3 Takeaways from Bears' Week 16 Win

The Chicago Bears' midseason struggles are far behind them. And now they could be on their way to the playoffs for only the second time in 10 seasons.

On Sunday, the Bears used a big second half to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars 41-17 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville. It was Chicago's third straight victory after it had lost six games in a row before that.

With the game tied late in the first half, Cairo Santos gave the Bears a 13-10 halftime lead with a 40-yard field goal. That started a run of 31 straight points for Chicago, which scored three touchdowns in the third quarter and another in the fourth.

The Bears are currently the No. 7 seed in the NFC, which is the third and final wild-card berth in the conference. Chicago will close the regular season with a home matchup against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

Here are three takeaways from the Bears' win on Sunday afternoon.

The Bears Offense Is on Its Best Run in a Long Time

Stephen B. Morton/Associated Press

The Bears have scored at least 30 points in four straight games. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the last time that Chicago had done that was in 1965, which was Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers' rookie season.

Chicago's offense wasn't trending in the right direction during its six-game losing streak, especially after losing quarterback Nick Foles to a hip injury. However, Mitchell Trubisky has impressed since taking back the starting job, which he's held on to even with Foles healthy.

Trubisky went 24-of-35 for 265 yards and two touchdowns, and he also had a rushing touchdown. The Bears got big games from running back David Montgomery (95 rushing yards and a touchdown), wide receiver Allen Robinson II (10 catches for 103 yards) and tight end Jimmy Graham (four receptions for 69 yards and two touchdowns).

"It all starts with an expectation, just having a high expectation for us in this offense that, 'This is what we’re capable of and nothing less is going to be acceptable,'" Trubisky said, according to Mark Long of the Associated Press.

Chicago is 4-1 this season when scoring at least 30 points. So, if the Bears offense can keep it going, it could mean good things for them as the playoffs draw closer.

Smith Continues Big Year Leading Chicago's Defense

Stephen B. Morton/Associated Press

Earlier this week, Roquan Smith wasn't selected to the Pro Bowl, even though he's been having an impressive third season in the NFL. Despite the snub, the 23-year-old linebacker kept his strong 2020 going against the Jaguars.

Not only did Smith collect a team-high eight tackles and two pass deflections, he also notched a pair of interceptions against Jacksonville quarterback Mike Glennon, who played for Chicago in 2017. Smith became the first Bears linebacker to have two interceptions in a game since Lance Briggs in 2008, per historian Jack M. Silverstein.

Smith helped Chicago hold Jacksonville to 279 total yards. And the Jags didn't score a point in the second half until Glennon threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Laviska Shenault Jr. with 4 minutes, 29 seconds to go, when the game was already out of hand.

Through 15 games, Smith has a career-high 136 tackles. He also had only two interceptions in his first 42 games, so he doubled his career total on Sunday afternoon.

The Bears Control Their Playoff Destiny in Week 17

Gary McCullough/Associated Press

When the Bears' six-game losing streak dropped them to 5-7, the playoffs appeared out of reach. However, things have quickly changed, and entering Week 17, Chicago is in control of its postseason destiny.

It helped that the Arizona Cardinals lost to the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday. After Chicago won, it left both it and Arizona with 8-7 records heading into the final week of the regular season. And the Bears own their tiebreaker with the Cardinals due to a better win percentage in games against common opponents.

Now, Chicago can solidify its spot in the postseason with a win over the Packers at home in Week 17. The Bears would also be heading to the playoffs if the Cardinals lose to the Los Angeles Rams on the road on Sunday. Arizona needs a win to get into the postseason; if the Bears, Cardinals and Rams all end up 9-7, it'd be Los Angeles as the odd team out.

"We're guaranteed one more game, nothing else," Chicago head coach Matt Nagy said, per Long. "If we do well in that one game, then we'll have an opportunity for more. But we can't worry about that. We just worry about us."

Although the Packers are 12-3, they still have motivation to win in Week 17, as they have yet to secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Bears lost 41-25 when the NFC North rivals faced off in Green Bay in Week 12, so they'll be looking for revenge at a crucial time.