Bears share bittersweet feelings knowing they’re on right track, but change coming

Bears share bittersweet feelings knowing they’re on right track, but change coming originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

The Bears were riding high into Lambeau Field on Sunday. They had put the horrendous 0-4 start to the season behind them. They were playing better football and making fewer mistakes, and that translated to a 3-1 record in December. The Bears were ready to make a statement against their bitter rivals and ride the momentum into the offseason.

But the team fell flat.

The offense didn’t score a touchdown. The defense couldn’t stop Jordan Love through the air or Aaron Jones on the ground. The final score said 17-9, but it felt the margin between the two teams was wider.

The loss stung, but as players cleaned out their lockers on Monday they were not despondent. They remained steadfast in their belief that the team is on the right track. Sunday night’s loss didn’t rattle their confidence, it just gave them another hurdle to clear over the course of the 2024 season.

“I mean, you’ve seen it,” said Montez Sweat, whose arrival at the trade deadline sparked a huge uptick on defense. “You’ve seen how the defense performed when we’re on all cylinders. You’ve seen how the offense could perform when they’re on all cylinders, too. There’s definitely a foundation here that we’re building upon.”

“It stings, but you’ve always got next season to piggyback off what you did this year,” said DJ Moore, who thrived as the Bears’ WR1 in his first season with the team. “We had seven wins, so why not go for — Let’s put high expectations: Let’s go 10-plus for next year and finish out games better and be a better team.”

Cairo Santos has spent five seasons with the Bears across two separate stints with the team. His latest and longest stint dates back to 2020. Like Sweat, he pointed to the foundation the Bears have built and shared his belief that the progress the Bears made in 2023 will carry over in 2024.

“We’ve dealt with adversity. We…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/bears-share-bittersweet-feelings-knowing-215322814.html

Author : NBC Sports Chicago

Publish date : 2024-01-08 21:53:22

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