Chicago Bears Claw Their Way to Another Win

By Wanda Wiedman | Oct 13, 2015

Many said they would lose.

The Las Vegas bookies and the media outlets projected a loss against an injured-riddled team. But what the Kansas City Chiefs did not expect was that the Chicago Bears would not just lay down and die. The Bears clawed their way to their second win of the season courtesy of an 18-17 squeaker.

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The few starters in the offense consisted of running back Matt Forte and tight end Martellus Bennett, with the rest of the receiving corps from the third-string group. In the first half, the Bears struggled, giving up a touchdown on a fumble by quarterback Jay Cutler in the end zone. The Chiefs welcomed rookie center Hroniss Grasu by overpowering him and allowing a hit on Cutler, who in turn, let go of the ball once he hit the ground. It was just another adversity to brush off.

Oct 11, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) tis pressured by Kansas City Chiefs nose tackle Jaye Howard (96) and linebacker Tamba Hali (91) in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. Chicago won the game 18-17. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

This looks like a different team. They have been wearing the stigma of the “Bad News Bears” long enough. They were becoming a group of men ready to lead and take ownership of their team. The Bears as a whole have learned how to rally around each other, especially to their quarterback.

With every play, the relationship between offensive coordinator Adam Gase and Cutler has developed into a formidable duo. With Gase’s confidence in Cutler’s abilities, the team is praising his leadership. They now realize that they can win games if Cutler is under center.

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But it is the Bears defense that has come out swinging in both special teams and the defensive line. For a defense ranked dead last in the league, it took linebacker Pernell McPhee to become the heart and soul of the defense. The attempt was there in the first half as they tried to hold back the Chiefs star RB Jamaal Charles. Now, granted it appeared that the Chiefs offense dropped off in the second half, nevertheless it allowed the Bears to take advantage of the situation.

McPhee started the shift in momentum with a blocked punt that gave the entire Bears team a fighting chance. With three quarterback sacks against Alex Smith, the defense made a statement that defined a new swagger. In the post-game press conference, head coach John Fox had something to say about that swagger:

“You can see that confidence, that swagger, just that belief in themselves and then that’s contagious”-John Fox

“You can see that confidence, that swagger, just that belief in themselves and then that’s contagious”.

The defense believed in what they could do and followed the leadership of McPhee to give Cutler and the offense a fourth-quarter, two-touchdown drive and gave a predicted losing team their second win. On the plane home, Jeremiah Jenkins tweeted this:

<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” lang=”en”>ltr”>”What’s better than two in a row? THREE in a row!” http://t.co/aWFvWfpp19?

— Jay Ratliff (@JeremiahRatliff) October 12, 2015

The Bears are proving with each game that they can work cohesively and that they did it in such a short amount of time. Granted, the two wins were against teams that were swimming at the bottom of their division. But they proved that a team with heart and a desire to regain their legacy is worth fighting for.

For the Chicago Bears it can only go up. With the Detroit Lions in Week 6 at Ford Field, the Bears will have to continue scratching and clawing for a secure back-to-back-to-back win. The Lions are 0-5 and last place in the NFC North. However, the Bears defense will have a difficult time covering Calvin Johnson, especially with the shaky Bears backfield.

Will the Bears give the Lions their first win of the season our send them to the pit of the NFC North division?

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