Momentum Switch?

by Adam T on Dec 22, 2008 11:57 AM CST

Since one first time poster wanted the Bears scenario written out I will oblige now that there is one.

To win division:

1) Bears win against the Packers

2) Bears win next week against Houston

3) Vikings lose next week against the Giants

To win a wild card spot:

1) Bears win against the Packers

2) Bears win next week against Houston

3) Tampa lose against Oakland

4) Dallas lose against Philly

In the past in these situations, I am used to the hating on the Bears. Everybody has always assumed the Bears couldn't get it done. Even on our run to the Super Bowl a few year's back, almost nobody expected us to beat New Orleans. In their defense why would you pick the Bears? Half the time we had no QB, no RB, no Line and no receivers. Now we kind have a QB, no line, no receivers and maybe no RB if Forte cannot go tonight. Plus this time we don't have a dominate defense, yet people seem to think the Bears can pull it off.

Even though the Bears got lamblasted by the Packers last week, all the 'experts' as well as the Accuscore have the Bears winning tonight.

To add on to that yesterday Trent Dilfer and Mark Schlareth thought the Bears would win the division.

Two reasons: One, I just know the Vikings' history of sliding toward the end of December," he said. "They have a great opportunity to erase that history, but they have a tough road against the Falcons and Giants.

"And I think the Bears are playing better. I think this is a dangerous game Monday night against Green Bay, but the Bears are playing some of their better football."

Ron Jaworski while not willing to pick the Bears does think they have a decided advantage in their remaining two games.

"First, those are two defenses that they match up well against offensively," he said. "They can run against both teams, and they can use their intermediate passing game.Kyle [Orton] throws from 8 to 18 yards down the field pretty well. He has done a good job managing those situations.

And surprise, surprise, Dilfer thinks the Bears defense will be the key ingredient.

"And then defensively, they can put pressure on the passer," Dilfer continued. "Obviously if they take away Greg Jennings (Packers) and take away Andre Johnson (Texans) … you can't let those guys work down the field. The Bears do a good job of breaking down pass protection. Yes, they'll give up some yards, but I don't know if they'll get gashed like some of the others teams have against those two offenses."

I guess the point here is that I am not used to people giving us credit when we hada pretty good team, now we have a radically inconsistent team and people seem to be our side.

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Comments

On the outside looking in

I feel better today about our playoff hopes than I did last weekend, but I am not going to get excited until the game goes final tonight. I can’t see us taking a wildcard, so it is division or bust for us.

And before the season started, would anyone have predicted that Atlanta would have helped us yesterday? Man, Minnesota sure did put the ball on the ground a lot yesterday.

Let’s hope the Bears can pick up a victory tonight!

Dave

by Dave in the basement on Dec 22, 2008 12:29 PM CST reply actions

you know what kills

had we won any one of the 3 games we let get away, we’d be playing to clinch the division tonight

by DartmouthCubsFan on Dec 22, 2008 12:44 PM CST reply actions

TB

The Tampa game hurts the most too! We let he Carolina game go but that was without Steve Smith and we didnt deserve to win the ATL game, but that Tampa game killed us!

by CurtisConway on Dec 22, 2008 12:47 PM CST up reply actions

Maybe

I think they can win tonight, but the G Men winning last night hurt, now they have nothing to play for, although no one wants to back into the playoffs so hopefully NY comes to play next week.

I am a Bears fan in MN, I would LOVE to see the queens choke it away at the end, Oh the sports media and fans would go nuts on Childress! It would be great, but we got to win tonight or none of it matters.

by CurtisConway on Dec 22, 2008 12:46 PM CST reply actions

We'll win if the recievers hold onto the damn balls tonight.

Defense also has to come in with a good scheme and mix in the press coverage every once in a while. We got burned badly last time because we brought no pressure and dropped our linebackers for coverage.

by aznsensation on Dec 22, 2008 1:38 PM CST up reply actions

can you explain to me

why the Giants have nothing to play for NOW????

Had they lost, they would’ve wrapped up the #2 seed and couldn’t move their positioning either way

Why does this mantra keep getting repeated???

by DartmouthCubsFan on Dec 22, 2008 1:58 PM CST up reply actions

I think the idea...

Is that the Giants would play to win if they lost the three games prior to the final one of the season, because going into the playoffs on a four-game losing streak would be an awesome way to set up a one-and-done situation.

The corollary to that is that a Giants team that whiffs it against the Eagles, Cowboys, and Panthers is a Giants team that could blow one even against the Vikings.

The best we could have hoped for, I guess, would have been for that overtime to have ended scoreless, but I think we got the most realistic happy outcome to that game possible- winning a squeaker in overtime after two shitty losses isn’t the sort of thing that is likely to get Tom Coughlin resting on his laurels, so they’ll probably show up. And with a little bit of meat in their teeth, they’ve got a good chance to win.

—d

by itsugly on Dec 22, 2008 2:08 PM CST up reply actions

the best thing we could've hoped for

was them to beat Dallas then lose to Carolina!

This is a team that had won last year in Week 16, blowing out Buffalo going into Week 17 that was meaningless against New England and they played everyone and played hard.

I just don’t think last night’s game had much impact and drawing a definitive on their motivation from the result (one way or the other) is just pure speculation.

by DartmouthCubsFan on Dec 22, 2008 4:01 PM CST up reply actions

Because

no one wants to back into the playoffs like the Cardinals, you may not agree with this but Momentum is a huge deal in sports and no team wants to go ace backwards into the playoffs, like itsugly said, they were on the verge of a 3 game losing streak, no coach would allow his team to coast into the playoffs on a losing streak.

Stop looking at the concrete facts Dartmouth, its in their heads not the stats on the sheets.

by CurtisConway on Dec 22, 2008 3:18 PM CST up reply actions

huh?

where am i talking stats?

Now forgive me… but if they lose next week wouldn’t they be “backing” into the playoffs whether they had lost 3 of 4 or lost 4 in a row? Wouldn’t that be the case either way?

All it is is pure speculation on your part that last night’s result would have ANY impact on next week’s game.

For all we know had they lost last week they could’ve had further confidence issues and laid an egg on the road. Now that they’ve won, maybe their confidence is back and they’ll play well. It’s all pure speculation.

It’s not like if they lost last night they’d officially have something to play for (meaning their playoff positioning), you’re just making something up and saying it mattered. Those aren’t concrete facts, it’s pure speculation

by DartmouthCubsFan on Dec 22, 2008 4:04 PM CST up reply actions

Respect

::I guess the point here is that I am not used to people giving us credit when we hada pretty good team, now we have a radically inconsistent team and people seem to be our side.::

I agree with this, but the big difference is we have a QB to believe in now.

by tacologic on Dec 22, 2008 2:31 PM CST reply actions