Chicago Bears: Five stages of grieving devastating playoff loss to Eagles

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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JANUARY 06: Anthony Miller #17 of the Chicago Bears looks on as Cody Parkey #1 sets up for a field goal attempt in the final moments of their 15 to 16 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at Soldier Field on January 06, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Bargaining

There is a little bit of a stretch for how to fit this stage of grief into how the Bears season ended. In more “traditional” models, Bargaining is where you’re making a deal with God, like “if Parkey makes this kick, I’ll go to church every Sunday (as long as the Bears aren’t playing)”.

In this view of Bargaining, it’s more of a “what if” game. What if the Bears defense had stopped the Eagles on 4th and goal from the two yard line? What if Parkey hit the upright, but the ball ricocheted in off the crossbar instead of out? What if the Bears had laid down last week and faced the Vikings? What if?

What if the Bears had won and headed to LA to face the Rams? What if???

Depression

Chicago Bears /

Chicago Bears

In this stage of grieving, you’re starting to focus on the present and feelings of sadness and loss are setting in. You realize you won’t get to watch the Bears again for months. You realize that there are still weeks of playoffs to come and your team is no longer involved. Your friends call you to go out and catch the game on Saturday night, but you’d rather curl up on the couch and binge Netflix. You don’t get into the usual Super Bowl pools or make those silly prop bets. You can’t stomach the idea about going out to watch the Super Bowl.n You’ve put all your Bears gear away into the back of your closet (gasp!).

It’s important to bring yourself out of the depression phase. Remember, this is a process. Find the joy in everyday things, like the Packers bungling their coaching hire or the Bears winning some postseason awards. The Bears have several Pro Bowlers you can watch. The Saints will likely pound the Eagles and send Nick Foles and his lollipop passes back to Philly. Wait, I think I’m going back into the Anger phase.

Acceptance

This stage is not about acknowledging what happened is OK. It’s about realizing that there is a new reality. In our case, it’s a reality that the Bears are out of the playoffs and they start over again in the 2019 season, building on their best season in nearly a decade with an offense that will only get better and a defense that’s expected to return nine starters anchored by three All Pros. Hey, things aren’t so bad after all.

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