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Chicago Bears Week 15 Takeaways: Revenge is a Dish Best Served Skol-d
The Bears kept their playoff hopes alive by knocking off the Vikings in Week 15 with an impressive offensive showing.
Aalap Desai
The Chicago Bears continue their hot streak as they pulled off a 33-27 win over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 15. The Bears now find themselves back at .500 with a 7-7 record. As a matter of fact, the Bears are right in the thick of things when it comes to the NFC Playoff picture.
As it stands, Chicago is just behind the Arizona Cardinals as the eighth seed in the NFC.
Via ESPN
Nevertheless, today was a great day for the city of Chicago and Bears fans alike. Not only did they keep their playoff hopes alive but they exacted revenge on the Vikings for their Week 10 loss at Soldier Field.
Never gets old.@ceeflashpee84 | @MotorolaUS pic.twitter.com/EfBlErRdYP
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) December 20, 2020
Although the win itself was fantastic, it was the way in which they won that stood out. All three phases and the coaching staff showed up when it mattered most. It wasn't a pretty win but it was still delightful. In a tradition like any other, here are the main takeaways from the Bears' much-needed win over the Vikings.
Matthew Nagy
In what was by far his best performance as a head coach all year, Matt Nagy finally showed off what he's capable of. Nagy finally committed to the run and stuck with it all the way through. He put Mitchell Trubisky in a position to succeed and once again catered a gameplan around his offense's strengths.
Sure, there were still some kinks to work out, but they weren't as awful as the weeks prior. Give credit where credit is due — the third-year head coach has pulled this team out of the depths of football hell and has them right back in this playoff race at 7-7. While he's the one that put them in that same depths of hell to begin with. that's a story for another time. Nagy swallowed his pride and put his ego aside to put the team in a better position down the home stretch.
It would be pretty ironic if Matt Nagy keeps his job because he fired himself. New offense, different play-caller. #Bears
— Dan Bernstein (@dan_bernstein) December 20, 2020
Less cute, more nasty.
Roll out your athletic QB.
Stick w/ the run.
If WE knews this over a year ago, why did it take this #Bears staff soooo long to realize it?
— Silvy (@WaddleandSilvy) December 20, 2020
Today marked yet another solid performance from the five guys up front. They did a whale of a job blocking in the passing and running game. As a unit, they allowed only one sack on the day, which afforded Trubisky some comfortability in the pocket. Furthermore, the offensive line's performance led to the Bears rushing for 199 yards on the afternoon. It has been several weeks in a row that the new makeshift offensive line has impressed. Barring any new injuries, this unit to instill some confidence for an offense striving to make a playoff push.
Montgomery got it done today. The Bears fed him the ball early and continued to do so throughout the game. He rewarded them for that decision. On the ground, he popped off 146 yards on 32 carries, good for an average of 4.2 yards. Montgomery also found the end zone twice.
Montgomery to the 🏠
pic.twitter.com/CBwUSEFD5P
— Bears On Tap (@BearsOnTap) December 20, 2020
Anotha one for Montgomery! pic.twitter.com/EH9jIOucYV
However, the Bears didn't call upon Montgomery much in the passing game, as he logged one reception for 16 yards on two targets. Nonetheless, Montgomery was excellent against the Vikings.
That is carry No. 30 for David Montgomery. Last time a #Bears running back had 30 rushing attempts was Jordan Howard on Oct. 15, 2017 at Baltimore when he had 36.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) December 20, 2020
The resurgence of Mitchell Trubisky continues, or it seems. Trubisky has been playing pretty well since recapturing his starting role, mostly in part to the week-to-week gameplans that serve him relatively well. The coaches have done a remarkable job since the bye week to highlight his strengths and minimize his weaknesses.
Trubisky also deserves some credit here. I've been pretty hard on him throughout the year, but he is taking advantage of this opportunity right now to make himself some money.
— Matt Eurich (@MattEurich) December 20, 2020
Trubisky fared well once again. His stat line wasn't sexy, to say the least, but the eye test reflected a sense of confidence and composure within his game. Trubisky finished the day with the following stat line: 15/21, 202 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 97.9 QB Rating.
The Bears' signal-caller used his legs frequently against Minnesota as well. Trubisky ran eight times for 34 yards for an average of 4.3 yards per rush. He ended up being a dual-threat and a major headache for the Vikings.
Cairo Santos
Since re-signing with the Bears, this guy has been money. Santos hit all four field goals and three extra points against the Vikings. By and large, he's fixed the kicking woes that have plagued the team the last four years. What a relief. On the year, Santos is 25/27 (92.6%) on field goals and 30/31 (96.8%) on extra points.
