ClutchPoints
The Chicago Bears are on a roll. They have reeled off five consecutive wins, and the most impressive victory was their 24-15 Black Friday triumph over the Philadelphia Eagles on the road.
Beating the defending Super Bowl champions at this point in the season is a major statement. There is no doubt that the rest of the league will take the Bears seriously from this point forward. However, the greatest thing that can come from that clear victory is the confidence that the Bears have in themselves.
Chicago had waited until the last moments of the fourth quarter to beat struggling teams like the Cincinnati Bengals, New York Giants and the Minnesota Vikings. The Bears won those games based on their skill and execution, but they also received the breaks needed to execute at the right moment.
In beating the Eagles, the luck factor was not involved. The Bears defense shut down the Philadelphia offense, holding quarterback Jalen Hurts to 230 passing yards and preventing running back Saquon Barkley from delivering any big plays. Barkley was held to 56 yards and did not have a run longer than 15 yards.
A year ago, Barkley was a dominant runner who exceeded the 2,000-yard mark. The superstar running back has not been able to get untracked this season.
The Bears demonstrated against the Eagles that they can play effective team defense. However, they have not come close to dominating this year. The Bears rank 27th in yards allowed as they are giving up 359.0 yards per game. That puts them just below the Baltimore Ravens and just above the Pittsburgh Steelers. Neither of those teams have played up to expectations this year.
They also rank 25th in points allowed as opponents are scoring 25.6 points per game.
They don’t have any one player who is leading the way and telling his teammates to jump on his shoulders and follow his lead. But they have several players who are coming through at big moments. Safety Kevin Byard has 6 interceptions and cornerback Nahshon Wright is right behind him with 5 picks. Defensive end Montez Sweat has picked up his level of play in recent weeks and he has a team-leading 7.5 sacks. No other Bear defensive player has more than 4.0 sacks.
The Bears passed a major test against the Eagles. Now they face the archrival Green Bay Packers and the two teams will meet twice in the next three weeks. The Bears (9-3) lead the Packers (8-3-1) by one-half game, and these games will clearly have a huge impact on the NFC North battle for first place as well as seeding in the NFC playoffs.
If the Bears are going to be effective against the Packers, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is going to have come up with his most effective game plan. The Packers are not the most consistent offensive team, but they have enough weapons to cause problems for the...
