I’ll be in transit for much of the day as I leave Baltimore to return to Chicago. So here is a set of Bears Bullets that comes before I hop on a plane.
While a bunch of NFL teams were duking it out on Sunday in search of a victory, the Chicago Bears were chilling out at home having already won their game on Thursday. Name a better way to enjoy a football Sunday than doing so knowing that your favorite team already won to start the week. I bet you can’t.
The Las Vegas Raiders are (once again) serving up reminders that good things can happen with talented teams that are poorly coached if management is willing to pull the plug on a floundering head coach. First, it was with Rich Bisaccia. And now, the Raiders are on the rise with Antonio Pierce calling the shots at head coach:
Yes, I realize it is weird to be in this mindset after the Bears won last Thursday. In fact, Chicago’s football team is 3-3 in its last six games. That doesn’t erase its 0-4 start. Nor does it negate a stretch in which the team lost seven of its first nine games. If anything, the Bears piecing together a .500 stretch feels like an indictment of a coaching staff that didn’t have its team ready for the start of the season.
Keep in mind the Bears have losses against the following sub-.500 teams: Packers (3-6), Buccaneers (4-5), Broncos (3-5), and Chargers (4-5). They also had one-score losses against the Saints (currently at .500) and Vikings (who were 1-4 entering the Week 6 showdown in October). The Bears could’ve cleaned up against some beatable foes had they been able to get out of their own way or not trip over themselves. The missed opportunities are a real bummer.
Speaking of the Vikings, they’re 2-0 since acquiring Josh Dobbs and are in the hunt for a playoff spot in the NFC. I can’t say I saw that coming. But credit all parties in Minnesota for making chicken salad out of the injury mess that could’ve hijacked their season. However, moving forward, I’d prefer to not have to be put in a situation in which I’m praising an NFC North rival. If only the Bears could do something as simple as making the most of what they have on their roster rather than acting as if putting square pegs in round holes is an appropriate solution.
More Vikings — I don’t know how this isn’t already in the Bears’ playbook…
Vikings running a pop out scheme. Sell zone read before RB pops out to lead block for Q pic.twitter.com/tzIsRpGYGP
Montgomery is playing at a 17-game pace to snag 300 carries, 1,420 rushing yards, and 20 total touchdowns. He has also missed three games due to injury, so he probably won’t reach those numbers. Nevertheless, part of me is happy for him. Although, I’d be happier if he was doing it for a team that wasn’t a division rival. Besides, it’s not as if D’Onta Foreman isn’t holding it down at a fraction of the price. Then again, I’d feel better about that had the Bears done more with their cap flexibility in other areas. But that is a discussion for a different post to be written on another day.
And with Detroit on our mind, Brad Biggs (Tribune) had the early line for Sunday’s upcoming Bears-Lions game at Ford Field with the Lions being 9-point favorites. There isn’t much love from the oddsmakers these days.
Also: While I’ve not looked ahead at any props, this might be a good week to fade your interests because I have a feeling that we are going to be fed a steady dose of David Montgomery. This could be a legit revenge game for the ex-Bear (especially since it is a Detroit home game). Hopefully, the new-and-improved Bears defense is up to the task.
Did you know that wide receiver Trent Taylor was the Bears’ highest-graded player from Thursday Night Football? That’s who Pro Football Focus had as Chicago’s top performer. Do you want a bigger surprise? Center Lucas Patrick was the team’s highest-graded offensive lineman. Consider my mind to be blown. More on PFF grades via Bears Wire.
We were this close to greatness in the Colts-Patriots game:
Ooh! Connor Bedard is good at hockey. The rookie has back-to-back multi-goal games for Chicago’s hockey team. (BN Blackhawks)
From our friends at BN Bulls: The Chicago Bulls won a basketball game that they were expected to win. That doesn’t happen as often as it should, so let’s enjoy it while we can.
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