Bears Playing The Only Card They Have: The Underdog

Nobody is giving the Chicago Bears a chance. Heck, a lot of NFL fans may not even realize the Bears are in the playoffs.

But the Bears like it that way. Or so say they say, entering Sunday's game vs. the New Orleans Saints.

‘‘We’ve got nothing to lose,’’ quarterback Mitch Trubisky said this week, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. ‘‘We know everybody is overlooking us. They have the back half of the season. I think we’ve been just playing with that edge, that chip on our shoulder. We don’t have anything to lose.’’

The Bears finished the regular season with a record of 8-8. They also sort of backed into the playoffs, making the cut only because the Arizona Cardinals lost. Meanwhile, the Saints went 12-4 and are 9 1/2 point favorites.

To which, the Bears say, "So what?"

‘‘People always say to count us out,’’ receiver Anthony Miller said. ‘‘But we’ve got a strong group of guys that are ready to compete. We’re just ready to play on Sunday.’’

Bears coach Matt Nagy admitted some of the players may be using the underdog card to help motivate themselves.

‘‘The way we look at this is that you’re just talking about a belief in each other,’’ Nagy said. ‘‘I think that’s the only thing that you can really worry about. Our record is 8-8. They have their own record. They have their own success and their own history, so that’s why that is what it is. . . .

‘‘Each person — every player, every coach — has their own type of motivation. For us, I really believe that it just comes down to one thing: belief in each other. When you believe in each other, whether that’s the coaches or the players or vice versa, great things can happen in those three hours.’’

Written by
Sam Amico spent 15 years covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated, FOX Sports and NBA.com, along with a few other spots, and currently runs his own basketball website on the side, FortyEightMinutes.com.