Sports
Bears ‘for real’ after statement win over Eagles
The Chicago Bears have reached the stage where the playoffs are no longer just a distant idea – they are becoming a realistic target.
A 24-15 road win over the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Friday night at Lincoln Financial Field was the kind of statement performance that pushes a team into the NFC spotlight.
Chicago has now taken nine of its last ten games and climbed into the conference’s No. 2 seed, overtaking the very opponent they beat.
Both teams entered Week 13 on equal footing record-wise and leading their respective divisions. Like Chicago, Philadelphia had been grinding out tight finishes, with a league-high number of single-score victories.
Afterward, the message inside the Bears’ camp was clear. “[That] we’re for real,” running back D’Andre Swift said.
“We should be confident in ourselves,” added safety Jaquan Brisker. “We shouldn’t shy away for anything like that. We’re on the roll right now, and we could just keep getting better. But that’s what we should be thinking [the playoffs].
“I mean, we got a whole bunch of dogs in the locker room and things like that, and that’s the way we’re trending, and we’re changing the culture. So yeah, that’s how we should think.”
The Bears built the win through the ground game, powering to 281 rushing yards – their second-highest total this season.
Swift and Kyle Monangai not only controlled the tempo but also made history, becoming the first Chicago duo to eclipse 100 rushing yards in the same game since Walter Payton and Matt Suhey in 1985.
Monangai also joined Payton and Jeremy Langford as the only Bears rookies of the Super Bowl era to score rushing touchdowns in four straight games.
“We knew they are an explosive offense, we’re an explosive offense,” Monangai said. “We knew each possession was important, and we had to put points in the board with each one, and we wanted to do better on some of those drives where we went three-and-out. But we knew drives was going to be at a premium, so I had to make the most of each opportunity.”
“I think you see by the way we end every game that we’re not finished,” Gordon added. “I think we’ve got future plans to be somewhere further in February, so that’s what we’re really shooting for.”
