In case The Brands hadn’t hammered this into your skull by now, let me be the one to tell you that it’s officially American Thanksgiving Week. Good food! Bad football! The existential dread of another holiday season upon us! This week truly has something for everyone. In the coming days, there’s a non-zero chance that you’re going to tell someone what you’re thankful for and they won’t be able to hear it because everyone in your building is on the internet at the same time, making the Zoom quality even worse than usual. You‘ll get frustrated and drop a few curse words, which of course will be heard with crystal clarity. What a magical time of year this is. And speaking of magical years, let’s talk about the 5-5 Bears! On the heels of a 4-game losing streak, you’d think it’d be hard to find things that they’re thankful for. You’re not wrong! However, we’re doing it anyway. Here’s what we got:
Being In The Hunt
In terms of being overly trite, the snark surrounding ‘In The Hunt’ graphics surpassed the snark about actually being In The Hunt so long ago. If the NFC isn’t a bar fight, it’s definitely a scuffle in the parking lot out front. As it stands right now, the Bears are one (1) game out of the playoff picture. That is, quite literally, the definition of being in the hunt. If you want to roll your eyes about that, go right ahead – but like, next year (and the year after, and maybe the year after that) it sorta looks like the Bears won’t even be I.T.H. at this point. Have you enjoyed the NFC East this year? Does being a Lions fan interest you? That’s where things are headed at Halas Hall, so let’s be thankful that, 10 weeks into the season, the possibility of making the playoffs still exists. A week from today – when the Bears very well may be under .500 for the first time all season – feel free to fire off that QT dunking on NFL Live’s graphic.
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Allen Robinson
It is WILD to me that Bears fans are having ‘Well, Actually’ discourse about Allen Robinson in the year twenty-twenty. Of all the receivers in football, Robinson ranks 2nd in 15+ yard receptions (20) and most catches without a drop (63). The Bears have the worst offense in football and Robinson still somehow ranks 11th in both receptions and receiving yards (755). Nitpicking his 2020 stats using arbitrary terms like ‘elite’ is like eating three plates of dry turkey and then complaining that the pecan pie would benefit from a studier crust. Be thankful for Robinson now before he comes back to Soldier next year in and torches the Bears in a Ravens jersey.
Fellow Bears Fans On The Internet
At the risk of being Sincere On The Web I’ll admit that, without the ability to be together at Soldier Field or any of the 15 trillion bars within four miles of it, Bears Twitter has become a welcomed slice of ‘normalcy’ during a year that features very little of it. Twitter still mostly sucks, but the camaraderie of chatting with fellow Bears fans about the lack of i-formation in Nagy’s scheme has some therapeutic qualities. Everyone – everyone – is having a tough time this year, so maybe just avoid insulting someone over a Riley Ridley debate this week and appreciate that there's still a place to chat Bears with your best internet buds. The Bear Raid siren will still be there when you can return to Soldier, I promise.
NFL
The Defense
Chicago’s been throwing a few too many back and loudly expressing gratitude for the defense every week for the last 35 years, so what’s the point of stopping now.
Hon. Mention: Not playing in Arlington Heights; Not playing in Orange Jerseys; Not playing the Chiefs