Sunday night the Chicago Bears have an opportunity to secure their spot in the playoffs with a victory over the rival Green Bay Packers. They can also make the playoffs if the Arizona Cardinals lose to the John Wolford (who?) lead Rams. While it is nice to have a second way to reach the post season, getting their teeth knocked in by the top-seeded Packers would not be what I call “momentum” to start an underdog story. No matter how frustrating this season has been for Bears fans, we have no real choice other to root for a chance. We aren’t getting a high draft pick, we aren’t getting a new GM and Coach, and as it sits it appears Mitch Trubisky will be re-signed to see if he can live up to his number 2 overall draft status after a red-hot finish to the season with a few mind-boggling interceptions sprinkled in. We are handcuffed to this team, so short of giving up fandom altogether, the only choice is to buy all the way into this team. Personally, I think the mindset to make this playoff push the most fun is to convince yourself that we are a reincarnation of the 2007 New York Giants.
An abbreviated history of that Giants season would mention that they found their way into the playoffs with a 10-6 record and the 5th seed. After wins against the Bucs and cowboys, they set themselves up for an NFC Championship match up with the Brett Favre lead Packers. The Giants outlasted the Packers in an absolute freezer bowl that most remember for Tom Coughlin’s rosy red cheeks. This set up a Super Bowl that if you are currently reading a sport blog about the NFL and don’t know what happened, you’re either a child or the ghost of Robin Williams from Jumanji.
Those wild-card Giants defeated the record-setting undefeated Patriots and the legends of Eli Manning, David Tyree’s helmet, and the legendary Giants defense were born. I see several similarities between that Giants team and this Bears team, and this is how you at home can take a few similarities and run so far with them that you too can convince yourself of a Super Bears Super Bowl.
The Mitch/Eli Enigmas
I have long been a Mitch Trubisky stan, even if it may have been more for the memes than my true feelings for his skill at the quarterback position. Many consider Mitch to be a bust already, especially when compared to his draft counterparts Deshaun Watson and the immortal Patrick Mahomes. Do you know who else was controversially drafted high and was getting considered a bust while a prolific passer and a young Super Bowl champion who were drafted after them were universally considered better? That’s right, Eli Manning. Some may have forgotten after two Super Bowl wins, but in 2007 Eli Manning was nowhere near being a borderline hall of famer. I have said that I think Mitch is at his best when he does not have time to think, where his true talent can shine through. I think that just like Eli’s blank stare, Mitch’s beady eyes hide behind them an assassin that was made for the playoffs. People forget how strong Mitch played in the playoff loss against the Eagles that only gets referenced as the “Double Doink”. He was also absolutely lights out on the drive that lead to the doink-ening. If Mitch has a chance to win an important game again, let’s just say that my body is ready.
Big Plax Energy
While Tyree’s helmet catch defined the Giant’s win, people forget about how instrumental Plaxico Burress was to that Super Bowl victory, including the game-winning touchdown that officially killed the mighty Patriots. I can think of another receiver who has become legit number 1 option after leaving the team that drafted him, and that’s Allen Robinson. ARob has become the undisputed leader of the receiving core since leaving the Jags, and even with several nagging injuries has put up a 100 catch, 1000-yard season for the Bears. If you just imagine ARob as Plaxico without a bullet in his leg, then say that rookie Darnell Mooney is a better than rookie Steve Smith (no not the one you’re thinking of), and also call Jimmy Graham/Cole Kmet duo the reincarnation of the Jeremy Shockey/Kevin Boss old head-young head combo that helped compliment a strong running game, it’s clear that the Bear’s string of offensive success has a precedent.
It’s All About the D
Even though I’ve been talking about the offense so much, the real hero of that Giants team was their defense. Both teams have a strong group of defensive linemen/pass rushers headlined by a first-ballot Hall of Famer, referencing America’s sweet heart Michael Strahan and current walking nightmare Khalil Mack. Akeim Hicks and Bilal Nichols have all the chops to be the new version of Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora. That Giants defense also had a well-respected veteran calling that defense in Antonio Pierce, just like the Bears and Danny Trevathan. That defense was strong, but they did not have a Roquan Smith. Smith is playing at an All-Pro level this season, no matter what the idiotic Pro Bowl voters decided recently. The Bears also have a much stronger secondary than that Giants team, but let’s compare for fun. A seasoned veteran corner leads the unit (Kyle Fuller/Corey Webster), while also sporting a rookie playing well (Jaylon Johnson/Aaron Ross), and also seeing great production with a defensive back that made their name on another roster (Tashaun Gipson/ former Bear R.W. McQuarters). That team did not have an elite center fielding safety like Eddie Jackson patrolling the back third, which plays more into the Bears favor.
With all these comparisons being absolutely spot on and unable to be argued about, that Giants team had one thing that the Bears have not shown to have yet: luck. To be deemed one of the greatest Cinderella stories in recent history, they needed luck. I believe that a win against the Packers this Sunday could be the kick start that the Bears need to open themselves up to a David Tyree helmet catch level of luck, but only time will tell. Here’s to hoping my next blog isn’t an offseason outlook after we lose and fall out of the playoffs altogether. D up, Bear Down baby.