Bears Playing Like a Team With Playoff Aspirations

Despite being able to win their last two games without Khalil Mack and Allen Robinson in the lineup, the Chicago Bears were quickly reminded just how valuable these two playmakers are after their 34-22 victory over the Detroit Lions.
Robinson brought in six receptions for 133 yards and two touchdowns, and Mack picked up where he left off when he was healthy, collecting two more sacks to bring his season total to seven.
The two being healthy when the Bears need them most is enormous for their playoff chances; they proved that today as the defense had another strong showing with six added sacks and two interceptions.
This team can be efficient without these two on the field, but there simply isn’t another player on offense like Robinson or a player on defense like Mack.
Rookie Roquan Smith collected nine more tackles and is developing right before our eyes into the defensive equivalent of a tank across the middle.



This defense is back to full strength and are showing the rest of the league how lethal they are. Speaking of lethal, Mitch Trubisky’s performance against the Lions should put an end to the irrational amount of hate he’s received all year.
Trubisky put on a clinic, going 23 of 30 for 355 yards, three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown.
That performance equals a 148.6 passer rating
If you don’t understand what a passer rating is, you’re not alone, but all you need to know is that the highest passer rating possible is 158.3. Trubisky was practically perfect on Sunday as he never put his team in danger, delivered throws that Chicago isn’t used to seeing and shut up his critics once again.
An example of just how good Trubisky has been, look at Jared Goff’s season in 2017 through nine games compared to Trubisky’s in 2018. While Goff has outgained Trubisky 2,655 to 2,304, Trubisky has 19 touchdowns through nine games compared to Goff’s 16.
There are many things that go into a quarterback’s statistics, but the numbers don’t lie and Trubisky is at the very least keeping pace with a player who is now an MVP candidate.
Yet, there are still going to be people hating on how he’s looked this year and mention how he was going against a weaker opponent on Sunday and that’s why he put up such great numbers.
Enough is enough.

Complain about a real issue, like Cody Parkey.

Hitting the upright four times in one game is honestly impressive, and I don’t think Parkey could have done that if he tried, but it can’t happen again. Parkey already has money guaranteed to him, and while he has been shaky all year long, he’s likely going to remain the Bears kicker moving forward.
Good teams don’t let their kickers lose games for them, and that’s what the Bears were able to do Sunday. Despite leaving eight points off the board, the Bears were never in real danger as they were able to win by two scores.
They’re going to need their kicker to make clutch kicks at some point this year, but their playmakers were able to bail him out this time. That’s what good teams do, and now that the Bears are 6-3 and remain atop the NFC North, it’s fair to call this team good.
We don’t know how good, but it’s going to be an exciting rest of the season as four wins out of their remaining seven games should be enough for at least a wildcard spot.
This team wants the division, and by the time they walk away from Detroit on Thanksgiving, we should all have a much clearer understanding of where this team stands in regards to the playoffs.
As of now, let’s not stress about Parkey too much and enjoy the fact that the Bears have one of the best defenses in the league, their best players are healthy, and they have a young quarterback who is maturing weekly.
Believe in monsters, because they’re real and they play for the Bears.