Chicago Bears: Week 13 game balls after a heartbreaking loss in overtime

My, oh my. The Chicago Bears found themselves in a late-game thriller on Sunday afternoon, after they scored 10 points in the final 1:50 of the game to get the game into overtime.

Unfortunately for them, they couldn’t find a way to score that game winning touchdown, after allowing the New York Giants to score a field goal on their opening drive of the overtime period. For most, the result of the game was highly disappointing, even more so after manufacturing such an improbable comeback against what was a three-win team heading into Week 13.

The good news? Everyone else within the division, including the second place Minnesota Vikings, lost. On top of that, a top wild card contender in the Carolina Panthers lost as well.

The bad news? The Bears could have extending their division lead to (2.5) games and would be (even more) in the driver’s seat than they find themselves right now. On top of that, they now head back home for a Sunday night tilt against an (11-1) Los Angeles Rams team that is currently favored by four points.

All in all, this was not a pretty game for the Bears. It was one filled with six different fumbles (only one lost) and three total turnovers, including a Chase Daniel pick-six on the second play of the game from scrimmage.

Despite all of that, the Bears still found a way to rally back and give themselves a chance to win the game, even if that effort ended up falling short. That is something to be somewhat optimistic about moving forward.

But even with the loss, there were still a few performances that stuck out in Week 13’s game ball edition.

RB Tarik Cohen

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Sunday’s performance for Cohen was arguably the best of his career.

On a day where the offense struggled to get going for most of the day, there was one constant and that was the former fourth rounder from North Carolina A&T. It seemed like each time he touched the ball, he was making a play. Whether that was running, catching, on punt returns, or even throwing the ball. Yes, you read that right. He was responsible for the game tying touchdown pass.

Cohen finished the game with 187 total yards. 156 of those came off of 12 receptions. Another 30 yards came in the run game and the final yard came on a trick play from the one yard line with three seconds left in the game, in which he found Anthony Miller in the end zone for the touchdown. Oh and he also had another 15 yards in punt returns and would have had close to another 20, if not for a penalty late in the game.

Needless to say, Cohen is proving to be one of the team’s most dynamic players. His ability to make an impact multiple different ways is what continues to make him so special. It was a huge game for the second-year “offensive weapon,” even if they ultimately lost.

DL Akiem Hicks

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In a game where the Bears found themselves on the road for a second straight game, with a backup quarterback and a struggling offense, they looked for creative ways to score. Before Cohen’s touchdown pass as time was expiring, it was another player that looked an awful lot like the Fridge back in ‘85, who rushed for a one-yard touchdown on fourth down.

That player was the 6’5”, 330-pound Akiem Hicks.

Defensively, he racked up six tackles (one for a loss), a sack, a batted pass and two quarterback hits. Offensively, he scored a one-yard touchdown on what can only be described as a freezer bowling through a bunch of grown men at the goal line.

In what ended up being a strange game, this was one of the better highlights of the day for the Bears. Hicks has been worth his recent extension and more.

Honorable Mention: WR Allen Robinson II

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I debated whether I wanted Robinson or Jordan Howard in this spot, but after giving it more thought, I felt Robinson made a few more big plays, especially when they absolutely needed him to.

Overall, his numbers weren’t anything special (5 catches for 79 yards). But it wasn’t just about his numbers, it was about how he made those catches and how big of an impact they made.

Whether it was his impressive 30-yard catch down the sideline, as he was being interfered with and flat out overpowering the cornerback for a highlight reel catch. Or his big fourth down catch in overtime to extend the drive another four plays, even if the drive ultimately failed. This was a strong game for Robinson, even if he didn’t eclipse 100 yards on the day.

Sunday was one of those games where it reminded many Bears fans why they went out and gave him a three-year, $42 million deal in the off-season. His numbers may not pop out as someone having a great season, but over his past few games he has started to perform closer to the dominant player we saw in Jacksonville back in 2015-2016.