Reflections on a Strange Win

This afternoon's defeat of the Bears was such an emotionally confusing game for me that I don't have a coherent stream of thought about it yet. Accordingly, let me share some random observations, instead:

1) First, the emotional confusion. We started so strong -- on both offense and defense -- that it was an exhilirating game at first. The team gradually let the air out of my balloon, however, when they seemed to let up in their intensity. The defense became vanilla. The offense lacked rhythm. Rodgers was missing open men. Next thing I knew, the Bears had the lead and the momentum, and I feared another embarrassing road loss, a la Tampa Bay. Then the interception and ensuing touchdown restored my hope. But then Mason Crosby robbed me of my enthusiasm, replacing it with worry, when he missed the chance to make it a two possession game. Then came Lovie Smith's boneheaded timeout/challenge combination, followed by a reawakened Packer defense. Finally, a couple of kneeldowns by Rodgers completed the victory, but I found myself feeling more relieved than thrilled.

2) Was it the church lady on Saturday Night Live that used to say, "Isn't that special?" That's the tone of voice in which I hear the word "special" when reference is made to our "special teams." This week, at least, we managed not to give up a big momentum-changing kick return. But another missed field goal by Mason Crosby makes me wonder if he's going to cost us a game when we get to the playoffs. It seems that anything over 35 yards for this guy is a crapshoot.

3) I don't think that Rodgers played especially well today. It's nice to know that we can win even when he isn't throwing TDs.

4) I continue to be proud of and impressed by our defense. We held the Bears to just two touchdowns, and the one came after a turnover (Was it a fumble? Was it an interception?) and a short field for Chicago. And the defense continues to be effective sans Aaron Kampman and Al Harris, plus Ryan Pickett was also missing today. That's a sign of a good scheme.

5) I like the mental toughness I saw. On the road, overcoming negative momentum, in spite of a lackluster offensive performance -- that's a good win.

6) In addition to raising our Win-Loss record, this win was also important as it raised our in-Conference record to 7-3. That may be important for us as a tie-breaker in the Wild Card race.

7) Finally, now that we've won this game, I'm more inclined to cheer for the Giants tonight against the Eagles.