Sorry, Bears fans.
To be completely honest, the Mike Glennon signing seemed reasonable at the time. No one was quite sure what he would bring to the team, but it was expected that he would be a mediocre one or two-year starter. Ryan Pace did not give him the money normally allotted to a starting quarterback, so all seemed right.
As it turns out, however, he wasn’t a mediocre starting quarterback. Glennon wasn’t even close to being one.
Glennon was signed as the first option at quarterback in the 2017 season. Given the Bears draft position (3rd pick), no one knew whether they were going to be able to land their number one quarterback. Therefore, Glennon was signed to ensure that the quarterback room, which underwent a total overhaul, had an occupant.
Game One: Falcons @ Bears
If there is one game in which the Bears lost that fans can pitch a fit over, this is it. Make no mistake about it, the Bears should have won this game.
The Bears played the defending NFC champions tight all game, finishing the second half 10-10 after a Jordan Howard touchdown run. The game looked like it was starting to get away from Chicago in the fourth quarter after a blown coverage led to an 88-yard touchdown reception by Austin Hooper. Quentin Demps (remember him?), the only guy back defending, was stiff-armed into oblivion by the Falcons tight end, capping off the play.
However, the Bears battled back. A quick touchdown pass to Tarik Cohen made it a three-point game. After a Matt Bryant field goal, the Bears had a chance to start the 2017 season off on a high note.
Having 20 seconds to get five yards for a win, the Bears failed. Joshua Bellamy dropped a first down pass. Was he held? Yes, but it wasn’t called. Jordan Howard dropped a second down pass. Glennon fired wide on third down. Glennon was sacked on fourth down, sealing the Bears’ fate. Chicago fell at the hands of the dirty birds by a score of 23-17.
Game Two: Bears @ Buccaneers
Make no mistake about it, this was the worst loss of the 2017 season. There is no excuse for the Bears to be losing to a team like the Buccanneers, nevertheless being embarrassed.
The Bears didn’t score until the dying moments of the fourth when Deonte Thompson caught a touchdown pass. Fun Fact: Thompson is playing in the playoffs today. The Bears are not.
The Bears turned the ball over four times in Tampa Bay, including two interceptions from Glennon. Glennon also lost a fumble in that game, as did Tarik Cohen. One of those interceptions, which took place in the latter half of the second quarter, went back for six. Glennon horrifically underthrew Joshua Bellamy, and Robert McClain returned the interception for a score.
Tampa Bay finished this season with the same record as the Bears, which makes this loss even more embarrassing. Dirk Koetter, one of the surprising coaches not fired, thoroughly outcoached John Fox in this matchup. Tampa Bay knocked off Chicago 29-7.
Game Three: Steelers @ Bears
The Steelers were a questionable call away from being the AFC’s one seed. The Bears won their matchup against them. There is still no logical reason as to how Pittsburgh let that happen.
This game may go down in history as the Marcus Cooper game. Chicago’s new defensive back did his best Leon Lett imitation, celebrating way too soon after corraling a blocked kick and getting stripped before he scored the touchdown. It’s not an exaggeration when it is stated that this is the most boneheaded play in the history of the Bears.
Perhaps the Bears got lucky, as the Steelers batted the ball out of the end zone, which should have been a safety. Instead, the Bears got three points, extending their lead to 10.
Pittsburgh managed to come back in the second half, with a sizable assist from a late Glennon interception. The game was sent to overtime tied at 17. On Chicago’s first drive, Tarik Cohen’s 73-yard touchdown run seemed to have ended the game. However, after review, Cohen stepped out of bounds at the 37-yard line. All hope was not lost, however, as Jordan Howard ended the game just a few plays later with a 19-yard scramble.
The Bears actually thoroughly outplayed the Steelers in this contest, which is why the overtime result is somewhat surprising. A win is a win, however, and the Bears got that.
Game Four: Bears @ Packers
This was another game which would be great to forget.
The only moments worth remembering in this game were the brutal hit by Danny Trevathan and the lightning delay which disgruntled Thursday Night Football crowds.
Was the hit dirty? You make the call. Either way, this brutal hit knocked Davante Adams out, concussing him. Trevathan was later suspended for two games because of this hit, though it was reduced to one game upon appeal.
Adams actually scored prior to this hit, connecting with Aaron Rodgers for a five-yard score. Given how this game went, that virtually ended it. The Packers were up 14-0 just seconds later, and all wind was taken out of Chicago’s sails by that point.
Both Kendall Wright and Jordan Howard did find the end zone for the Bears, but it didn’t matter. Aaron Rodgers outdueled Mike Glennon (shocker, I know), and the Packers defeated the Bears rather handily.