Is this Real Life? Chicago Bears beat the Packers to advance to Division Round!

[Stinger226]

I liken Caleb to being a great 3 point shooter but misses layups frequently. You can learn to hit the layups but being a great shooter is hard to find. 

What the hell will be the narrative if we make it to the super bowl? It might happen, some seasons just seem magical. Take away the drinking of coolaid and we have a great source of entertainment.

[BearFan PHX]

4 hours ago, AZ54 said:

So far this weekend I've watched a few playoff games.  I haven't seen one QB I'd prefer to have over Caleb although I'd say Josh Allen is an even swap.  Drake Maye...nothing much in 3 quarters, lots of bad passes.  Justin Herbert...even less production in 3 quarters although I think his supporting cast is poor.  The lIttle guy on the Panthers...nope.   Brock Purdy is good but doesn't have the same arm strength as Caleb and quite honestly that's a factor in Soldier Field weather.  Matthew Stafford is a great passer, can't run, but I'm also not going to swap the ascending QB for a guy who is likely to retire.   I don't know why it is but for the last 2 seasons Mahomes has not looked like the elite QB he was in his first few seasons.  Hurts...without a running game he's been exposed and cannot carry a passing game.  

I'm fully on board and expecting Caleb and this offense to hit another gear next year with better comp% and more consistency.   Or is that first elite game still waiting for us this season?  

I wouldnt trade Caleb for anyone. The thing is, he still has a way to go too. Where hes heading is gonna be incredible. "Generational" you might say LOL I wasnt one using that word, but i did defend other people using it when it was part of "Generational Prospect" because of his ceiling, now hes taking steps to become that player.

I do really think top 5 QB for Caleb next year is a likely goal.

[Mongo3451]

Caleb is one of one, ever.  I can say this because the 4th and 8 pass to the left was the first time I've ever seen a throw like that. (Not even Mahommes). While Caleb is inaccurate and doesn't see the open guy too much, he has that Reggie Miller (unconscious) mode. Thanks Stinger.  It drives me nuts.

Do I like other QBs better?  Yes, but only three. Young QBs, only one.  Would I trade him for that guy?  He'll no.  Caleb is a part of us now!  He's like Tin Cup, as in he may give us the greatest thing we've ever seen, but to fall short.  In this chapter of my life, I love it.

[adam]

10 hours ago, AZ54 said:

So far this weekend I've watched a few playoff games.  I haven't seen one QB I'd prefer to have over Caleb although I'd say Josh Allen is an even swap.  Drake Maye...nothing much in 3 quarters, lots of bad passes.  Justin Herbert...even less production in 3 quarters although I think his supporting cast is poor.  The lIttle guy on the Panthers...nope.   Brock Purdy is good but doesn't have the same arm strength as Caleb and quite honestly that's a factor in Soldier Field weather.  Matthew Stafford is a great passer, can't run, but I'm also not going to swap the ascending QB for a guy who is likely to retire.   I don't know why it is but for the last 2 seasons Mahomes has not looked like the elite QB he was in his first few seasons.  Hurts...without a running game he's been exposed and cannot carry a passing game.  

I'm fully on board and expecting Caleb and this offense to hit another gear next year with better comp% and more consistency.   Or is that first elite game still waiting for us this season?  

I honestly can't believe how lost Herbert looked, but then again, in big games, that is what he does.

Maye looked his age, which is fine given how young he is, but he basically had one good drive. Kind of easy when your defense allows 3 pts and a screen pass goes for 48 yards. I would take Maye over Herbert.

Purdy is the ultimate system QB, which is great in that system. That still makes him better than half the league, because there are guys that can't even do that.

Josh Allen is as close as they come, but if you compare Caleb's 2nd year as a pro and Allen's, Caleb is already better. We are comparing Caleb to Allen as 29yr old in his 8th season.

