Not unlike Matt Nagy and Mitch Trubisky, it's Year 2 of First and Final Thoughts. Insider JJ Stankevitz and producer Cam Ellis talk about what's on their minds between games.
Final Thoughts on Week 12
J.J. Stankevitz: The Bears moved on to the Lions so quickly because of the short week they barely re-watched their win over the Giants — standard practice for a Sunday-to-Thursday turnaround. But there were some important takeaways from last week’s 19-14 win, even if it was over a truly awful football team.
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Most of them involve Mitch Trubisky’s clear description of what he does best, which can be boiled down to keeping things simple, which allows him and the offense to play fast. A five-point win over one of the worst teams in the NFL doesn’t feel like a turning point for 2019, but if the Bears accentuate the things they did well against the Giants — playing up-tempo, using play action and getting Trubisky outside the pocket — hey, maybe it could be.
Also: A turning point for 2019 does not mean the Bears are going to make the playoffs, let alone be legitimate contenders for postseason play. This team still has just a 2 percent chance of making the playoffs. But unlocking one of the league’s worst offenses over the final five games of this season would at least set a somewhat encouraging tone to the 2020 offseason.
Cam Ellis: And now, a rant: people have been very fond of pointing out that the Bears' effort on Sunday probably doesn't beat too many teams besides the Giants, but –– who cares? Their effort WAS enough to beat the Giants, which is the only thing they were trying to do on Sunday. Does 19 points beat the Chiefs, or the Packers? It doesn't seem likely, fine, but the Bears' held an all-time great offense out of the end zone last season, so I'm missing the point of trying to assign certain game efforts to other hypothetical matchups.
First Thoughts on Week 13
NFL
Stankevitz: We’re at the point where Matt Patricia has to be very much on the hot seat in Detroit, right? The Lions are 3-7-1 and just lost to Washington in front of approximately 900 people, most of whom were Lions fans in the first place. Jim Caldwell made the playoffs twice, won 36 games in four years in Detroit and still got fired after four years…so why keep Patricia around when the Lions’ defense is a mess and they spent quite a bit of money in free agency to try to win in 2019?
How that plays out will be about the only interesting storyline in Detroit through the end of December. But if Patricia indeed is on the hot seat, his team didn’t exactly show up for their coach in that loss to Washington last week. The Bears should win this game. It won’t prove the Bears are a good team; it’ll only prove they’re not as bad as the Lions.
Ellis: I think there's a not insignifcant chance a bunch of the kids get some run on Thanksgiving, too. Riley Ridley! Duke Shelley?! Alex Bars!!?! The Bears are going to be thin at WR, special teams, and offensive line on an already-short week, so if you're looking to fire up some of those tweets about Ryan Pace's drafting abilities, Thursday is going to give you one hell of a chance.
Otherwise, yeah, J.J. summed it up best. You've got the Cowboys, Chiefs, Packers, and Vikings after this, so getting back to .500 for the final month of the season is obviously crucial. Stringing together three wins in a row, even against inferior opponents, is exactly how you get your guys believing in the team again heading into the toughest stretch of the season.