Bearing Down

By Mike Maguire | Oct 08, 9:59 AM

Heading into their week 5 battle in Green Bay, the Chicago Bears had taken possession of the football 52 times in the 2007 season. Of those 52 offensive possessions, the Bears had committed 14 turnovers and gone 3-and-out 10 times. In short, the Chicago Bears had either coughed up the football or gone nowhere on 46% of their offensive possessions. Considering the offensive output from the first quarter of the Bears season, the 27 points that the Bears posted (20 second half) against a strong Packers defense on Sunday night could be considered an explosion.

Whatever you want to call it… Sunday's night showdown in Green Bay was a huge win for the Chicago Bears - a must win in October of all things - and a victory that may end up being the turning point for the 2007 Bears. Yes, it is always important (and fun) to beat the Packers, to win a divisional game on the road, and to narrow the gap between yourself and the division leader, but the reason that this win in Wisconsin could be a turning point comes from the road-map-to-victory that this game provided.

In a front of more than 70,000 folks (who are equally passionate about football and cheese) the Chicago Bears level of play in the second half should make this team believe it can win football games… if they do things right. The Bears took care of the football, stayed with the running game, and took some shots down the field. These 3 offensive revelations might be football clichés, but that's how simple it is for the Bears, and that type of consistent football had been missing for the first 4 ½ weeks of the season. When you execute offensively, win the turnover battle, and make the other team pay for their mistakes, you are going to win a lot of football games.

A Bears offense that can put up 27 points (they averaged just over 26 last year) while committing only one turnover is a dangerous and sexy beast. Simply put, the Bears now know that they can get it done. They know they can win with Brian Griese at the wheel and they know that a 3^rd straight NFC North title is still well within their reach.

And just think… the Bears scored all of those points without Devin Hester taking his customary trip to the end zone. If the Chicago Bears could get a little luck and some quick healing on the defensive side of the ball, they still have a chance to end up being one of the best teams in the NFC.

It's amazing how beating Green Bay can make the skies seem so sunny in Chicago, even for those of us still wallowing in the wake of the Cubs playoff meltdown. Hopefully the Bears figure out how to consistently be the team that they were in the second half against Green Bay. If they can, the Bears could go on a run that will keep Chicagons smiling long into the winter.