If somebody had to win that game, it might as well have been the Bears.
Right?
And they did, by a 23-20 score, thanks to Cairo Santos:
Clutch kicking from the Bears offense’s best option. You love to see it.
It should be noted that it wouldn’t have been possible without Roquan Smith. This clutch interception was EVERYTHING this team needed in that moment:
Talk about being in the right place at the right time. Heckuva read by Roquan, too. It’s almost as if he has a case to be the NFL’s highest-paid linebacker.
And yet, despite the win, so much of that game STUNK.
The offensive play-calling was ick. And the pass-game execution was worse. The ground game was chewing up yards, which I suppose is better than the alternative. But the passing offense in this game set football back a few decades. I’m going to need some time to cool off before assessing that mess.
In the end, all of this felt so familiar. Defenses making plays on overmatched quarterbacks. A wasteful Lovie Smith timeout. The game ending on the foot of a kicker. If I didn’t know any better, I’d tell you that this is every Bears win from 2004-12 I ever experienced. That I’m still experiencing it in 2022 feels like a significant problem.
But 2-1 is better than 1-2? So, let’s enjoy this for a few minutes.