The Chicago Bears are back in the playoffs! We preview the first playoff game in eight seasons against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
It’s about damn time! The Chicago Bears are back in the playoffs, coming off their best season since they made a Super Bowl run in 2006. I’ve been involved with this blog since 2008 and I’ve written about exactly two playoff games. TWO!!!
The last time I wrote about a playoff game, fans were burning Jay Cutler jerseys following the 2010/2011 NFC Championship game loss to the Green Bay Packers when Cutler left the game with a knee injury. To many fans, Cutler’s fate was sealed after that game and he could never repair his legacy in Chicago. But that’s a post for another day.
I expect to at least double the number of playoff games I’ve written by the time their run this season is done. I wrote a few weeks ago that it’s time to get greedy and start thinking about a Super Bowl. Why the hell not?
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First in their way are the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles. The Bears opened the door for the Eagles to get into the dance by virtue of their Week 17 win over the Minnesota Vikings. Now last season’s Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles brings the surging Eagles into Soldier Field to face the NFC North champion Bears.
The Bears made a worst to first turnaround, but to call this season a success they’ll need to win a couple of playoff games. The experience side of the ledger favors the Eagles, but the Bears will have the home field advantage.
I’ll be honest, this game scares me. Maybe it’s years of losing and disappointment that have jaded me. By the numbers, the Bears should win this game handily, but there are a lot of x-factors. This will be Mitch Trubisky’s first playoff game. It will also be Matt Nagy’s first playoff game as a head coach. Do the Eagles really have some special magic with Nick Foles? Can they make another improbable run?
To help us preview this Wild Card round matchup, we’ve enlisted the help of Geoffrey Knox from Inside the Iggles to answer our questions.