{"id":100777,"date":"2020-12-28T17:57:22","date_gmt":"2020-12-28T22:57:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=100777"},"modified":"2020-12-28T18:22:53","modified_gmt":"2020-12-28T23:22:53","slug":"chicago-bears-push-playoffs-have-fitting-ending","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2020\/12\/28\/chicago-bears-push-playoffs-have-fitting-ending\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Bears Push for Playoffs to Have Fitting Ending"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fittingly, the Chicago Bears<\/a> push to make the playoffs will come down to their being able to slay to giant, the Green Bay Packers. After all, this season has been filled with ups and downs as the Bears have battled their way back from a slide of epic proportions. Why should they have to go about making the playoffs any other way?<\/p>\n

A Fitting Ending to Chicago Bears Playoff Push<\/h2>\n

Long Road Back<\/h3>\n

The Bears were one of the hottest teams to start the season, going 5-1 over the first six weeks. Their next six? All losses as the Bears floundered with Nick Foles<\/a> under center. It would take an injury to him and for Matt Nagy<\/a> to relinquish play-calling duties for the offense to finally find it\u2019s footing. Chicago is 18th in scoring this season at 23.7 points per game. But they\u2019re second in scoring over their last three and are averaging 33 points per game since their bye.<\/p>\n

Bill Lazor<\/a>\u2019s takeover as the play-caller has led to a more adaptive offense that fits the strengths of not only Mitchell Trubisky<\/a> but the team as a whole. They\u2019ve relied more heavily on David Montgomery<\/a>, increasing his carries from around 14 per game to 18. It\u2019s not quite workhorse-level usage, but the production has been. He\u2019s gone from averaging 52.4 yards per game and 3.6 yards per carry to 105.8 per game and 5.63 yards per rush. He\u2019s also hit the century mark three times after not hitting it once over the first nine games.<\/p>\n

Chicago hasn\u2019t faced a murderer\u2019s row of run defenses over this stretch. Their opponents have ranked an average of 24th in defensive rush DVOA, per Football Outsiders<\/a>. We\u2019re left trying to weigh his recent success properly. The fact is they are sticking with the run and mixing it into the game plan in unpredictable ways. They\u2019re also blocking it better and won\u2019t see a step up in resistance in Week 17.<\/p>\n

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Four straight games with 30+ points? The @ChicagoBears<\/a> are heating up… uh-oh. pic.twitter.com\/pKG10Xf27Q<\/a><\/p>\n

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 28, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n