To say this is getting ridiculous would be... well ridiculous.
The Bears have already won six games this year by coming back to take the lead in the last two minutes of the game (or to send it to overtime). They have also had two more opportunities to take the lead or tie the game on the last play of the game. In both cases, the play that was called was a winning play. But defenses get paid a lot of money to stop would-be winning plays. Three weeks ago the green Bay Packers put just enough pressure on Caleb Williams to make it difficult to hit an open receiver in the end zone. And last night the 49ers did the exact same thing. But before that pass fell harmlessly to end the game, damn there were some fireworks!
As a Bears fan, I am simply not accustomed to seeing a Bears offense score like they are playing a video game (unless I was controlling Neal Anderson who ran all over the place in Tecmo Super Bowl) . For the past 50 years the Bears won (even though not a lot) with great defenses. But now it is the complete opposite. It's true that the Bears lead the league in takeaways, but when they aren't doing that, they can't stop anyone let alone the elite offense of the San Francisco 49ers. (Francisco... Francisco... Francisco... that's fun to say).
So Sunday night's battle for the number one seed in the NFC turned into a track meet from the opening play. On that first play from scrimmage, Brock Purdy through a pick six to T.J. Edwards. Before I even settled into my butt divot in the couch, the Bears were already up 7 - 0. It's almost as if Purdy said, "Well I got that out of the way early" because for the next 59:45 Purdy was flawless. He scrambled perfectly. He chose the correct receiver every time. And he threw the ball with nearly perfect accuracy. If he were playing anyone but the Bears, it would have been a beautiful thing to behold. With all of these flowers I'm tossing at Purdy, you would think he was unstoppable and scored every time. Well he pretty much did. Purdy ended the game with 3 passing and 2 rushing touchdowns for 5 total TDs. (More video game stats!)
But these are the new Bears. Unlike in any other time in my life, these Bears can hang with an offense that is playing nearly flawless football for 59:45 of the game. The bears hung with the 49ers. First the 49ers tied the game at 7. The Bears suffered a 3 and out and the 49ers scored again. Then the Bears woke up and traded blows at 14, 21, and 28. and 35. That is the first time in NFL regular season history teams tied at 7,14,21,28, and 35.
And then the Bears broke the 49ers serve. They took the ball back tied at 35. Sadly, this is where the Bears lost the game. Instead of continuing the touchdown barrage, they had to settle for a field goal. Every Bears fan knew exactly what that meant... the 49ers were going to take the lead in the 4th quarter with a touchdown. Sure enough with 2:15 left in the game, Purdy completed a 38 yard pass for the go ahead touchdown.
But these are the new Bears. The heart attack educing Bears. So of course they marched down the field and got to the 49ers 11 yard line. head Coach and offensive genius (no sarcasm) drew up the perfect play to win yet another last second game. On fourth and few yards, he called... the hook and lateral! And it worked... kind of. The Bears got the first down but running back Deandre Swift was tackled at the four yard line. The 49ers had made their defensive play.
The Bears spiked the ball and lined up for one last shot. Ben Johnson called another game winning play... but so did the 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Salah. The 49ers pressured Williams just enough to keep him from setting his feet. And just like against Green Bay the ball fell harmlessly in the endzone.
There are no moral victories. A loss sucks. But damn the Bears had a chance to beat the number 1 seed in their home stadium in prime time. That does not happen often. I still don't think this is the Bears year, but if they can get a pass rusher in the off season the league could be in trouble. Hey max Crosby? Aren't you super pissed at your team right now? Want to play in Chicago?
