Written by: John Stocco
Twitter: @realJohnStocco
In a season full of ups and downs I’m looking towards the positives with this team. Right now the Bears are one of the hottest teams in football. Finally finding their ways, finally able to put together drives, and their defense is working relentlessly to keep the Bears in games while being down some key players. The Bears are riding a three-game winning streak, and if I would have told you that last month you would have thought I was crazy. Mitch Trubisky has his confidence back, Matt Nagy has his swagger back, and this defense is back to being a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks. All coming together at the perfect time, as this Sunday the Bears take a trip up north to that so-called legendary football town. It’s Packer week, and it’s also revenge week.
You all remember week one. I wish every day that I bang my head into something just to forget about that game. Week one, the first game of the season on NBC primetime for the 100th season of the NFL, and the Green Bay Packers walked into Soldier Field and humiliated us. Offensively both teams couldn’t get anything going, but Aaron Rodgers just needed one big play to make a difference, and if you give Aaron Rodgers one play to make a difference, 9 times out of 10 he makes that difference and wins. Week one set the tone for the entire season. The Packers never looked back, and the Bears looked out of sync, until now.
The Bears are riding high on a three-game winning streak, and on paper when you look at the box score you’ll see that the Bears barely scraped by the Giants, or that the Bears couldn’t blow out a Lions team with their third-string quarterback, or that the Bears only beat the helpless Cowboys without a real head coach. In these games, two things are common, Mitch Trubisky and Matt Nagy are back on the same page. That Rams game was not only rock bottom for Mitch Trubisky, but it was also rock bottom for this entire organization. The Bears were left humiliated, there were questions about this team’s faith in their quarterback, and Mitch Trubisky was left out there made to look like a joke. Now the switch has flipped. Mitch Trubisky looks comfortable on the field, and quite frankly he looks like his old self. He’s back to playing quarterback instead of trying too hard to look like a quarterback. He’s back to his running ways, and he’s back to keeping defenses on their toes. Mitch is having fun and it’s noticeable. The surprise factor in all of this is that Mitch Trubisky is actually looking better in the pocket. When standing strong in the pocket Mitch Trubisky sets his feet and hits Allen Robinson, or Anthony Miller right between the numbers. If Trubisky keeps playing with an attitude and keeps playing with an edge, he’s going to shock the world against the Packers. The Cowboys game was the best game the Bears have played all season. Trubisky looked great, and Matt Nagy finally got the running game going. With 10 days off, I’m expecting the Bears offense to continue to fire on all cylinders, and even bring back some of the unique play calling we saw from Matt Nagy all last year.
The Bears are on the rise, and I hate to break it to all of you, the Packers aren’t that good. Sure they’re in first place in the NFC North, and they’re 10-3, but they look like the second most lifeless first place team in the NFL. Second to only the Eagles, and ahead of anybody who wins the AFC South. Aaron Rodgers has been an average quarterback this year, and their defense has been overrated as they rank 22nd in total defense. The Packers are relying more and more on the other Aaron on their team, that is Aaron Jones. Word coming from Halas Hall that Matt Nagy and the training staff like what they see out of Akiem Hicks. Hicks is probably on his way back on Sunday, and that helps the Bears' run defense in a huge way. Aaron Rodgers will have to win this game for the Packers, and for the first time in my life, I am confident that it won’t make a difference.
Shocker, but I’m picking the Bears to win this game. It’s going to be freezing in Green Bay as the high as of right now is looking like 15 degrees, and without being able to gain any momentum by running the ball against this defense, Aaron Rodgers will have to drop back and air it out in the freezing cold with receivers that just aren’t up to par. Davante Adams is a top 10 receiver in the game, but Jimmy Graham, Geronimo Allison, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, should be zero issues for the Bears defense.
Momentum is on the Bears side, and it’s time to change the narrative. Matt Nagy is a good coach, this defense is still great, the one question out there is can the Bears win with Mitch Trubisky? Even if the Bears don’t make the playoffs, the Bears have to end the year strong. Let’s play spoiler, end on a high note, end on a hot streak because instead of walking into next season talking about double doinks, next season we’ll be talking about this team coming back with a chip on their shoulders.