Kyle Long was on the field in Foxborough, Mass., on that sunny late October afternoon four years ago when the earth shook underneath the Bears.
Rob Gronkowski's "Gronk Spike" after each of his three touchdowns had something to do with it. So did Tom Brady's five touchdown passes.
Remember Lamarr Houston tearing his right ACL while celebrating a sack? It was the injury after the insult. The Patriots scored 21 points in a humiliating 57-second span before halftime. The 51-23 beatdown began to reveal how Marc Trestman's Bears were built on sand.
OK, so that's ancient history. But that's the point. Only recently have the Bears gotten back on solid ground. And just in time for the quadrennial game against the Patriots, who have won two Super Bowls since the last meeting.
The Patriots _ the model of sustained success in the NFL _ have a way of exposing teams' weaknesses, stripping them down to what they really are. That's what happened to the 2014 Bears.
It's also why this year's team, a group consisting of so many important new parts, says bring 'em on.
"This is the New England Patriots, and there's a lot that comes along with that," Long said. "But we get an opportunity to prove to ourselves and to the league that we can play with anybody."
Long didn't need to detail the Patriots mystique. But for those into counting trophies, they have five Super Bowl titles, eight AFC titles and 16 division titles since coach Bill Belichick took over in 2000.
Maybe the Bears will win Sunday; maybe not. But entering the sixth game under coach Matt Nagy, they are vowing they won't flinch.
That's because there's a growing, genuine sense of belief within Halas Hall. Belief in their processes. Belief in their talent. Belief in their schemes.
And for a team with so many new pieces _ a first-time coach, a young quarterback, a new defensive star, new receivers, etc. _ belief is crucial fuel for their ascent.
Nagy, in fact, senses similarities between his current team and last year's Chiefs. In Week 1, with Nagy as offensive coordinator, the nine-point underdogs stunned the defending Super Bowl champs, 42-27, in Foxborough. The Chiefs' 537 yards were the most the Patriots had surrendered under Belichick until the Eagles gained 538 in February's Super Bowl.
"When you have a belief in yourself and your teammates and everybody, it's crazy how that can help you in so many different ways," Nagy said. "So that's where I'm trying to see where we're at as a group right now.
"And we're hammering that home: That it's important to have respect for your opponents, but also the belief in yourself, too, of ... what we can do and what the future holds for us."
