3 Weeks in Review: Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears are one of this season’s pleasant surprises. Their preseason gave up no hints of what was to come. Chicago lost all four of their preseason games but used the opportunity well to prepare for what was to come. Chicago
hasn’t been considered a serious contender. Their last Super Bowl appearance was in 2007 and their run that year wasn’t particularly impressive either. That of course was only their second Super Bowl Appearance to date. They have won the Super Bowl Championship
once but that was more than two decades ago. No one looks at the Bears seriously.
But when a team is undefeated in their third week, it becomes very difficult to not take them seriously. The Bears are off to a great start, frankly a far better than expected start. Granted their opponents were not exactly what
one would call insurmountable but a win is a win. Anyone following the Bears couldn’t but help notice that the Bears this year are a completely different monster. Particularly impressive this year has been their quarterback, Jay Cutler. In those 3 games Cutler
has accumulated 870 yards with 6 touchdowns.
Their season opened against the Detroit Lions. Let’s be fair now, the Lions weren’t going to beat the Bears. The best that could have been expected was that the Lions would put up a decent challenge against the Bears. That they
did. In fact, compared to how the Lions fared against the Bears last year (Lions lost 24 to 48) the Lions actually did better. They lost the game but limited the Bears to two touchdown and two field goals. Last year when the regular season opened Chicago had
four touchdowns and two field goals. The difference doesn’t mean much though because on both occasions it was the Bears who controlled the game and its pace.
Chicago quarterback Cutler drove 372 yards against the Lions in addition to over a 100 yards rushing. Comparing that to just 200 in total for the Lions shows the severe disparity between the two sides. The Lions practically had
no chance.
The next game for Chicago had them go against the Dallas Cowboys. Again, the Cowboys aren’t one of the better teams in the NFL but that’s despite the point. The Cowboys landed a few hard hits on Cutler but the Bears quarterback
bounced right back with 3 touchdown passes and 277 yards. The Cowboys are one of NFL leaders when it comes to yards. Against the Chicago defence the Cowboys managed over 400 yards but that didn’t translate into more points. This year so far has been the worst
for the Cowboys since 2001 and hence it comes as no surprise that they were beaten.
The final of 3 wins for Chicago came against the Green Bay Packers. The Packers are a whole different team compared to the Chicago’s first two challengers. While one could argue that the first two don’t count for much but the third
does and it even validates their earlier successes. The Packers are one of the best teams in the league. Any team that can stand up against their defence is no joke. The Packers did more than just stand up to it.
Last season when the two teams met it was the Packers who won. Bears’ victory this time around suggests an improvement. Though, it must be noted that the Packers were off their game. They conceded 18 penalties, a record for the
team. Some of those penalties came at crucial moments for the Packers. That said the Bears used every opportunity to the fullest. Between the Packers and the Bears a game can never be one sided. The competition was tough and it was ultimately a battle of nerves
in which Chicago prevailed. They held on to the very last second. The game slipped in favour of the Bears in the final two minutes when a fumble by Packers James Jones gave the Bears the opportunity they needed to seal the Packers fate.
Over the past few weeks the Bears have shown consistency and maturity. It’s a team that won’t readily crack under pressure. They are off to a great start and show no signs of weaknesses yet. However, there are greater challenges
lying in wait for them this season and nothing can be said with certainty as of yet.
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