Chicago Bears: Thursday Night Football victory makes a statement

The Chicago Bears victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signals to the NFC that the team is a legitimate contender.

The Chicago Bears made a statement in their victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football.

Prior to the game, the Bears sat at a record of 3-1. But it was how the Bears got to the 3-1 record that had many discrediting the team.

In their season-opening victory against the Detroit Lions in Week 1 of the regular season, the Bears needed a three-touchdown performance by quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in the fourth quarter. Even then, it took Lions’ running back D’Andre Swift dropping the game-winning touchdown pass at the end of the game in order for the Bears to secure a single victory.

In Week 2,, the Bears needed an offensive pass interference against the New York Giants late in the fourth quarter to secure a 17-13 victory. In that game, the Bears did not score a single point during the second half of the game.

In week 3,  the Bears needed a quarterback switch; the Atlanta Falcons to be the Atlanta Falcons, and Nick Foles throwing three fourth-quarter touchdowns in order for a victory to be secured.

Week 4 was a disaster for the Bears against the Indianapolis Colts as the team did not score a touchdown until the final two minutes of the game.

The loss to the Colts and the inconsistencies that the Bears had during the first three weeks of the season had many believing that the Bears were a fraud at the record of 3-1. Many expected the Bears to be exposed on Thursday night by the Buccaneers. The Buccaneers entered the game with the same record as the Bears but their arrow was trending towards the top of the NFC.

But as the Buccaneers and Bears were playing in the first half and it appeared that Tom Brady was going to remain undefeated against Chicago, Bears’ cornerback Kyle Fuller laid the hit heard around the world on Ke’Shawn Vaughn.

Not only did Fuller’s hit on Vaughn change the momentum of the game, it changed the momentum of the Bears’ season. Prior to that hit, the Bears were frauds and the Buccaneers were on pace to expose them.

Fuller’s hit flipped the script.

The hit allowed the Bears to re-gain possession and take the lead over the Buccaneers entering halftime. And in the second half, the Bears’ defense was ignited as the pressure generated on Tom Brady frustrated the veteran quarterback and thwarted his timing. Timely throws by Bears’ quarterback Nick Foles and two clutch field goals by Cairo Santos put the finishing touches on the team’s victory over the Buccaneers.

The Bears now stand at 4-1 and are among the elite teams in the NFC. While the victory over the Buccaneers does not cement the Bears as Super Bowl Contenders, it does signal to the NFC that the Bears are a team to be respected. It was a statement that the Bears needed to make and it was a statement that silenced the doubters.

What were your thoughts on the Chicago Bears win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night? Sound off in the comments section with your thoughts.