The Chicago Bears (6-6) are riding a two-game winning streak heading into a pivotal matchup against the Dallas Cowboys (6-6) on Thursday.
Following a 24-20 comeback win over the Detroit Lions (3-8-1) on Thanksgiving, Chicago suddenly finds itself fighting for the chance at a Wild Card berth. They also find themselves rising in the power rankings.
The Bears rose four spots to No. 17 in NFL.com’s Week 14 Power Rankings, which was the biggest jump of the week for an NFL team.
“A lot of players made a lot of plays, but today was Mitch’s day.” Those were the words of Bears coach Matt Nagy, after Mitchell Trubisky threw for 338 yards and three touchdowns to beat the Lions on Thanksgiving. It was easily Trubisky’s best game of the season, and it creates an air of optimism around the much-maligned former first-round pick as the season hits its home stretch.
Can Trubisky put himself in position to keep his starting job next season with a strong finish? His play has improved markedly in the past two weeks, but Chicago has been arguably the league’s most disappointing team, and Trubisky’s regression has been a big reason why. The Bears finish with a murderer’s row of opponents — Cowboys, at Packers, Chiefs, at Vikings — giving Trubisky both an epic challenge and a golden opportunity to salvage his season.
Trubisky has strung together four solid games, and the Bears will need more of the same from him heading into this final stretch. A stretch that is the NFL’s toughest strength of schedule in the final four games.
If the Bears win out — a big if — they’ll have a shot at the playoffs. If not, then they’ll have plenty of time to make some important decisions for 2020.
