The Chicago Bears never make it easy on themselves, but they did the job. They secured a 24-20 victory in Detroit over a depleted Lions team to reach 6-6 on the season. Their playoff hopes are still alive. A big reason why is where the real encouragement comes from though. For the first time this year, a number of key draft choices from the past two years really stepped up to deliver. Most of them on the offense, no less.
After an erratic start, Mitch Trubisky exploded for 338 yards and three touchdowns with an interception. He still had his bad moments, but when the team needed him he was there. Yet as fun a story as this was for him, the real studs were two of his key weapons. The first was running back David Montgomery. After some frustrating stretches this year, the rookie would not be denied in this one. He finished with 75 yards rushing on 16 carries and made one catch for a 12-yard touchdown that ended up being the game-winner.
The biggest star though was Anthony Miller. After a frustrating start that included a near-fumble in the first half, he caught fire down the stretch. All told he made nine catches for 140 yards. A career-high for him and continues a stretch of play that is showing an upward trend. He made two huge catches on the 90-yard drive that ended in the winning score. The kid balled out and it was great to see.
The Chicago Bears have problems but they keep fighting
All things considered, it wasn’t a pretty game for the Bears. It never should’ve been as close as it was. Especially with Detroit fielding a 3rd string quarterback in David Blough. They even fell behind 17-7 at one point. Still, one thing people can’t say about them is they quit. They kept fighting, narrowed the gap, and made enough plays to get back on top. Then Roquan Smith and Eddie Jackson helped to put it away in the final seconds.
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Winning pretty or winning ugly doesn’t matter. Winning is what matters. The fact that so many young players who have been struggling this year were the ones to step up when needed is the most exciting part of it. Montgomery refused to go down. Miller was open everywhere. Trubisky delivered with confidence late in the game. It was a total team effort and they got it done. Now they get to rest for the rest of the holiday, having made their fans happy.
