John Locher/AP
The Bears are firmly in the playoff field after beating the Vikings to get to 7-3, and for a team that has been decisively out of the picture by mid-November each of the last four seasons, that’s a big step. The question, though, is whether they can stay there to the end.
“Guys, we’re midseason right now, so we’re not even looking at that,” coach Ben Johnson said. “We’ve earned seven wins so far.”
That’s refreshingly realistic after two years ago predecessor Matt Eberflus tried to sell hope on his way to a 2-7 start.