NEWSLETTER
It doesn’t matter that it was a slogging Buffalo Bills team on the receiving end of a 41-9 thrashing from the Chicago Bears. Because at the end of the day, that is what it’s supposed to look like when good teams play bad teams.
The Bears (a good team) took care of business against the Bills (a bad team) and that’s all that matters. That they did it with a little flare should silence critics who didn’t think much of the team’s Week 8 win against the Jets because it lacked style points. This was the type of win that featured something for every type of Bears fan to latch on to in well-rounded win.
If you wanted the defense to step up with Khalil Mack out for a second straight game, then you’re probably happy about a game that featured four sacks, seven QB hits, and four turnovers. Let’s say you were looking for someone to step up in the absence of Allen Robinson, then odds are you enjoyed Anthony Miller’s team-leading five catches and 49 receiving yards. And if you were worried about Cody Parkey’s recent kicking woes, then you left Sunday’s win encouraged about his 2-for-2 day that included a successful try from 45 yards out. Heck, even Pat O’Donnell boomed some punts that helped the team flip field position. If you suited up for the Bears on Sunday, you probably contributed to something good happening at some point in the afternoon.
And yet, this was far from a perfect showing by the Bears. They were penalized 14 times for 129 yards. In fact, nearly one-third of the Bills’ first downs came from Bears penalties. That can’t happen in games against good teams if you’re expecting to win. Mitch Trubisky jumped out to a strong start with some early down-field completions, but his production tapered off in the second half and an interception mucked up the otherwise good vibes from the offense. Can’t have balls sailing into the arms of the opponents if you want to consistently win football games.
But still … this was a dominant effort from front to back for the first-place Bears, one that we were hoping to see all week.
There are loose ends to tie up, but if this team is better in the long run because they took advantage of the opportunities in a game like this, then so be it. We don’t know what the Bears are going to be when it’s all said and done. But one thing is certain: It will be fun to ride it out every Sunday the rest of the way.
