With the Chicago Bears in firm control of their playoff destiny, two wins to close out the season would lock up the seventh seed in the NFC. So even against a Jacksonville Jaguars team that had lost 13 straight games, there was a lot on the line.
The Bears overcame an uneven first half to rout the Jaguars 41-17 on Sunday in Jacksonville, moving into the seventh and final spot in the NFC playoff picture. Now, Chicago needs just one more win — or an Arizona Cardinals loss — to clinch a postseason berth for the first time since 2018.
Despite the victory — which included two takeaways — Chicago’s defense once again struggled, this time against a bad offense early on in the game. The rapid decline of this once-dominant Bears defense is especially concerning considering Chicago is heading into Green Bay in need of a win in Week 17.
While the Bears offense only managed 10 points in the first half against one of the worst defenses in the league, they came to life in the third quarter — of all times — to take firm control of the game. Chicago scored 21 points in the third quarter to jump out to a commanding 34-10 lead heading into the final quarter.
The Bears have now scored 30-plus points in four straight games for the first time since 1965, a clear indication that it’s likely head coach Matt Nagy and his coaching staff, and possibly quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, will return to Chicago in 2021.
