Sunday had all the makings of a disappointing let down for the Bears in their game against the 3-12 Cardinals. The Bears were coming off a demoralizing collapse against the Browns. Their playoff dreams were all but dash. And they were down several key players.
The Bears entered the game without starting left guard Teven Jenkins (concussion) and running back D’Onta Foreman (personal). Starting tight end Cole Kmet played through a quadriceps injury that popped up on Thursday’s injury report.
Kmet was in obvious pain throughout the first half, but he gutted through it en route to a career-best 107 receiving yards on four catches.
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“I fully trust Cole,” said Justin Fields after the game. “Cole’s a great player.”
Fields called it an easy decision to huck the deep ball to Kmet that resulted in a 53-yard gain. It was a great decision since Kmet made an incredible adjustment to the ball to haul in the catch. The play also provided the spark for the Bears’ first touchdown.
Kmet grimaced after seemingly every catch before a knee injury ultimately ended his day in the second quarter. He wasn’t the only man playing through pain, either. DJ Moore hurt his ankle on the second play from scrimmage and was initially deemed questionable to return. But by the end of the Bears’ very next drive, Moore was back on the field.
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"I was hurting, of course, but then I thought, 'Dang, it's Christmas Eve. Why not just go out there and play?'" Moore said.
Moore didn’t stuff the stat sheet quite like Kmet– he only had three catches for 18 yards. After the injury it seemed like he was playing the decoy role for the most part. But he came through for a pivotal catch on third-and-four with just over two minutes left in the game. The catch essentially sealed the win for the Bears since it gave the team a first down, forced the Cardinals to burn all three of their timeouts and set up a Cairo Santos chip shot to put the Bears up by two scores.
“Not surprising at all,” said head coach Matt Eberflus about Moore’s ability to play through the pain. “Not surprising to me. He is one of the toughest guys on our football team and he’s very talented. That’s a really good recipe for being a Chicago Bear. Those are the kind of guys we like.”
Those last two lines might sound like throwaway Coach Speak, but they’re relevant as the Bears season winds down. The playoffs really aren’t on the table for the team. They’re just trying to stack wins to take momentum into the offseason. They’re continuing to fight to build a culture.
The Bears– like any football team– want gamers on their roster, not quitters. Two years into their tenure, GM Ryan Poles and Eberflus have identified Kmet and Moore as players who embody those ideals. On Sunday, Kmet and Moore led by example. They gritted their teeth and competed.
One can look back over the Bears season with disappointment for missed opportunities. If the Bears hadn’t blown three double-digit fourth quarter leads, they’d be right in the middle of the playoff mix. Good teams win those games and the Bears looked really bad in those losses. One can also look back over the Bears season and see growth compared to 2022. Last year, the Bears would’ve found a way to lose to the Cardinals, just like they lost other close games. But the Bears haven’t folded this year, just like they didn’t fold last year.
Guys like Kmet and Moore are setting a standard and by all accounts the rest of the team is buying into the process.