I don’t know about the rest of you but it seems like the Vikings game was an eternity ago. While I can still recall the joy and pride that victory brought all of us, it’s time to move forward. This is the NFL and it is a week to week league.
And the fact of the matter is a win against a reeling Vikings team is going to mean very little if they go out and put out an effort Sunday that doesn’t result in a win.
Last year I remember going to bed on Thanksgiving with a ton to be thankful for. The Bears beating the Packers on  a national stage with everyone watching on a day they honored a Packer legend. I probably retweeted a hundred tweets in a ten-minute period. If you love the Bears like I love the Bears, it was a glorious night.
However, the rest of the season was less than glorious. We watched game after game slip away while our playoff dreams became more and more mathematically improbable and finally impossible. So while that game was certainly a bright spot, bright spots ultimately mean very little of the rest of the season seems like an exercise in futility.
Now the Bears find themselves in a pretty unfamiliar spot. Many people, myself included, expect them to go out there Sunday and win. Now in the big scheme of things, a win here won’t mean a ton. It won’t shock the world, the Bears won’t feverishly climb whatever power ranking you choose to consume and they won’t be feared.
However, if the Bears want to demonstrate progress, this is a game they go win.
The Buccaneers are not a good team. In eight games, they have only mustered 17 sacks. With Kyle Long and Josh Sitton hopefully returning they should be able to keep Cutlers jersey pretty clean. And while the Buccaneers have some talented players offensively they aren’t world beaters. If they don’t already know it, then they are about to learn that the Bears defense is pretty damn good.
The Buccaneers haven’t won at home this season and the Bears haven’t won on the road. Sunday I expect this to change. A lot of us expect the Bears to go into Tampa and handle a team that just isn’t that good. I like the matchup, and the Bears are getting healthy on both sides of the ball, they are coming off a bye and quite frankly it’s a game that Chicago should win.
So here is my challenge to my favorite team in the entire world.
This week, go out and follow up a good effort with another one. Put together four quarters and beat a team you should beat. Don’t let it be another game we look back on and shake our heads wondering how we lost. Bears fans are some of the best fans in the world. Go out there Sunday and earn our enthusiasm. Bear Down!
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