The 24-hour rule be damned, Bears safety Eddie Jackson was still feeling the pain of last Sunday’s 20-17 loss to the Browns on Thursday — two days into preparation for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals.
“That one stung,” Jackson said. “For us to have it in our hands and we go out like that — again? Lose the game in the fourth quarter when we’re up 10 points and just couldn’t finish? That sucked.
“But just knowing that we still have three more games left with these guys, we’ve still got a chance. I know it’s a small chance [actually 1%, according to the New York Times playoff calculator]. I feel that’s kind of keeping this going.”
Jackson’s pain — he said he was in tears over a loss for the first time in a long time — was rooted in the missed opportunity. When the Bears blew leads against the Broncos and Lions earlier in the season, they were not even in the playoff picture. This time, despite a 5-8 record, they were more than on the outside, but with a legitimate path to the playoffs had they beaten the Browns.
With victories over the 3-11 Cardinals and 7-9 Falcons at Soldier Field, it could have come down to a showdown against the Packers at Lambeau Field in Week 18.
“That’s exactly what it is,” Jackson said. “We just knew … if we get this game [against the Browns], we knew what was in front of us. No disrespect to any other team — not looking ahead — but we knew Green Bay was going to be the next toughest one. It was coming down to the end in. Green Bay. In Wisconsin. Playoff ball.”
The loss to the Browns would be a death blow to many teams — with little or nothing to play for and three games left in a long season. The Bears aren’t likely to fall into that trap. As much as they struggle to put the hammer down in crunch time, they bond over their resilience. And, frankly, rallying in the face of irrelevance against a 3-11 Cardinals team that can’t be too comfortable playing a December game at Soldier Field is kind of in this Bears team’s wheelhouse.
This should be the easy part.
“I don’t think any guy in this locker room has any quit in him or anything like that,” defensive end Montez Sweat said. “I don’t think it would sit well with anybody if we were to give up. We want to keep fighting until it’s all said and done.”
Sweat is one of the biggest reasons why a strong finish against the Cardinals, Falcons and Packers wouldn’t be the fool’s gold that previous strong finishes to losing Bears seasons have been. Sweat is a 27-year-old pass rusher in his prime who already has flourished in Eberflus’ defense — six sacks in the last four games.
With victories over the Vikings (without Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson) at U.S. Bank Stadium and the Lions at Soldier Field and a credible showing against the Browns in a loss, a strong finish in the last three games would have the Bears’ arrow pointing up heading into 2024. The offense remains a daunting, frustrating drag on the rebuild — but the Bears at least have some encouraging options to get it right in 2024.
That’s enough for Jackson, who knows he might not be here next season, to finish strong.
“We’re fighting for something,” Jackson said. “I don’t focus too much on where I’m gonna be next year. I’ll always love Chicago. I always be a part of it. But I just want to finish it out. I hope I’m a part of this next year, because what we’re building is crazy, man. It’s really wild. It’s giving me a 2018 feel.”
