Thanksgiving week often is packed with drama, football-fueled or otherwise.
The Bears gave Chicago a jump-start on that emotional roller coaster Sunday. Sure, the matchup against old coach Lovie Smith and Tampa Bay was a scheduling coincidence, but it provided a juicy backdrop. Which the game needed when you factor in both teams’ woeful records.
No doubt Bears fans were cursing the organization at halftime, when the Bears were down 10-0 and it looked like Smith would have revenge.
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“We were confident; we were [bleeped] off that we didn’t have the success we needed to have in the first half, starting with myself,” offensive lineman Jermon Bushrod said of the Bears’ mood at halftime.
Then the second half started, and the Bears looked like a different team.
“We came out in the second half … with a short field and were able to punch it in,” Bushrod said. “We just had to find a way.”
With their 21-13 victory over the Buccaneers, the Bears are 5-6 heading into Thursday’s game at Detroit and finally seem to have momentum.
Considering Sunday’s concentrated dose of nostalgia—did you see all the bro huggery going on among former teammates?—it’s a perfect time to live in the Bears’ past, present and future simultaneously.
TRY AND FORGET
Josh McCown
Yes, the former Bear tossed a beautiful 19-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans between a pair of defenders. Yet overall he was less than inspiring: 341 yards passing, one touchdown, two interceptions and one fumble lost.
“Not at all [the return I wanted],” McCown said. “Came out and started the game the way we wanted to and the third quarter killed us.”
Lovie Smith’s challenges
Smith threw the red flag after officials ruled Josh McCown was stopped short on fourth down late in the fourth quarter. The refs quickly confirmed the call, erasing any hope the Bucs had of rallying from down 21-13 late in the game. Bears fans do NOT miss those iffy decisions.
“I have lifelong friends here, but I don’t need a game to see them,” Smith said. “[I’ve] won a lot of games here at Soldier Field and have a lot of good memories, but this is a bad memory right now.”
ENJOY IT NOW
Matt Forte
Let us repeat: Matt Forte, Matt Forte, Matt Forte. As unsurprising as his extraordinary performances have become, we’d be remiss if we failed to mention them. He had 121 yards from scrimmage and two rushing touchdowns Sunday.
“I’ve been in this league a long time and I haven’t seen a running back take as many snaps as he has in a game,” Bushrod said. “I think last week [against Minnesota] we had like 78 plays and he played 74. That’s insane.”
Timely turnovers
Three takeaways in the second half helped the Bears turn a 10-0 halftime deficit into a 21-10 lead. That’s one legacy left by Lovie Smith the Bears happily embrace. One of those turnovers was forced by lineman David Bass, who has struggled to stay on the team. He sacked McCown and stripped the ball at the same time.
“You know me, I’m just trying to maximize every opportunity I get,” Bass said. “… Anytime I get the chance to go out onto the field, I just want to go out there and have fun.”
GIVE THEM SOME TIME
Patrick O’Donnell
For the most part punters are like officials—it’s better if no one is talking about them. However, wouldn’t fans rather have one of the best in the league, even if it’s an underappreciated position? O’Donnell could be just that eventually. His first seven punts averaged 45 yards apiece, and he put two inside the 20.
Of course, his final two attempts Sunday traveled 20 and 22 yards, respectively. He is a rookie, after all.
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Kyle Fuller
The bad news is the rookie cornerback was burned on McCown’s TD pass and later left the game with a knee injury. The good news is he tied for the team lead in tackles with six Sunday. He’s shown a willingness to play hurt and should get the benefit of the doubt that his stock is trending up.
Chris Sosa is RedEye’s sports editor.