Win and they clinch the NFC North. That was the situation for the Bears heading into Sunday night's game at Philadelphia after both Green Bay and Detroit lost earlier in the day. The message must not have gotten to their locker room, though, because the Bears looked downright awful in a 54-11 blowout loss. That means the winner of Sunday's season finale against Green Bay at Soldier Field is going to the playoffs. But before we can look ahead, let's take a look back at the Bears'"performance" against the Eagles.
First quarter
>>Welp. The Bears start with the ball, but Jay Cutler is sacked on third down. To make matters worse, Adam Podlesh shanks the punt into the Bears' bench.
>>Arrgh! Nick Foles to Riley Cooper for a touchdown and the Eagles are up 7-0.
>>DISASTER! Devin Hester fumbles the ensuing punt and the Eagles turn it into seven more points on a 1-yard run by LeSean McCoy.
>>Uh-oh. With the Eagles driving for a third score-which they would get moments later on a pass from Foles to Brent Celek-Chris Conte is injured on a tackle.
Second quarter
>>Look at that! The Bears get a stop on third down and force Philly's first punt of the game. We'll take what we can get here.
>>The Bears finally put together a decent drive thanks to a few connections between Cutler and Martellus Bennett, but a couple of sacks force ... yep, another punt.
>>Moral victory? Philadelphia drives into Chicago territory, but the Bears hold them to a 49-yard field goal by Alex Henery.
>>The Bears try a trick play on the kickoff return, but Hester's flip to Michael Ford goes nowhere. Well if that doesn't encapsulate the Bears' performance so far ...
>>FINALLY. Robbie Gould splits the uprights with a 50-yard field goal as time expires. Eagles 24, Bears 3. Let's hope Marc Trestman has a heck of a halftime speech prepared.
Third quarter
>>Fumble?!?! Uh, no. After officials rule McCoy coughed it up on the opening drive of the second half, a review gives the ball back to Philadelphia. Of course.
>>Sigh. After Philly pins back the Bears on a punt, Matt Forte is tackled in the end zone for a safety, giving the Eagles a 26-3 lead. Did someone say "The Sound of Music" is on ABC? Hmmm ...
>>Oh, for the love of ... . McCoy runs in his second touchdown of the game to give the Eagles a 30-point lead with seven minutes left in the third quarter. "The Hiiiiilllls are alive ..."
>>The Bears force their first turnover of the game and FINALLY get in the end zone on a pass to Brandon Marshall as time expires, and they convert the two-point conversion to make it 33-11. Sorry, adorable Von Trapp children, but we'll stick with NBC for the fourth quarter.
Fourth quarter
>>Just as the Bears are about to attempt a surprise onside kick, the ball falls off the tee. On the second attempt, the Bears pooch it.
>>Touchdown Eagles, this time on a run by Chris Polk. 40-11. That's followed by a pick-six by Brandon Boykin. 47-11. Captain von Trapp would be disappointed by this effort. Very disappointed.
>>And there's the white flag: Josh McCown in for Cutler.
>>Bryce Brown runs 65 yards to give the Eagles a 54-11 lead. Meanwhile, on ABC, Julie Andrews breaks character, looks into the camera and screams, "MAKE A DAMN TACKLE, BEARS!" Can't argue with that.
>>So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye, Bears.
Stat of the day
Nov. 27, 1997
That's the last time the Bears gave up 54 points, in a 55-20 loss at Detroit, according to the Tribune.
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