Welcome into First and Final Thoughts, one of our weekly columns with a title that's a little too on the nose. Here we'll have Insider J.J Stankevitz and Producers Cam Ellis and Paul Aspan give some insight into what's on their minds between games.
Final Thoughts on Week 8
J.J. Stankevitz: The Bears had a clear talent advantage over the New York Jets, but that alone doesn’t guarantee a win in the NFL. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Carolina Panthers all had a clear talent advantage over the Bears last year…and all lost to the Bears (the Steelers and Panthers both made the playoffs; the Ravens were an Andy Dalton touchdown away from making it. Oh, and the Bears beat the Cincinnati Bengals last year, too). So while the Bears didn’t rack up the style points against the Jets, that they took that talent advantage and turned it into a tidy 14-point win was important.
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Paul Aspan: It wasn’t an especially entertaining game against a Jets team down a whole lot of players, but it was a win. And it was a win without Khalil Mack and Allen Robinson. Mitchell Trubisky put together a nice little second half and made some big plays at crucial times with his feet. On the same 3rd quarter drive that Trubisky scrambled for a big first down on 3rd and 10, he capped it off by throwing Anthony Miller open for a TD in the back of the end zone to turn a 7-3 game into a 14-3 game. And, for the record, the ‘not throwing a ball that should be picked off in the end zone’ counter is at 1, so it’s a start.
The Kyle Long injury is big, out 6-8 weeks. The O-line had been playing pretty well and now not having Long there is one more thing Trubisky has to think about and might not completely trust with a backup at right guard.
Not that there was much doubt at this point, but Jordan Howard has officially made it thru the trade deadline as a Bear. With 16 of his 22 carries in the second half, it’s pretty clear he’ll be filling a closer’s role when the Bears have the lead later in the game – which is valuable - but it’s looking like we’re unlikely to see more of him much earlier than that.
Cam Ellis: Give the Bears all the credit they deserve for their win on Sunday. NFL wins are not easy to come by, and taking care of business against inferior opponents at home is a staple of good NFL teams. It wasn't pretty, but the Bears should be commended for doing something that they have struggled with all season: finishing teams off. Trubisky had talked about the Bears' lack of a killer instinct. When the Jets cut the lead to seven at the 11 minute mark, you could hear a pin drop in Soldier. To their credit, the Bears' marched down the field with an 8-play, 79 yard drive -- capped off by a Jordan Howard touchdown -- and sealed the win. The Jets are certainly not the Patriots or Packers, but baby steps.
First Thoughts on Week 9
NFL
Stankevitz: Nathan Peterman is a bad quarterback! But, then again, so is Brock Osweiler, right? The Bears shouldn’t roll into Orchard Park thinking they have an easy win lined up, even if the Bills are a demonstrably worse team than the Miami Dolphins and Peterman is, actually, a worse quarterback than Osweiler. The Bills have a salty defense that gave the New England Patriots some problems on Monday Night Football, and this won’t necessarily be a cakewalk for Mitch Trubisky and an offense that’s averaged about 33 points in its last four games. But the Bears need to take care of business, just as they did against the Jets, and going to 5-3 with a critical Lions-and-Vikings sandwich looming.
Aspan: Bills Mafia did not disappoint with a rare primetime appearance on Monday Night Football against the Patriots. JJ, I’m looking at you to ask the Bears players this week about the “props” that might end up on the field during Sunday’s game.
As I wrote last week, the Bears have to win this game to give themselves a real shot at the playoffs, and while I don’t see them as a 10-point favorite (up from the opening line of -8 as of this writing), I don’t really see this as a trap game or a game the Bears are in a whole lot of danger of losing.
Sure the Bills defense is pretty legit, but Nathan Peterman is starting – end of story. The Bills are on a short week, coming off a huge emotional get-up game against the Patriots. It may be another ugly win, but we should see Jordan Howard coming in for another save late in this one. Sit Khalil Mack another week, win another one ugly (the over under is at 37.5) , and let’s talk playoffs this time next week against an NFC North that – oh, by the way - got worse at the trade deadline.
Ellis: You've got to sit Khalil Mack vs. Buffalo. You just have to. It's a bummer because 1. Khalil Mack is good and watching him play football is fun and 2. It's a hometown game of sorts for him as a University of Buffalo alum. But the Bills are so, so bad, and the Bears realistically don't need Khalil Mack to beat literally one of the worst three offenses in the history of the NFL. After this AFC East run, the Bears' scheduled is loaded with divisional opponents, including the now-infamous 3-games-in-11-days run they have around Thanksgiving. It's becomming more and more clear that no one is going to run away with the NFC North, so the Bears would be smart to be at full health for those matchups.