Coming off a tough win in Chicago last week to the Vikings the Bears had a tough road ahead of them in week 16. With Justin Fields and Andy Dalton out the Bears resorted to playing third-string Nick Foles at Quarterback Sunday. These weren’t the only players out, Jakeem Graham and Jason Peters also would be missing leaving the Bears’ offense in trouble. With no shot of making the playoffs and a third-string quarterback playing many expected another disappointing game. However, it was the exact opposite as the Bears closed out the game with a spectacular two-point conversion by Damiere Byrd making the final 25-24 Bears. Even with the result having no impact on the season this week gave light to the organization and gave the fans something to celebrate.
The Running Backs Came To Play
With Foles getting the start it was important that the Bears established a run game and that they did. Both David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert showed up helping lead this Bears’ offense in the right direction. Both combined for two touchdowns, 66 yards rushing and 68 yards receiving. This allowed for Foles to ease into the game and eventually led to Foles deliver two excellent balls to win the game. Foles spread the ball out well hitting nine different players, finishing with 250 yards and a touchdown.
Montgomery is a must-have player for years to come as he has shown he can be an elite back in this league. Even with a battered and struggling offensive line, Montgomery has been able to record five touchdowns and 713 yards in just 11 games. Even with a lot of room for improvement Montgomery is a strong runner and has the speed to break it loose making him a very valuable player to this team. Another positive for the Bears back field is Herbert who stepped up this year while Montgomery was out. He showed that he could be a great back for this Bears team as well. It is important that the Bears keep these two healthy and provide them with an offensive line that can give them the blocks they need.
A Gutsy Two-Point Conversion
With 2:56 on the clock and the Bears down seven Foles needed to lead this Bears offense down the field fast. A late hit on Foles moved the Bears quickly down the field until Foles was sacked and even fumbled. Luckily, the Bears were able to recover and Foles was able to find Jimmy Graham in the end-zone to make it 24-25 with a minute left. It was a great catch by Graham and had most Bears fans wondering where has this been all year yet that wasn’t the end.
With it looking like Matt Nagy’s final season as the Bears head coach and the Bears being out of playoff contention, there was only one thing the Bears could do. Nagy signaled for the Bears to go for two in hopes of taking the lead with under a minute to go and leave it to the defense to stop the Seahawks. As Foles dropped back and rolled to his right there looked to be no one open but Foles was able to find Byrd who made one of the best grabs of the season keeping himself inbounds to take the lead. Even with this having no impact on the Bears playoff chances it was a good win for the Bears.