Just as the Chicago Bears’ playoff hopes vanished so did their high(ish) spot in the power rankings.
The Bears dropped three spots to No. 17 in NFL.com’s Week 16 Power Rankings, which isn’t really a surprise considering how Chicago’s loss did more than take the wind out of their sails — it eliminated them from playoff contention.
That’s a wrap on the Bears, who needed to find a way to beat the Packers in Lambeau to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. They couldn’t do it, because the bad version of the Chicago offense returned at the worst possible juncture. The Bears managed just 14 yards in a scoreless first quarter and just 13 points overall, looking little like the offense that rolled up 800 yards and 55 points in the previous two weeks.
Mitchell Trubisky made some plays and finished with 334 yards on a whopping 53 passes, but his fourth-quarter interception — fired directly into the arms of defensive lineman Dean Lowry — was the type of failure his season will be remembered by. The Bears have an interesting decision to make at quarterback in the offseason. Trubisky gets two more weeks to state his case.
While the Bears won’t be playing for anything outside of pride — and possibly spoiler to the Minnesota Vikings — these final two games will give some of the younger guys chances to shine. That, and Trubisky, who despite his box score had another solid showing to add to his resume over the last six games.
The Bears will conclude their season against two winning teams — one already locked into the playoffs and the other fighting to retain their playoff spot — in the Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings.
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