Remembering the Win That Started It All and Other Bullets

The Cubs did a number on the Mariners on Wednesday. I hadn’t seen Seattle’s offense humbled in such a way since Week 2 of the NFL season. Remember when Danny Trevathan won the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week award for his dominance on the defensive side of the ball? Fun times.

  • With the Cubs playing the Mariners the last two days, conversations shifted back to July 31, 2016. Brian Matusz put the home team behind the 8-ball, the Mariners took a 6-0 lead, but the Cubs chipped away, and eventually won the game in extra innings. That win against the Mariners really got the ball rolling in the second half of what was ultimately a championship-winning season. Thinking about those moments in that game got me thinking about the signature win of the 2018 Bears season that seemed to put Chicago football back on the map.
  • It tends to get lost in the shuffle is their triumph against the Seahawks in Week 2 on Monday Night Football. Let’s re-live some of those highlights:
  • That team needed a win after the nightmarish ending to its season opener and spending the following week emphasizing the need to “finish” ball games. The Bears talked the talk, walked the walk, and did what they said would be done. By defending their home turf, roughing up Russell Wilson, and not allowing history to repeat itself, the Bears showed the first signs of a special team. Chicago won a “prove it” game in front of a national audience in prime-time and it was a big deal. Looking at the 2019 schedule, they’ll have plenty of opportunities to “prove it” again for those who believe their 2018 run was some sort of fluke.
  • Unfortunately, the Bears didn’t win the Super Bowl last year. But if they should win one during this competitive window that has been opened, there is a good chance that we’ll look back at the win in Week 2 of the 2018 season as one that put the Bears back on the right track.
  • (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

  • Tarik Cohen was all sorts of awesome last year:
  • With Mike Davis and David Montgomery joining the backfield party, there should still be ample opportunity for Cohen to be an impact pass-catcher. Cohen lined up everywhere for the Bears during his two years with the team. He has been in the backfield as a running back, split outside the numbers as a wide receiver, checked in as the slot guy, and even dabbled in being the team’s Wildcat quarterback. If Davis and Montgomery can prove to be dual-threat running backs, it will make the Bears offense less predictable than what it was when Jordan Howard was lining up in the backfield. From there, the options could be endless for Matt Nagy as a play-designer and Mitch Trubisky as a quarterback.
  • There are few people who know what Montgomery is capable of like Tom Manning, who was Montgomery’s offensive coordinator at Iowa State. Manning chimed in on what the Bears are getting in their new running back while chatting with JJ Stankevitz (NBC Sports Chicago) on the Under Center Podcast.
  • Charles Tillman is a real one:
  • Building a boat to row across Lake Michigan in an attempt to face a life-long fear head-on isn’t something everyone has inside of them, so kudos to Peanut for stepping up to the plate here. Everyone is rooting for you!
  • This is neat, too:
  • In case you missed it, the Bears exercised the fifth-year option on edge defender Leonard Floyd on Wednesday. Floyd came into his own down the stretch and really started to take full advantage of the extra attention Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks were getting once he was fully healthy. What happens with Floyd (long term) remains to be seen, but he slated to be a key cog in the Bears defense for at least the next two seasons. Better make the most of them while you can!
  • And because the return of one familiar face isn’t enough, why not another? Brad Childress is officially back with the Bears, and he has a fancy title that can go on a business card. Senior Offensive Assistant sounds like an important gig worthy of someone with decades worth of coaching experience. Chidlress was an adviser last year, so this isn’t his first rodeo in Chicago. And while the specifics of his role are unknown, the more offensive-minded energy that can be brought into Halas Hall, the better the 2019 Bears will be.
  • New faces in town means new numbers:
  • Let’s get weird:
  • written by

    Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.

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