The Bears need no more lessons in humility.
Humility is a virtue they pretty well have mastered this season.
Limping off the field, flailing at opposing running backs, yielding double-digit points . . . the Bears have returned to the scene of that crime too often.
Exacting revenge, demonstrating dominance, displaying on-field arrogance-now those are a few qualities that could get them off this late-season treadmill.
Sunday’s 40-3 shellacking of the Bears by the Green Bay Packers was as humiliating as having your older brother beat you up for no reason other than to demonstrate that he still can.
The Minnesota Vikings humbled the Bears 42-14 on Sept. 18. The Philadelphia Eagles ran off to a 30-0 third-quarter lead early in the season before virtually conceding 22 fourth-quarter points to the Bears.
Oh, yes, the Bears know how it feels to be humbled.
The Packers have had the Bears’ number this year-73-9 (they trounced them 33-6 on Halloween night). Those whippings have no redeeming value for the Bears. Not with two games left in the regular season.
“It’s something about December,” said cornerback Donnell Woolford of his team’s two-game slide. “I’ll be darned if we lose the rest of our games like last year. We’re a much better team. For us to do that would really put a damper on the season.”
The Bears host the Los Angeles Rams (4-10) and New England Patriots (8-6) to wind up the regular season. Mathematically, the Bears (8-6) still could win the NFC Central, and they also could miss the playoffs altogether.
Obviously, the Bears do not match up well against the Packers.
“I don’t know, but that’s an interesting theory,” said Bears offensive tackle Andy Heck. “We’re extremely disappointed. We felt this was a game that not only could we win, but that we would win. We came out and just fell flat on our face. When it came down to execution, they just outperformed us.”
The Packers whipped the Bears by a greater two-game margin in 1962. The Packers swept the Bears 49-0 and 38-7, for a total of 87-7.
Coach Dave Wannstedt says he’s a “glass-is-half-full” guy. He’s more concerned about his team’s immediate future than its recent past.
“Ten wins will get us in, and I still believe that’s what we’re going to need,” Wannstedt said. “We’ve got eight, we’ve got two games left, and before we can get 10, we’ve got to get to nine.
“If this loss (to the Packers) would have happened, like it somewhat did earlier in the year, it would be a situation where you’d start looking at every angle, what you could possibly do from the standpoint as far as scheme, personnel and effort.
“But with two games to go in the season, you’re just trying to get a win at this point. We put this behind us as fast as we can. We looked at the film to correct the mental things, and we’re really looking at it as a loss, one where we did not play very well, and now it’s behind us and it’s on to the Rams.”
Wannstedt still likes his team’s chances to win the last two games and make the playoffs.
“As I told the team, if back in July you would have said that we had a two-game season to determine the fortunes of our football team, playing both games at home, one against the Rams and one against New England, we would have taken that opportunity back then.”
With no playoff opportunity, the Rams figure to be loose Sunday.
“It can be different, but it goes both ways,” Wannstedt said. “When you’re playing a team that’s not in the playoffs, your game plan is different. You have to be prepared for them going for it on fourth down. Blitzing more. Who knows?”
The Rams beat the Bears 20-6 in the season finale last year in Anaheim. Jerome Bettis ran for 146 yards.
