I know what everybody gets at when you use that phrase, but I can't say I actually have ever attached it to anything, but I can now. With a 34-31 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Bears move to 12-2 and have clinched home field advantage throughout the playoffs, but it just felt odd.
There was a lot to like about the game. The Bears D held Tampa to 2 first downs through two and a half quarters.
Grossman has his best statistical game yards wise. He had been flirting with the 300 yard mark all season, but it took game 14 to get there. He had two TDs and had his second straight with 0 INTs.
Grossman also rediscovered his tight end as TE Desmond Clark went for 125 and 2 TDs. Three other receivers had 5+ receptions.
Benson and Jones both ran hard and found their way into the end zone.
You can even make the statement that the Bears didn't prepare to play Rattay. Rattay isn't as bad as some think, but we still should have been able to stuff them.
Even new media darling Devin Hester had an odd day. He had 139 yards in retruns, but also coughed up 3 fumbles one of them lost and led to a quick TD by Tampa.
I'll take the win and just say this was one of those games, but I can't say it didn't worry me a bit heading toward the playoffs. Something to say about the Bears though is if this didn't cement the Bears as the NFC best, I don't know what will. We have won games we should have won, games we shouldn't have won and games in which we let teams make a run at us.