Five biggest takeaways from an ecstasy-filled victory from the Bears over the Lions

4. Enough of the “Is DJ Moore a legitimate WR1?” slander.

How can I properly thank Carolina? I legitimately don’t need a single gift for Christmas this year. The trade with Carolina in the offseason has been the energizer bunny of gifts: It just keeps giving, and giving, and giving!

It’s an absolute fleecing by Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles. That’s an entire article by itself once the next two drafts play out the way they will, depending on what Ryan Poles does with the future picks. There is a high likelihood that this trade goes down as the greatest highway robbery in NFL history.

The focus for now is on DJ Moore who has been a Top 10 WR in the NFL this year. The numbers support this. You can make an argument that he’s Top 5, ahead of names that nobody would’ve dreamed of putting behind DJ Moore before the beginning of the season.

With Justin Fields at quarterback, DJ Moore is a threat to go the distance at any time. He’s not quite at the level of Tyreek Hill, but it’s extremely similar. He beats defensive backs all over the field and takes over the game seemingly at will.

His go route on fourth-and-13 to give the Bears the lead in the third quarter was a thing of beauty. He released quickly off the line, feigned an outside shoulder route, worked across the defensive back’s chest and the rest was history, just like Chicago Bears WR records if this keeps up.

That he’s doing this without another star lining up across from him is even more impressive. Darnell Mooney is a nice player, but he is a WR3 on a complete roster. This is why I will not stop beating the Marvin Harrison Jr. drum. Those two together would wreak havoc on the NFL.

Before I get too far into my hopes and dreams, I’ll move on. Even though Thanksgiving is over, I just want to say that I’ve never been more thankful for a wide receiver than I am for DJ Moore.

5. Playoffs? Playoffs? We’re talking about playoffs? Well, the Chicago Bears might be.

Alright, I lied. We’re going full speed ahead with my hopes and dreams, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be a reality.

The Chicago Bears, believe it or not, are in the hunt. Depending on the outcome of tonight’s Green Bay game, the Bears could be one game back from the final wild-card spot. It is almost unfathomable to picture a team that started 0-4 in the playoffs, but it isn’t unprecedented.

In 1992, the San Diego Chargers started 0-4 and still made the playoffs. There is a bit of a difference as they finished 11-1 to end with a record of 11-5, but the fact remains that the playoffs are a possibility, especially now that seven teams qualify for the playoffs in each conference.

Even more insane, if the Chicago Bears made the playoffs while securing the number 1 pick in the 2024 draft due to Carolina’s negligence, they would be the first team in 50 years to do so.

To get there, the Chicago Bears would most likely need to run the table. It’s a far-fetched belief for a team that just won back-to-back games for the first time in two years, but the schedule isn’t too bad.

The Bears have a tough game at Cleveland, but then they come home to play the Cardinals and the Falcons, both beatable teams. They finish at Lambeau Field against Green Bay in Week 18.

As someone who wants to evaluate what this team could be, nothing could be better than if playing at Green Bay in the final week of the season was for a playoff berth. That would be an ultimate evaluation for Justin Fields and Matt Eberflus, especially.

Our chances may be slim, Chicago Bears fans, but we just tamed the 9-3 Detroit Lions. Sure, they haven’t been playing great, but it was a sound beating. Who’s to say we can’t run the table if we continue to play this way?

Here I climb back up onto the hill of hope. Will I get hurt? Considering the Bears only have a 1.4% chance of making the playoffs, almost certainly; but if there’s a chance, there’s a chance. Simply running the table would make us this year’s version of last year’s Detroit Lions, and that’s good enough for me.

All I know is that there is a single truth which fills me with more excitement than I’ve had in years.

The Chicago Bears are back.