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As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs prepare to face each other in Super Bowl LV, the other 30 teams are left contemplating what went wrong this season.
For the Chicago Bears, there are a laundry list of reasons, starting at the top with head coach Matt Nagy and trickling down to the putrid offensive output for most of the season.
Despite Chicago’s second postseason berth in three years, the 2020 season was ultimately a disappointment. After a 5-1 start, the Bears lost six straight games, finished 8-8 and snuck into the playoffs thanks to some help from the Arizona Cardinals.
The Bears’ lone victory against a team with a winning record last season came against the NFC Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in Week 5 on primetime. Chicago’s defense brought the pressure on Bucs quarterback Tom Brady and Nick Foles had just enough in the tank to lead the Bears to a 20-19 win at Soldier Field.
Looking back, that’s just one loss for the Super Bowl bound Bucs. But, for head coach Bruce Arians, he believes that loss set the tone for the remainder of their Super Bowl run.
Bucs general manager Jason Licht told reporters that Arians believes that loss to the Bears in Week 5 was ultimately the best thing to happen to his team.
“That game was a game that, probably in my career here – and we’ve had a lot of bad losses – that one was one that really stung the most, I think,” Licht said last week. “Not only did we lose the way we lost with the penalties and things like that, we also lost Vita [Vea]. I was talking about this the other day with Bruce [Arians], actually. I said, ‘Gosh, that game still stings.’ He said, ‘That’s the best thing that happened to us. That game is the best thing that happened to us, looking back in retrospect.’
“I think he’s right. We cleaned up our penalties, we were more disciplined and it just brought everybody together. It showed that we’re all human – everybody – and everybody needs to be held accountable. Everybody on the roster, everybody in the front office and everybody in the organization. It brought us closer together.”
Something that the Bears referenced often during their mess of an end-of-season press conference was how the team kept fighting through their six-game losing streak. Almost as if they were celebrating Chicago’s meltdown last season.
While it’s admirable that Nagy kept his team together through those hardships, it’s hardly something to praise. You see, the difference with the Bucs — who suffered one, brutal loss — is that they actually have a Super Bowl appearance to show for it.