CHICAGO (670 The Score) -- Bears coach Matt Nagy carries a belief that there's always a silver lining to be found.
So as the Bears were failing to meet their high expectations amid a four-game losing streak in October and eventually fell to 4-6 in November, Nagy remained steadfast that his team would stay together and ultimately win.
Now, that conviction is beginning to reveal itself. The Bears beat the Cowboys, 31-24, at Soldier Field to earn their third straight victory Thursday. In improving to 7-6, they kept their bleak playoff hopes alive for another week.
It had Nagy believing there's still more to come for the Bears this season.
"I still don't know what it is or where it's at," Nagy said. "It will show up somewhere."
The Bears don't control their own destiny down the stretch. They could win out to get to 10-6 and still miss the playoffs, as they still need help in the form of losses from the Vikings and Rams to earn the NFC's second wild-card spot.
As they continue to fight, the Bears on Thursday produced perhaps their most complete effort of the season. Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky completed 23 of 31 passes for 244 yards, three touchdowns and one interception while also rushing for 63 yards and a score. He paced an offense that gained 382 yards.
Meanwhile, the Bears defense put forth another strong effort without linebacker Danny Trevathan, defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, cornerback Prince Amukamara and -- for most of the night -- linebacker Roquan Smith, who suffered a pectoral injury in the first quarter. The Bears held quarterback Dak Prescott and the Cowboys to just seven points through three quarters before Dallas added some points in garbage time.
With their offense finding its form and the defense standing strong, the Bears were reminded of why they were viewed as a Super Bowl contender entering this season.
"This is our team," offensive tackle Charles Leno Jr. said. "This is what we really look like. This is what we were trying to get done early in the year.
"Why not have it happen right now? Why not get hot right now? Why not start getting on this streak right now? Because the time is now."
After Trubisky led the Bears through victory formation with seven seconds left, running back Tarik Cohen celebrated with a backflip. A sense of pride resonated throughout the home locker room at Soldier Field, where the dancing of Club Dub felt more genuine with victories being stacked.
"We're resilient," Trubisky said. "We stick together. We believe in each other, even when nobody else believes in us. It's a special group in that locker room. We just want to keep this feeling going."
The challenge grows from here for the Bears, whose final three games come against opponents that are on a playoff trajectory. Chicago plays at NFC North-leading Green Bay on Dec. 15, hosts AFC West-leading Kansas City on Dec. 22 and finishes the regular season at Minnesota (8-4) on Dec. 29. It's those Vikings that the Bears are trying to run down for the final NFC playoff spot.
The same Bears team that was once projected as a championship contender will almost certainly be an underdog in each of its last three games. But the Bears also believe the dynamic of their season has changed.
While searching for that silver lining, the Bears are becoming the team they believed they could be.
"Everybody is seeing what type of people we have on this football team," Nagy said. "No one has flinched. We've pulled together. We've become even tighter. We're winning football games now. We're playing as a team."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
