Chicago Bears: Latest win breaks recent team trends
The Bears’ streak of losing seasons is finally over
The Chicago Bears were in the midst of a severe drought. They finished in last place in the NFC North for four consecutive seasons. Additionally, they missed out on the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons (including one year in which they had a 10-6 record). During that time, they found a variety of ways to win. They also had some very big stinkers.
The offense was putrid and at some points, the defense couldn’t stop anyone. There were times when the scorekeepers couldn’t keep up with all the points the Bears gave up. The fans grew tired of all the losing.
That all changed this season.
With their win on Thanksgiving, the Bears are now guaranteed to not have a losing record. The worst they can finish is 8-8. Also, they grabbed a stranglehold on the division title. Barring a collapse, the Bears likely win the division.
If that wasn’t enough, ESPN gave them a 95 percent chance of making the playoffs. Others have them at over 87 percent. Of course, the only number we need to see is the clinching number. The Packers and Vikings play on Sunday night. If the Packers lose, they can kiss any chance of a miracle goodbye. If the Vikings lose, their chances go on life support.
In addition to snapping their losing record streak, the Bears ended their division losing streak. They just finished a stretch of playing three division games in a span of 12 days. Going into that stretch, they lost 10 straight division games, including losing all six last season. They turned that around by winning all three games. In fact, had it not been for the collapse in Week 1, the Bears would be undefeated in the division. They have two more division games to play (home for the Packers and on the road in Minnesota).
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The Bears are showing that they aren’t the pushovers they were over the past several seasons. They are now a force to be reckoned with. Just as we saw with the Cubs in 2015 when they started the first of their current four straight playoff appearances, the Chicago Bears may be entering a new era of dominance in the NFL.