Darnell Mooney
Ever since Darnell Mooney hit the field, he's been nothing but outstanding for the Bears. The rookie wideout hauled in four catches for 49 yards and caught the lone passing touchdown on the afternoon.
On da board early 🐻⬇️ pic.twitter.com/7gTn1PiMQ5
Surprisingly, the rookie is making history already.
Darnell Mooney now has 46 receptions, the most ever for a Bears rookie wide receiver passing Harlon Hill.
That record stood for 66 years!
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) December 20, 2020
The Quarter That Shall Not be Named
The post-second quarter woes are starting to fade. Last week, the Bears managed three points in the third quarter. This week, they notched seven whole points. SEVEN. Nevertheless, it's safe to say they're starting to put their pre-fourth quarter struggles in the rearview mirror.
Third-Down Offense!
The Bears converted six of their twelve third downs! Hooray! That's a 50% success rate.
While many things went well for the Bears today, their defense was clearly the weakness. Despite sacking Kirk Cousins three times and intercepting the final pass of the game, there were a lot of flaws.
Once again, poor tackling proved costly. Ineffectiveness in that department afforded the Vikings several opportunities to gain extra yards. As a result, Dalvin Cook torched the defense. The Minnesota running back scampered for 132 yards on 24 carries and logged a touchdown. Furthermore, Kirk Cousins had a great time running away from Bears defenders as he sported an average of 8.3 yards per run — 25 yards on three rushes.
Additionally, Justin Jefferson had himself a day against the Bears' secondary in the second meeting between the two teams. He logged eight catches and 104 yards but luckily did not find the back of the end zone. The 'bend but don't break' Chicago defense experienced a significant crack as they yielded 27 points and 407 total yards.
Nuggets and Tidbits
Positives regarding the Bears' offense have been few and far between this season, so let's take a minute to appreciate them.
This is the first time since at least 2000 the Bears have scored 20+ points in the first half in three consecutive games.
With 107 yards so far on the ground, @MontgomerDavid becomes the first player since Jordan Howard in 2016 to rush for 100+ yards in back to back games. He has now eclipsed 100 yards in three of the past four games.
— Chicago Bears (@BearsPR) December 20, 2020
The Bears, who rank 27th in yards per play, are averaging 6.5 yards per play against the Vikings. The Chiefs this season average 6.6 yards per play.
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) December 20, 2020
It's fine to point out opposing defenses to help put things in context, but here's some more context: The Bears just pulled off something for the first time in 7 years (3 consecutive 30+ point games), and in three weeks matched their 30+ point games from 2014-17 *combined* https://t.co/AiryJf9Uu5
Bears last 4 games:
Have scored 14 TDs; averaged 31.0 points & 386.5 yards
Bears previous 7 games:
Scored 9 TDs; averaged 16.7 points & 272.1 yards
— Larry Mayer (@LarryMayer) December 20, 2020
On the whole, the Bears played a pretty clean game. The offense put up another 30-burger and have seemingly found their identity. Despite the defense getting gashed and surrendering many more points than usual, they did make the necessary plays at crucial times.
.@SherrickM CALLED GAME.
📺: FOX#CHIvsMIN | #DaBears pic.twitter.com/0S5l8l36fd
Now, the Bears find themselves at 7-7 and only one game behind the Arizona Cardinals for the final spot for the playoffs. Ultimately, it will come down to the Bears winning out and getting some help. The Cardinals face the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams to close out their year, so Bears fans may ultimately see their holiday wishes come to fruition. The playoffs are a very real possibility and they're more within reach than a top-ten draft pick. It's time for the Monsters of the Midway to push their chips in and make a run for the postseason, everything else be damned.
The playoff vibes are here! pic.twitter.com/2RjyKzRrvn
— Aalap Desai (@ADesai410) December 21, 2020
What's On Tap Next?
The Chicago Bears have a date with the Jacksonville Jaguars down in Florida in Week 16. The Bears and Jaguars will square off on Sunday, December 27th at 12PM CT. The game will be televised on FOX. Chicago will head into this matchup at 7-7 and looking to continue their winning streak. Meanwhile, the Jaguars sit at 1-13 are currently tied for the worst NFL record and lead by a tiebreaker in the "Tank for Trevor [Lawrence]" sweepstakes. Both teams are headed in polar opposite directions as the Bears have everything to lose and the Jaguars shouldn't be looking to win.
The On Tap team wishes you all a safe and Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas!
Be sure to tune in to the Bears On Tap podcast for postgame reactions, updates, and analysis throughout the week in addition to discussions on a variety of other Bears-related topics.
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