Bears' finish is a start

Bears' finish is a start
December 23
Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mike Mulligan
"The Bears have talked all season long about finishing games. They’ve talked about it after failing to close out wins on defense early in the year. They’ve talked about it after marching down the field to glory on offense, as they did a week ago against the New Orleans Saints.

The whole season has been one giant finishing school.

Ditto for the Green Bay Packers, who’ve liked just about everything about Brett Favre’s old understudy, Aaron Rodgers, except for the way victory has eluded him in close games. Is Rodgers a closer? Can he finish?

It was a crucial topic of conversation Monday night when overtime was needed to keep the Bears’ playoff hopes alive after a wild finish to regulation that included a late touchdown drive by Kyle Orton, who had thrown two interceptions in the second half before rallying his team in the final minutes. But that wasn’t enough for the cardiac Bears. They blocked a 38-yard field goal attempt with 18 seconds left to force the extra period.

It was the second consecutive overtime game for the Brears, who gave up a 17-point lead in the second half against the Saints but rallied for a tying field goal and won in overtime.

Orton was a new man in OT, completing a first-down pass to tight end Greg Olsen on the opening play that brought 17 yards and another 15 after a horse-collar tackle by Packers safety Aaron Rouse. A 14-yard completion to Matt Forte set up a 38-yard game-winning field goal from Robbie Gould with 11:28 left.

It was a remarkable finish for the Bears, whose playoff wagon seemed to really be gaining speed, right up to the point where the Bears had to take care of business themselves. They’ve put added pressure on the Minnesota Vikings, who face the New York Giants at the Metrodome next Sunday. If the Vikings lose and the Bears handle their business at Houston, then the Bears would finish as the No. 3 seed in the NFC and host a playoff game, most likely against Tampa Bay. If the Bears and Vikings win, the Bears still can make the playoffs as a wild-card team if the Dallas Cowboys lose at Philadelphia and the Bucs fall to the visiting Oakland Raiders. The Bears would then be the No. 6 seed.

‘‘We weren’t playing well,’’ Orton said. ‘‘We weren’t running the ball well, and we weren’t throwing it well. But we recognized this was our season. It was all on the line.’’

The unlikely victory over Green Bay came in the coldest Bears game since they started keeping track of such things back in 1963. It was equally one of the most bitter, too, in the early going, as the Bears seemed to lack urgency despite the stakes."
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