Since I am hosting a Thanksgiving gathering on Wednesday, that means Tuesday (a.k.a. today) is a big day for yours truly. I need to season and marinade the turkey, make a cheesecake, and finish up my cleaning around the house. Not at the same time, mind you. That would be a mess of cross-contamination that I’m not in a position to deal with at any point. Onward with today’s Bullets.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new betting favorite to win the Super Bowl:
The Baltimore Ravens are your new Super Bowl favorites at @SuperBookUSA.
After dismantling the Rams on their home turf in front of a national audience during Monday Night Football, the Ravens have become a 3-1 favorite to win the Super Bowl. With a potent offense led by (1) a second-year quarterback – who’s a certified MVP candidate (if not favorite) – (2) a hungry defense that teams a vicious pass-rush with a ball-hawking secondary, (3) a special teams unit with the best kicker in football, and (4) a coach willing to use analytics to put his team in the best position to win, it’s no wonder the Ravens are where they are right now. They’re rolling. And they will be a tough out this winter.
Young QB who takes a leap. Superb defense. Forward-thinking coach. Wait a minute … isn’t this what the Bears were supposed to be in 2019?
Quarterback Lamar Jackson was nearly flawless last night. Jackson’s line: 15/20, 169 yards, 8/5 y/a, 5 TD, 0 INT, 139.4 passer rating, 99.7 QBR. And he also added 95 rushing yards on 8 carries for good measure. If anyone needs me, I’ll be the guy in the corner kicking himself for not seeing the value of Jackson’s 2019-20 NFL MVP odds when they were 66-1.
Watching MNF unfold left me with two thoughts. For starters, why couldn’t third-year quarterback Mitch Trubisky and the Bears score more than seven points against this same Rams defense eight days before? Watching Jackson and the Ravens pick apart the Rams was fun to watch, but also maddening because of what I saw in the flesh two Sundays ago. The other thing going through my mind is that the Bears would be in such a better place had they beaten the three California teams on their schedule.
(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Those Rams? Beatable. The Chargers? Definitely should’ve won that one. The Raiders? Had that one won had it not been for a dumb special teams penalty and the defense not falling apart at the worst time. Instead of a 5-6 record, the Bears would be looking at a 7-4 or 8-3 record — not to mention a totally different narrative arc. Because while the troubles with Trubisky, the offensive line, run-game scheme, and defensive ups-and-downs would still be there, how we talked about them would be different. Then again, maybe this is the best thing for the Bears in the long run.
Despite living in this reality, there is still a statistical path to a playoff spot:
#Bears' path to the playoffs is still open — even with a 9-7 finish — after the Ravens beat the Rams on Monday night. This tweet will self-destruct in 5 seconds: pic.twitter.com/UPfbpypfAK
In this scenario, the Bears get in as the second wild-card team and the No. 6 seed. Their reward for pulling off this remarkable feat? A meeting with the Packers at Lambeau Field on Wild-Card Weekend. Allow me to put on my orange-tinted sunglasses for a moment and let me ask where I can sign up for that immediately.
Let’s make a deal, shall we? If the Bears beat the Lions on Sunday, I’ll open myself up to share a scenario in which the Bears win three of their last four games and get to 9-7. We’ll share it here on BN Bears on Friday. Deal? 🤝
Speaking of the Bears-Lions game, this isn’t one I would want to bet on:
This was a great throw and catch by Mitch Trubisky and Allen Robinson, but one other thing needs to be pointed out.
Check out this pass protection by David Montgomery. This was some excellent recognition to assist Braunecker on this block. #Bears#Bears100pic.twitter.com/iO4oTnpEpa
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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