(670 The Score) So the Bears aren't lose-five-games-in-a-row bad. The dubious streak of futility is over after they hung on until the bitter end to hold off the Lions' second string 20-13 at Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon.
The Bears put a floor in, at least, defining themselves as something slightly better than the backups of the dregs of the NFL, at least for one day and by the skin of their teeth.
It won't stop them from reveling in not losing, however, because the sun is always shining in Matt Nagy's world. It reopened "Club Dub" in the locker room and may even allow them to turn the dastardly televisions back on at Halas Hall, after Mitchell Trubisky had about a quarter's worth of accuracy and awareness that recalled headier times. It was enough to quiet the booing from the home crowd and incite some genuine good feeling for the first time in weeks, though Tarik Cohen's bizarre decision to make a shushing gesture to his own fans as they cheered his touchdown was a window into the depth of their discomfort.
The Bears aren't bad enough to lose the Jeff Driskel game, after the resurgent Matthew Stafford was held out with broken bones in his back. They aren't bad enough to let a team beat them while down to its third primary running back, at least not on their own home field. They aren't bad enough to let one of the worst defenses in football keep them from such a magical threshold as 20 points.
Detroit was unable to exploit Kyle Fuller's terrible day, Cody Whitehair's grass-skimming shotgun snaps in his move back to center, the lack of impact from Khalil Mack and Nagy's questionable decisions to both give Matt Prater a 54-yard field goal chance in the second quarter and call a pass play on a late third-and-one with eight minutes left that resulted in a sack and kept the Lions viable.
It's a step back from the football abyss, perhaps, better than what could've been but well short of inspiring and not close to being enough to beat the Rams in a week in the national spotlight.
Nick Kwiatkoski's high level of play raises a fair question about why his breakout game against the Vikings didn't earn him more time rotating into meaningful play. The linebacker subbed in after Danny Trevathan's nasty elbow injury and filled the stat sheet with eight tackles, an interception and a sack. He was a bright spot. Tight end Ben Braunecker made a play too, scoring on an artful diving catch. Adam Shaheen was officially inactive after displaying a body of work of activity that was almost entirely unfortunate.
Last week, Trubisky was unhappy with outside criticism of the then 3-5 Bears, insisting that critics "really don't know who we are." After the game, Nagy also made note of what the win means for his team's identity.
"I love how the guys are believing in each other," Nagy said. "It's part of who we are."
This Bears team has largely been defined as a deep disappointment that bottomed out after a 3-1 start that was more rickety than the record suggested. And make no mistake, a reincarnation of competitive hope is still almost impossible to envision. In that regard, their belief in each other may extend beyond that of objective observers who remain dubious.
"You have to keep having that unwavering faith," Trubisky said. "Sticking together, finding a way."
For a team breathing a collective sigh of relief at just 4-5, the Bears are allowed at least to know they remain better enough than some, whatever that may eventually mean.
Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's Bernstein & McKnight Show in midday. You can follow him on Twitter @Dan_Bernstein.
