Weirdly enough, the NFL playoffs have been conspicuously Bears-free this year. For some confusing reason, no one's spent any time whatsoever talking about a team that won *five* whole games this season. It's just Eagles-this, Commanders-that; the coastal elites don't want to hear about the midwest's most successful Mom and Pop Shop.
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Fortunately for Bears fans, I've found a way to needlessly put them in the middle of a conversation they have no business being a part of. And when I say "I", what I really mean is "Jalen Carter."
Carter just had one of the best performances of his entire career – five tackles, five pressures, three QB hits, two sacks, two tackles for loss, and one pass defended – in the Eagles' NFC Divisional round win over the Rams. If not for the Eagle's future Hall of Fame running back, Carter may have been far-and-away the best player on Sunday afternoon. And he still might have been!
Jalen Carter's game-wrecking performance stings just a little more for Bears fans
THE BIG DAWG IS HUNGRY!
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 19, 2025
JALEN CARTER SACK 😤#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/xReEEiux7Y
There's something particularly painful for Bears fans about watching Carter be the game-wrecker that, you know, everyone expected him to be back when he was a popular pick in Bears mock drafts back in 2023. As the story goes, Ryan Poles was apparently not sold on Carter's fit with the team's culture, and eventually traded down with the Eagles to take Tennessee tackle Darnell Wright. Wright's been plenty good – he was ranked as Pro Football Focus' 16th best right guard this last season – but he certainly hasn't been as impactful as Carter, who was named a 2nd Team All-Pro this season.
As you can imagine, Bears fans were in their feelings about it on Sunday afternoon. Even the quickest Twitter search for 'Jalen Carter Bears' will show you exactly how hung up they still are about it. Hindsight is 20/20, and Bears fans probably would have found something else to complain about even if Carter hadn't had a career day, but Sunday afternoon was just another reminder of how Ryan Poles' time running the team has been, politely put, a mess. But I'm sure the next move will be the one that fixes all of that.