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Bernstein: Resilient Bears Tough One Out

By Dan Bernstein--
CBSChicago.com senior columnist

(CBS) I was all set do do something silly in this space, already coming up with ideas before the Bears-Bucs game and into the first quarter about how to capture the feeling of helpless misery that goes along with another loss and the slide into the irrelevance that comes with a team packing it in. A few snide comments, some usual digs at the broadcasters, jokes about the end-of-roster guys screwing up, and I'd be done.

But the Bears smacked the snark out of me Sunday – or most of it at least – with a tough, resourceful performance that spoke volumes about both the quality of their coaches and their own professionalism.

Chicago's 26-21 win over the Buccaneers in Tampa was itself unexpected, but the way it went down was even more so.

A defense that has been unable to cause turnovers did just that, forcing two fumbles and making a critical interception on the goal line. Robbie Gould seems to be past his yips. Both lines won their battles despite key injuries. And Jay Cutler had the most unspectacular spectacular day.

Cutler was an Iron Chef on Sunday or, more appropriately, a culinary master dominating an episode of "Chopped," transforming a basket of humdrum ingredients into a fine meal for the judges. Working with coordinator Adam Gase's mindful game plan, the two figured out what they could and couldn't block and then went to work. Power runs over right tackle and quick slants to the tight end were staples, and then they counted on what's been taken for granted this season – Cutler's feet and downfield vision keeping passing plays alive. He completed 20 of 27 attempts for 156 yards and a score, for a rating of 100.2.

That's Marc Mariani and Josh Bellamy out there, folks. That's a guard having to play center, a career backup tight end and a rookie running back carrying most of the load and asked to pass-block. Zach Miller had seven catches for 69 yards, Jeremy Langford ran 19 times for 83 yards and Ka'Deem Carey scored short touchdowns on both a run and a reception.

Look at the accomplishments of undrafted rookie free agents on the defense, too. Harold Jones-Quartey made that interception with a physical one-on-one play and forced a fumble. John Timu's just up from the practice squad, but he recovered two fumbles and is at the very least a developing player to watch. Jonathan Anderson caused a fumble with a well-timed tackle in aggressive run coverage. I'm not sure what that means other than there are some guys who want to take advantage of opportunities, and the Bears' depth has been just bad enough to provide them.

Nor can I tell you the significance of this outcome, aside from it having the dubious honor of being the Bears' first December win in more than two years. John Fox gets real credit for this, and it's clear his charges are still paying attention, even the no-names forced into action by attrition both before the game and during it. They were prepared, and they executed on the kind of day that could have easily gone sideways for an NFL team playing out the string. Fox even avoided a signature clock-management gaffe, so kudos for that, too.

It's a nice win for a team that refused to be bad. It's not franchise-altering but certainly better than the alternative, as well as fuel for the optimist's reasonable expectation of some better times ahead.

Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's "Boers and Bernstein Show" in afternoon drive. You can follow him on Twitter  @dan_bernstein and read more of his columns here.

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