(670 The Score) It’s here. Week 18 has kicked down our door and settled in our living room, without bringing any snacks, for the last four quarters of Chicago Bears football that this season has to offer. Remember losing 12-7 to the Commanders? And then beating the Patriots in Foxboro on Monday Night Football? That was this season! What a ride it’s been. People got so mad at the Bears for trying flea-flickers! And I agree – if you’re going to be one of the worst teams in the NFL, you have to play like it. Fun is for winners. The good news is that now that the end of this miserable slog of a season is upon us, we can really get into the fun topics like mock NFL Drafts and bad-faith Justin Fields trade proposals. But before we get into why the Bears should trade the only good quarterback they’ve had in 30 years for a Kentucky player who “throws it far sometimes,” let's get into the matchups as the Bears host the Vikings on Sunday in their season finale. For Frodo.
Bears QB Nathan Peterman vs. the haters
After a good bit of self-reflection and several therapy sessions, I’ve begrudgingly accepted that I'm a hater. You too are a hater though. In fact, I'd argue that anyone who has rooted for a team that has employed Nathan Peterman has undeniably been a hater. In his five years as an NFL quarterback, Peterman has won one game. He is, in a lot of ways, the best of us. I’d even go so far as to argue that this is one of Matt Eberflus’ better coaching decisions of the season. The Bears need to lose this game. Spare me the "being competitive at all costs" mumbo-jumbo that only comes from the mouths of sports analysts of a certain age – the No. 1 pick is very much in play, and you can’t get Will Levis without the No. 1 pick. Nathan Peterman leads a Bears team into Soldier Field for one last hurrah, and the snark will be overwhelming. But Nathan Peterman doesn’t care about snark. Nathan Peterman doesn’t sift through the QTs – Nathan Peterman spins the rock. So here’s to hoping that Nathan Peterman completes anywhere between 13 to 17 passes for anywhere between 180 and 220 yards. You deserve your moment in the sun, Nathan Peterman. Send the haters back to the shadows where they came from (Twitter).
Bears WR Chase Claypool vs. the growing Chase Claypool panic
Admittedly, I’m having a difficult time being patient about the Claypool trade. He has only started half the games he has appeared in and caught 12 balls for 111 yards with Chicago since the Bears acquired him for an early second-round pick. But as people smarter than me have pointed out, it hasn’t necessarily all been bad. Most of it has been though. Claypool is still being discussed as an essential part of the next successful Bears team’s wide receiver core, and I’m just … not sure that’s true? He deserves the patience that basically any talented player on offense has gotten this season, and being asked to reassure everyone of your abilities with Nathan Peterman slingin’ it (see above) in meaningless minutes is a tough ask. But maybe one or two flashes? Maybe a nice 12-yard snag on third-and-23? We’ll take what we can get.
You vs. the inevitable and cruel passage of time
At some point Sunday, you will look at the score bug and go, "Holy shit, there’s still 11 minutes left in the second quarter?" It’s bound to happen. You can't avoid your fate. My advice? Take that moment to appreciate that you’re still watching the Chicago Bears play football. Because around 3:15 p.m. Sunday, you won’t be, and the Sunday scaries will come rushing in with no end in sight. There’s no next game to flip to. No new tape to grind. The NFL offseason is a dark abyss that swallows us all whole and doesn’t relent until late summer’s golden light shines upon us, bringing renewed optimism and training camp notebooks. I’ll see you on the other side.
Cam Ellis is a writer for 670 The Score and Audacy Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KingsleyEllis.
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