I promised myself I would take a hiatus from blogging with my first semester of college finals and with Christmas just around the corner. Then the Chicago Bears sent Aaron Rodgers and his huge contract packing, all the way back to the land of cheese with his playoff hopes crushed. Things change I guess.
The Chicago Bears took home an incredible victory on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, with a final score of 24-17. It was payback from Week 1, as the team fought and defended Soldier Field to the very last minute. The Bears now stand at 10-4 on the season and have clinched the NFC North, the first time since 2010 (to put that in perspective, I was in the 4th grade and was starting my first year of football- I didn't even know how the game was played then!)
Defense wins championships. At least, divisional ones. Rodgers was absolutely smothered all game, as Chicago sacked the Green Bay QB 5.5 times. The defense was hungry, and #12 was on the menu.
I have to bring up Khalil Mack's back sack. The dude LITERALLY sat on Rodgers, which just puts the biggest smile on my face.
https://twitter.com/thecheckdown/status/1074372854941011968
Mack now has 3.5 sacks alone against the Packers in 2018, totaling his number to 12.5 sacks on the season. His former team has 12 total sacks. You gotta think Gruden regrets his decision, right? (Remember, Mack was out for two weeks due to an ankle injury against the Jets and Bills)
Here's a picture of him sacking Aaron Rodgers to get you past your Monday blues.
I gotta give a lot of credit to Tarik Cohen. He may have spoiled my fantasy team a bit by out playing Jordan Howard (who also looked solid Sunday) but the "human joystick" is so much fun to watch. His loose role on the offense and cooperation to do whatever new head coach Matt Nagy needs is now rewarding him. 105 total yards, a critical touchdown, and a solid 44 yard punt return made it a day for the 5'6 back. Heart over height, folks!
Mitch Trubisky had an outstanding game as well on Sunday. To be fair, the offense as a whole looked solid. Both running backs got a lot of work in, multiple receivers were targeted, and the line held well.
Fun Fact: the Chicago Bears O-Line has only 7 false start penalties, the lowest in the NFL this season. Show some love for the big fellas!
Back to Mitchell. Maybe it was his "lit" Christmas sweater, but the QB really bounced back after a dismal performance last Sunday. 20/28, 235 yards, and two touchdowns was solid stat book wise. What really stood out was the sophomore QB's awareness and athleticism. He had multiple situations where he avoided pressure and made a play instead of being brought down.
This clip from Bleacher Nation Bears on Twitter depicts what words can't describe. We need more mobile Mitch!
https://twitter.com/BN_Bears/status/1074673614258143232
We also need more sweater Mitch. Bears are 2-0 when Trubisky shows up in an out of bounds and wild sweater. Stats don't lie.
I also wanna give a few defensive players shout outs. Safety Eddie Jackson intercepted Rodgers late in the forth, ending Rodgers streak of pass attempts without an interception at 403. Jackson was then carried off after suffering an ankle injury, but Coach Nagy said the injury wasn't "season-ending" today at a press conference. Phew!
As I said, a few shout outs. Leonard Floyd looked like his old self again, getting a pair of sacks on Rodgers, including a late game one that ended a Packers long drive to a meager field goal. For a player who struggled early on, it's clear now he is no longer in Mack's shadow. San Francisco, good luck guarding these two guys on Sunday.
Sunday also resulted in a LA Rams loss to the former Super Bowl champs, as the Philadelphia Eagles overcame them and won 30-23. The Bears hopes for a first round bye are still alive, as the Rams now are one game in front for the NFC North playoff pictures. But, as Matt Nagy says, "We're not done!"
Sunday left me as hyped as the latest edition of club dub, and even more excited for Bears football as the regular season winds to a close coming up.
https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/1074478171842592769
Raise the banners and get to dancing, Bears fans. We're kings of the North!
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