With most of the Wild Card Weekend already in the books, Rich Eisen dedicated a few minutes on his show to turn his attention to what the Chicago Bears had just pulled off.
This wasn't a live, breathless reaction; it was a moment of reflection on the impressive performance the Bears provided. Even with the rest of the chaos, Eisen kept circling back to the same conclusion: the Bears are doing things that aren't supposed to happen, and it keeps happening.
The Bears yet again won this game in an unconventional manner. The comeback has become as much a part of their identity as the head coach. With a lack of takeaways as the Bears are used to, the offense had more of a job than usual. Jordan Love threw for four touchdowns and no interceptions. That's the kind of play that usually starts a playoff run, not one that ends in disbelief.
Winning Where it Counts
“But the Chicago Bears have got ‘it’, man. And exactly what you think, about this team that they can’t keep doing it. They didn’t take the ball away, which is one of their hallmarks. Jordan Love had four touchdown passes and no interceptions. I mean, that is a stat line that wins football games, especially in the playoffs. And you’re sitting there thinking, how many times can they keep doing it?”
Eisen is laying out a checklist of reasons the Bears should have lost. Takeaways are the Bears' bread and butter; removing those extra reps for the offense could have tipped the scales in the Packers' favor. It sure looked that way before Caleb Williams and the Bears pulled another game from beneath a hat.
Critics of Chicago claim that this is unsustainable, that the Bears simply can't keep this up. But week in and week out, the Bears have shown that they're capable of beating anyone. It helps when you have the likes of Caleb Williams throwing the ball, and Colston Loveland catching it, but such a result is unprecedented.
“I gotta say it, a guy who looks like the second coming of Mahomes just did it. Because this guy can extend the play and make throws off platform like no man other than Mahomes. Rodgers back in the day. And now he’s doing it for the Bears. And Ben Johnson’s like, ‘As many times as we keep playing, because that’s us."
Rather than write it off to randomness, Eisen zeroes in on the trait that keeps breaking the rules. Caleb Williams' remarkable ability to keep plays alive and make things happen outside of the plan gives the Bears a significant advantage.
Read more: Caleb Williams was brutally honest about his frustration despite Bears playoff win
For the first time, head coach Ben Johnson and his Bears, the chaos is no longer accidental; it's expected.