I Owe The Chicago Bears, The #1 Seed In The NFC, An Apology

Good, better, best. Better than the rest.

However that stupid chant goes is not how I've viewed the Chicago Bears this season. I've long critiqued their squeak-it-out victories against basically all bad teams, their inability to overpower any opponent and win with any sort of conviction. I've been skeptical of their last-minute comebacks, their league-leading turnover differential (which is almost double what 2nd place is), and if either of those methods of victory are sustainable.

In other words, I've been a hater. But it's not all my fault.

I've lived in Chicago for five and a half years, and despite that being a sliver of most Chicago fans' lifelong experience of heartbreak and underachievement, I've learned that getting excited about the Bears is nonsensical. They never meet the hype, they never overachieve, and they’re never as good as Chicagoans expect them to be.

Don't ask me, ask any Chicagoan. They'll tell you all about the hell ride of being a Bears fan.

So when they travelled to Philadelphia this week to play the defending Super Bowl champs, and were SEVEN point underdogs, I thought the writing was on the wall. Vegas and I were on the same page. The fraudulent Bears would play their first real opponent basically of the season and on national tv be exposed for who they are; a slightly above average team that's multiple weight classes below the NFL's elite.

So I placed my largest wager of the season on the Eagles, and spent my Friday afternoon kicking and screaming like Phil Weston anytime the Italians passed the ball.

I watched the Bears offensive line manhandle the Eagles defensive front, one of the best in football, to the tune of 281 yards rushing. All game, from start to finish, Chicago moved them wherever they wanted. They created holes going left, right, and center, until all the dollar bills or coins landed on their lap. By the second quarter, everyone watching knew what the Bears would do, and for three more quarters, the Eagles had no answer.

The Bears won the other side of the line of scrimmage, one Philly is also accustomed to controlling, too. They limited the once again pass-happy Eagles to 87 yards on the ground, 4/12 on third down, doubled them up on time of possession, and continued their turnover prowess with an INT and fumble (on the Tush Push no less).

It was as big of a beat down as you'll see in the NFL. It was the exact beatdown I expected the Eagles would put on them. There's nothing more deflating, or inflating depending on the side, in football then dominating both sides of the line of scrimmage. Then being able to tyrannize without the need of an aerial attack. Then putting your cleats in the mud and throwing your opponents around like ragdolls for 60 minutes, in their house no less.

I could've made this blog about the Eagles. About how eerily similar this season is beginning to look like 2023. About how they have an embarrassment of riches on the offensive side of the ball but are simply an embarrassment on the field. How they have the blandest looking offense you've ever seen, or how their demeanor on the sideline looks like Uncle Gary on the recliner after he ate too much Thanksgiving dinner.

But that would be the hater in me. That's the coward way out. Instead, I'm here to face the music. And that music sounds a little bit like this:

The Chicago Bears, as of December 1st, are the #1 seed in the NFC. It feels fake writing that, but it’s true. They have arguably the best offensive line in football, a line that’s heading the second best rushing attack in the league and is averaging 195 YPG over the last five weeks. They have a blossoming QB who isn’t being asked to do too much, a defense who’s as opportunistic as any I can remember, and for the first time in recent (or not so recent) memory, a coach who the city and the team believe in, who’s the mastermind behind this unstoppable run game.

I don’t know if the Bears remain the top seed for much longer. I’d guess it’s unlikely, and I’ll eagerly await that time. But for now, I can’t keep hating. I need to admit I was wrong.

I'm sorry, Bears.

If they beat Green Bay this weekend I'll start singing Bear Down in the shower every morning.