Missed Kicks, Nixed Kills, Alshon's Revenge, and Other Bullets

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Missed Kicks, Nixed Kills, Alshon’s Revenge, and Other Bullets

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The first set of Bullets immediately after a loss are never easy, but there’s always a push to pound through it so we could dig into what happened and move on to what’s next. Of course, there’s no easy transition here, because what’s next is nebulous at this point.

I won’t get to all the things I want to write today, but we’re going to push through like we always do.

  • There are times where an image will say everything you’d want in a few hundred words. This is one of those images:

  • And yet, there is still so much to say. I don’t want to do the thing where I say “you totally could’ve this coming” because that would be too easy and an extreme oversimplification. Yes, the Bears kicking game had issues during the season and entering Wild-Card Weekend. And we also knew that the offense hadn’t really kicked it into high gear, save for a few early-season games with optimal weather. Knowing that Cody Parkey missed some high-profile kicks didn’t make him miss what would have been the game-winner with 10 seconds left. Knowing that the Bears’ offense was streaky didn’t make them not score in the red zone. Football happens. And for most of the year, it was glorious. But for one game, it was painful.
  • That’s a deep cut:

  • The irony is that the fact that this team is so positive, supportive, and likable is precisely why a loss like yesterday’s particularly crushing.
  • This was the most fun I’ve had watching Bears football since Brian Urlacher and Devin Hester were on the field making plays. These Bears had personality, played with a chip on their shoulder, and entertained the heck out of everyone who watched. Save for last night’s disappointment, if you could bottle up the feelings from this season, seal them with a cap, and sell the bottles on the open market, you’d make a pretty penny or two.
  • I don’t want to spend all offseason writing about a missed field goal, but I can gut my way through some different perspectives on the double-doink heard ’round the world, such as this one:

  • Oof. A lot of people watched that kick:

  • This isn’t going to make me feel any better:

  • One kick we should probably talk about more is Patrick O’Donnell’s 36-yard punt late in the fourth quarter that set up the Eagels’ game-winning touchdown drive. That the shank came moments after a three-play drive that lost two yards and chewed up just 2:14 off the game clock only complicates matters. The Bears showed an ability to ice games late in the season with long drives against the Packers, 49ers, and Vikings. They had taken a step and added something to their game that wasn’t there in Week 1. It simply didn’t happen for them when they needed it the most and it stings.
  • Alshon Jeffery got the last laugh, didn’t he?

  • The Bears missed Eddie Jackson.
  • This is spot on analysis (and reason enough why Bill Cowher hasn’t left the broadcast studio since stepping out of the coaching chair):

  • The Matt Nagy connection here has me feeling ill:

  • Nagy’s last two playoff games featured more “what-ifs?” than I can count and featured a kicker missing an important field goal. Football is cruel.
  • In case you missed it last year, here’s Harrison Butker’s clanker:

  • I bet Matt Nagy hates the left upright. It’s definitely not getting a Christmas card next year.
  • Among the many “what-ifs?” were ones muttered after this play and the explanation that followed:

  • So Anthony Miller caught the ball, but doesn’t get credit for a catch? That seems illogical. How can it be called an incomplete pass when, by rule, it was a completed pass. Is this the first case of a catch, fumble, and incomplete pass have been rolled into one play? Also, how can one say there was no clear recovery because the back judge picked it up as players from both teams were walking away after the whistle. Shouldn’t that be a dead ball? Sigh. Once again, the NFL’s catch rules leave us with more questions than answers.
  • Not that the Bears did much with their red zone trips outside of three made field goals, but 1st-and-goal from the 6-yard-line is prime positioning. This call was a drive-changer, if not a game-changer.
  • I thought we’d see more of this on Sunday:

  • The NBC broadcast was on this right away, but I’m still unnerved about how this happened:

  • Could’ve used one more “kill” if you ask me:

  • This was a tough way to be introduced to Bears fandom, but we’ll get through it together:

  • Some draft classmate love:

  • Impressing the future league MVP is no small task. Well done, Mitch.
  • Trubisky made one wise bettor a few dollars richer:

  • A $100 bet on Trubisky at +700 would have netted a payout of $800. Or as I would have framed it, enough for me and my friends to attend a playoff game at Soldier Field next year.
  • Height doesn’t measure heart, but in graphic form:

  • Well actually, no … no one has to wonder about anything:

  • Much respect to Rich Eisen, but that’s not even a tweet that gets drafted or sent if Parkey goes 4-for-4 instead of 3-for-4. Or if the Bears score a touchdown on one of their red zone trips. Or if their defense gets a fourth-down stop in the fourth quarter. I don’t mind someone playing devil’s advocate, but this isn’t it, chief.
  • In a very quiet moment in the coming days, I can’t imagine professional athletes spending time regretting winning a game. Especially players who were on the team during its 14-34 run in the three previous years and had never beaten the Vikings in their new stadium.
  • It’s not really all that crazy if you think about it:

  • What’s crazy is that Mitch Trubisky has completed 67.9 percent of his throws, posted a 96.0 passer rating, and averaged 282.7 passing yards in three games against the Lions in the last two years. And in the game Trubisky missed, Chase Daniel completed 72.9% of his passes, racked up 230 passing yards, two touchdowns, and a 106.8 rating. 🤦
  • Elsewhere in the land of the Lions:

 

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Luis Medina

Luis is the Lead Writer at Bleacher Nation Bears, and you can find him on Twitter at @lcm1986.

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