This is not about ordinary football logic anymore. It no longer matters what the NFL experts tell you during pregame shows and what the talking heads say once the game is over.
It doesn’t matter if Shane Matthews or Jim Miller is quarterbacking the Bears. It doesn’t matter if James Allen or Anthony Thomas is the running back. We repeat: This is no longer about the ordinary NFL grind.
You have been warned.
The 6-1 Bears say they are going to the playoffs. They say they are going to the Super Bowl. They say they have Destiny’s cell-phone number. After what they did Sunday at Soldier Field, it’s foolish not to believe them.
They have won six games in a row when, logically, they should have a two-game losing streak. In consecutive weeks, they have won in overtime when Mike Brown plucked a floating ball from the sky and carried it into the end zone.
A week ago, Brown had an overtime touchdown against the 49ers. On Sunday, Brown’s overtime touchdown was against–of course–the Browns.
The Bears insist that the 23-year-old Brown is a safety. He’s really a magician. You almost expect a trusted assistant to accompany him in the defensive backfield and say, “For his next trick, Mr. Brown will pull a rabbit out of a football.” Even if he’s done the equivalent of that in his last two games.
Teammate Larry Whigham told Brown that he wants to go to Las Vegas with him. “I wouldn’t have to work another day if I did,” Whigham said. “Not that I’m a gambling man.” R.W. McQuarters said he wants the entire team to rub Brown’s hands for luck. Allen told Brown that he should seriously consider playing the state lottery.
“I have nothing special to say,” Brown shrugged after his team’s 27-21 win. “It has nothing to do with me. It could have been anybody.”
Brown repeated his words a few more times. He reminded you of a prodigy who was still uncomfortable with his gifts. They are always the last to know how special they are. But Brown’s teammates know what is happening with him and them.
Whigham, who played on a Super Bowl team in New England, announced that he has felt this way before. He said he feels the same way he did when his Patriots went on their Super Bowl run in 1996.
“I’ve seen this, man,” he said. “Those balls didn’t have to bounce our way. They could have easily gone to the other team.”
He could barely get the words out because he was smiling so much. For most of the afternoon, the only flying balls were those flying back into the face of Matthews. When he tried to throw over the Browns’ defensive line, his passes would often be rejected to the turf. He looked like a little kid trying to shoot over 7-foot Shaquille O’Neal.
Matthews threw three interceptions. He fumbled, which led to a touchdown. He was booed by the crowd, which started chanting for the injured Miller.
Then, in the fourth quarter, he threw two touchdowns.
No, this is not about ordinary football logic.
The Browns were angry with the Bears because of rookie David Terrell’s victory guarantee. So the men in orange helmets trash-talked the Bears all afternoon. At one point, buoyed by a 21-7 late lead, Browns receiver Kevin Johnson told Bears cornerback McQuarters that he was a bust. Then he told him to look at the scoreboard.
“Man, you should heard some of the stuff they were saying to us,” McQuarters said. “Even the quarterback [Tim Couch] was talking. I didn’t know that he knew some of the words he was saying.”
Thousands of people began to leave the stadium, even though the difference was two touchdowns. Logically, you couldn’t blame them because the score felt like it was 40-7. Matthews was able to find Marty Booker for a touchdown in the final 30 seconds, but the Bears still had to recover an onside kick.
They did.
But the Bears still had to score late.
They did.
This is not about ordinary football logic.
They were able to score when backup running back Allen raced toward the end zone and caught a tipped pass. He said the ball fell to him slowly. He said the action was similar to the movie “The Matrix” when characters did things that humans don’t normally do.
“Can you believe a running back ran all the way down field to catch that pass?” Browns defensive back Devin Bush asked.
You’re right, Devin. It’s not logical. But we believe it. You should too. There is no other choice.