12 Thoughts On The Bears' Destruction Of The Jaguars

Dhruv Koul shares his in-game reactions, thoughts and observations from the crucial Bears-Jaguars game at TIAA Bank Stadium.  Follow him on Twitter @DhruvKoul to continue the conversation. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Chicago Bears were given a belated holiday gift on Saturday night, courtesy of the San Francisco 49ers.  Kyle Shanahan's depleted, broken, and death-marching team went into State Farm Stadium and pretty much dominated the Arizona Cardinals, opening the door for the Bears to control their own playoff destiny.

Here are the Bears' updated playoff scenarios:

• Win out (at JAX, vs. GB)
• Win one game (at JAX, vs. GB); ARI loses next Sunday to LA

But the best news of all for Chicago heading into today's game in Jacksonville was that they controlled their own playoff destiny.  They needed to beat the Jaguars today to keep control and set up a win-and-in in Week 17 at home.  Could the new-look Bears deliver?

In the end, the Bears overcame a sloppy first half to dominate the Jaguars 41-17.  It sets up a win-and-in next Sunday against Green Bay at Soldier Field.  What a remarkable turnaround for this team. I shared my in-game reactions, thoughts and observations from the game below.  Follow me on Twitter @DhruvKoul to continue the conversation.

Thoughts and Observations

1.  (PREGAME) Mike Glennon is starting at QB for the Jaguars -- it's officially the Mike Glennon Revenge Game!  Rookie sensation RB James Robinson is also out for Jacksonville, meaning the already-bad Jaguars are further depleted on offense.

The Bears really, really should win this game handily.  Like I said in my Pregame Thoughts thread above, domination on both sides of the ball should be expected to confirm to us that the Bears' recent spell of play is real. 2.  The Jaguars got the ball on offense first and, honestly a bit shockingly, drove down the field (converting two clutch third downs) before stalling out in the red zone for a FG to go up 3-0.  Unsurprisingly, Chuck Pagano made some questionable choices in allowing the third downs to be picked up.  He really needs to get this cleaned up/fixed before the Bears take on a better team.

However, the offense responded splendidly by driving 75 yards in 10 plays to go up 7-3, with the finishing play being a slant to Jimmy Graham thrown between two defenders.  Mitch looked sharp enough, and David Montgomery added a chunk run.

3.  The Bears drove down the field on their second drive and got to the 1/2 yard line.  First and goal at the 1/2 yard line.  And they kicked a field goal.  That is, frankly, inexcusable against any defense, but especially so against the Jaguars. Of course, the defense had no answers for quick out routes from the Jaguars all the way down the field, and Mike Glennon's beautiful toss to D.J. Chark from 20 yards tied the game at 10 midway through the second quarter.  Yes, that's right, it's almost halftime and the Bears are tied with the Jaguars.

Can the Bears justify going into next week, forget about next season, with Pagano as their DC?  The lack of adjustments and poor base calls are killing this defense. 4.  That was about as ugly a sequence to finish the first half as I've seen in a long time.  Mitch Trubisky drove the Bears down from his own red zone to the JAX red zone, and with about 30 seconds left, took a 1st and 10 snap and chucked it into trillion-coverage in the end zone for an INT to kill a promising drive.  It was one of the worst mistakes a Bears QB has made this season -- and there have been plenty.

(He can't, because he keeps making dumb mistakes like that that kill drives and potentially change games.) Luckily for the Bears, Mike Glennon gave it right back -- throwing a pick over the middle to Roquan Smith.  However, Smith was injured on the return, and it did not look good.  Hopefully he is OK -- the Bears really, really need him.

Thankfully, Cairo Santos was able to nail a 40-yarder as the clock expired.  He's now made 24 straight field goals, and is in line for a nice extension.  He has to be -- it's so well deserved.  Bears lead 13-10 after the madness. However... 5.  The Bears did not look like a playoff team in the first half, whatsoever.  They would do well to wake up and make adjustments at halftime.  I imagine Matt Nagy has certain words he'd like to convey to his defensive coordinator and his quarterback.

(I was pulled away from coverage after halftime, so my remaining observations are from catching up on snippets of tape.) 6.  Trubisky is extremely lucky to have not gifted the Jaguars a 14-point swing at the beginning of the third quarter... but a good recovery drive from him and the offense put the Bears up 27-10. 7.  Allen Robinson was unguardable on third down.  The Bears really need to figure out a way to keep him.  He and Darnell Mooney are outstanding WRs 1 and 2.  Unfortunately, the Bears' schematic changes make Anthony Miller an outcast, so they may try to recoup some value from him in the offseason. 8.  Roquan Smith is elite.  Two tremendous INTs today.  Glad to see he was healthy, too. 9.  David Montgomery appreciation tweet:

10.  It got so crazy that:

But honestly, the second half was exactly what the Bears needed (and their fans needed) to see.  A domination of a team they absolutely should dominate.  It sets up a whole new vibe for next week's finale against the Packers at Soldier Field.

11.  Overall, I'm not sure what Matt Nagy said to his team at halftime, but it worked.  A total evisceration.  The guy can coach, folks.

12.  Here we are, the Bears are 8-7 and make the playoffs next Sunday with a win over Green Bay (or a Cardinals loss to the Rams).  The Bears took care of business today, and looked good doing so, especially in the second half.  Depending on what happens with Rams-Seahawks and Titans-Packers tonight, we'll see what kind of team/effort Green Bay puts forth next Sunday.  But the Bears shouldn't care -- go out and win no matter what.  Can they?  I'll need to see them in action tonight before I can make my real pick... Early prediction:  Packers 24, Bears 20.