Dallas Cowboys 28
What went right:
MATT FORTE BABY. Again, it’s not even close. His 102 yards rushing and 73 yards receiving are a significant chunk of Chicago’s 499 total yards on the night. The offense was clicking scoring on eight of their nine drives the last of which included only one play as they ran out the clock. Aside from three near-interceptions from McCown (one of which was actually picked, but called back by a holding penalty), the output negated the total lack of defense for the Bears. Speaking of which…
What went wrong:
Hey run defense. This is your usual spot. Come right in and make yourself comfortable. I don’t have a lot more to say on this matter. They gave up 145 yards to DeMarco Murray on only 18 carries, which is why Tony Romo only attempted 20 passes on the night. Why pass when you’re averaging 7.1 yards a carry?
When the Bears really won:
Going up ten points at the end of the first half was outrageously important. With the Bears receiving the ball to start the second half, their field goal drive gave them a 27-14 lead and enough cushion for the Chicago defense to finally “unleash” their pass-rushers, as Jon Gruden called for.
Other Notes of Note:
-Ditka looked SO EFFING COLD at that halftime ceremony. I mean, the guy’s 74 years old. It’s a grandpa standing out in the negative wind chill. Think about it.
-Alshon Jeffery. GOOD GOD MAN. Some of these catches are just sick.
Not fair.
DAMN THAT AIN’T FAIR.
What this win means for the Bears:
It puts Marc Trestman’s team in striking distance of the NFC North title, should the Lions lose another game. If Chicago wins out and gets that help from Detroit, they”ll make an appearance in the postseason.
Unfortunately, the win also means that Bears fans everywhere (and possibly Chicago’s front office) will be spouting off thinking Josh McCown needs to be the starting quarterback next season. (And he probably will be with the way things are going.) Instead of looking at the defenses Josh has managed to score victories over (like the putrid Cowboys unit), they’ll just assume he’s better than Jay and that we should move on.
Every Bears fan when they see McCown not suck. (I’m in the back. Shaking my head.)
And if that happens, I’ll stop writing about the Bears.
But until that time, enjoy the win and the fact that your team is still relevant! Bear Down and Happy Jay Cutler Day!
