Bears Hibernation Usually Come Too Soon

The Bears need to stop their habit of November collapses if they are to play meaningful December games but it doesn't look good for this year.

USA Today

It might be the worst trend the Bears need to reverse, next to losing to Green Bay.

It's one made all the more obvious by this year's schedule.

CBS Sports writer John Breech, in an article about quicks in the schedule, targeted the best and worst things about each team's schedule and the obvious best for the Bears was their relatively soft finish to the season. Although, when you were 3-14 can anything really be considered soft? 

Playing the Lions, Browns, Cardinals, Falcons and Packers to close the year and was considered soft based on the fact none made the playoffs last year.

It's not here where the trend is to reverse. It's in their difficult aspect of the schedule.

The Bears play only one home game between Oct. 23 and Dec. 9.

This is technically true but the stretch of games is not nearly as long as the statement makes it sound.

For one, they play a home game Oct. 22, so their next game isn't until Oct. 29. It's more accurate to start this stretch with their Oct. 29 game at Los Angeles against the Chargers.

Also, the stretch ends with a Dec. 10 home game against the Lions. But the prior weekend the Bears have their bye week. So the stretch actually ends Nov. 27 with a Monday night game at Minnesota and not on Dec. 9. So while the statement is true, It's more accurate to say they play only one home game from Oct. 29 through Nov. 27.

Right smack dab in the middle of that stretch, they play one home game with Carolina, so basically, what the schedule asks of them is to play two road games, a home game and then two road games. 

It's tough, true enough, but not an impossible task.

Yet, this stretch of games does serve to bring attention to one trend the Bears do need to end quickly because it occurs during this time period in November.

The Bears go into hibernation every November, and teams who struggling in November rarely enter into the playoff hunt in December.

In the last four years the Bears are 4-12 in November. Three of their four wins came against one team, Detroit. And this was before the Lions started to improve last year.  

The other win was over a struggling New York Giants team in 2019. Actually, 2019 was a successful November for them as they also beat Detroit that year. They have lost 11 of their last 12 in November.

The only way the Bears get to play meaningful games during the so-called soft spot finishing their schedule this season is if they get over a difficult stretch on the road during a time span when they traditionally play like they've gone into hibernation.

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