Twice already this season, the Bears under coach John Fox have been in position to pull even with their win-loss record, no mean feat for a team that began the season spotting the NFL a three-game lead on themselves.
But Fox has alluded to prosperity being as difficult to handle as adversity, and both times with .500 within their grasp, the Bears failed. Both times they were coming off impressive road victories and two-game win streaks only to lose and stumble backwards.
It is not a new problem. The 2013 Bears stood 8-6 and would have reached the playoffs in Marc Trestman’s first season with a win in either of their final two games.