 

One of the best parts of this situation is we have the QB AND the Head Coach. That pairing is the key to long-term success, and I really think we have it. Now there is no concern about a new system every 1-2 years, the revolving door of coordinators, etc. None of that matters, because the core is set with Ben and Caleb.

[AZ54]

Nothing about the Chargers playoff performance made me think Harbaugh should have been our HC.  

[AZ54]

Josh Allen is as close as they come, but if you compare Caleb's 2nd year as a pro and Allen's, Caleb is already better. We are comparing Caleb to Allen as 29yr old in his 8th season.

 

Exactly. 

[AZ54]

https://www.nfl.com/news/ben-johnson-bears-packers-rivalry-wild-card-win-i-dont-like-that-team 

 

 

[Bears4Ever_34]

 

 

 

[adam]

5 minutes ago, Bears4Ever_34 said:

 

 

Absolutely bonkers, and Caleb had 283 Passing Yards in the 2nd half as well. 

[adam]

Caleb has broken analytics and stats in general. What he is doing doesn't compute, it is so funny. 

In the Wild Card round, here is where he ranked of all the QBs who have played so far:

1st in Passing Yards (361)
1st in Big Time Throws (6)
1st in 1st Downs (19)
1st in Sack Avoidance (95%)
2nd PFF Grade (77.3)
2nd EPA (+7.8)

yet he had a QB Rating of 71.6 and a QBR of 36.9. Both of those would indicate a subpar game. The main culprit is his Comp%, which was at 50%. He had the 2nd longest TTT, but only took 1 sack. Herbert had the highest TTT and took 6 sacks. It really is bonkers. 

I think that is what people are having trouble grasping, because if you are just box score watching, he looks fairly average.

There are 4 QBs in NFL history to throw for more than 350 Yards with a Comp% 55 or below: Kosar, Cunningham, Jackson, and Williams. Caleb is the only one to throw for 2 TDs, and the Bears were the only team to score more than 30 pts in that game.

[Stinger226]

2 hours ago, AZ54 said:

https://www.nfl.com/news/ben-johnson-bears-packers-rivalry-wild-card-win-i-dont-like-that-team 

 

 

We got the perfect storm, a coach that walks in and says Fu** the Packers in a post game locker room. GB fans are saying how disrespectful that is. I love this stuff. Glad we didn't jump on Harbaugh or Zabel, I wanted both of them at one time.

[Bears4Ever_34]

18 minutes ago, adam said:

Caleb has broken analytics and stats in general. What he is doing doesn't compute, it is so funny. 

In the Wild Card round, here is where he ranked of all the QBs who have played so far:

1st in Passing Yards (361)
1st in Big Time Throws (6)
1st in 1st Downs (19)
1st in Sack Avoidance (95%)
2nd PFF Grade (77.3)
2nd EPA (+7.8)

yet he had a QB Rating of 71.6 and a QBR of 36.9. Both of those would indicate a subpar game. The main culprit is his Comp%, which was at 50%. He had the 2nd longest TTT, but only took 1 sack. Herbert had the highest TTT and took 6 sacks. It really is bonkers. 

I think that is what people are having trouble grasping, because if you are just box score watching, he looks fairly average.

There are 4 QBs in NFL history to throw for more than 350 Yards with a Comp% 55 or below: Kosar, Cunningham, Jackson, and Williams. Caleb is the only one to throw for 2 TDs, and the Bears were the only team to score more than 30 pts in that game.

He really is starting to break conventional wisdom. The way he plays it's become a trade off of efficiency for explosiveness, and it's working. To analogize it to the NBA, it's sort of akin to how modern day offenses would rather you take a higher volume of 3's and shoot it at a 35% clip than taking more 2's and making 45% of them. 

Caleb can get away with having a lower completion % because he's hitting the bigger plays downfield, and he makes throws nobody else can make outside of Patrick Mahomes. When you combine that with how well he takes care of the football, this is the result you get. That's why he was the consensus #1 pick for 2 years in a row at USC.

[Stinger226]

The narrative sure has changed.