For the second straight week, it took a complete and well-rounded team effort for the Chicago Bears to take home a win against an NFC North rival. And what made this one that much sweeter is that every unit that struggled at one point or another made a huge play that paid dividends.
Every time you thought the Bears were reeling, they persevered and delivered in the clutch. Think about it.
After the offense struggled out of the gate, quarterback Chase Daniel found his rhythm and finished the day completing 27 of 37 pass attempts for 230 yards, two touchdowns, and a 106.8 passer rating. Daniel added an 8-yard reception for good measure, which is good if you happened to pick up the Bears’ backup quarterback for fantasy football purposes – especially if you’re a fan of 17-point games out of the blue!
A strong start by the defense kept the Bears in the game in the first half, but Detroit appeared to have the momentum throughout the second half. But then came a HUGE fourth-quarter pick-six by Eddie Jackson, which broke a 16-16 tie with six minutes left in the ball-game. The interception came after a Bears offensive drive went nowhere quickly shortly after Matt Prater tied the game with a 20-yard field goal with 7:44 to go. Jackson now has five defensive scores in two seasons, which is more than some teams have in the same span.
Oh, and we’ll throw Cody Parkey a bone for making both of his extra-point attempts the 40-yard field goal that opened up the scoring for Chicago.
The Bears are living a charmed life right now. When you’re able to get that performance from a backup quarterback along with continued stellar defensive play, you’d be hard-pressed to shake that you’re experiencing something magical. Let’s enjoy the ride while we can. But first, some Thanksgiving grub!