There are different ways of dealing with a painful loss that ends a season.
Some teams try to move on without dwelling on what happened in the past. Other teams choose to use the memory of the loss as a driver for the future.
The Bears have opted for door No. 2. They lost to the Eagles 16-15 in the playoffs in a game that will always be remembered for Bears kicker Cody Parkey’s double doink missed field goal on the final play.
Running back Tarik Cohen said on Mad Dog Sports Radio that head coach Matt Nagy showed the team the end of that loss “often” in team meetings this offseason.
“He just shows us the last seconds of the game,” Cohen said. “He shows us the crowd reaction, our reaction from the sideline, and he just tells us to never forget that hurt. We want to get back to that place, but have a different outcome. That drives us and motivates us to get through the practice every day.”
Parkey’s miss has gotten the most attention and driven a somewhat quixotic search for a new kicker this offseason, but there were also offensive shortcomings throughout the game and a late touchdown drive by the Eagles that helped seal Chicago’s fate. Being better in all phases will be necessary for the Bears to take the next step this season and we’ll see if reliving a bad day helps bring that to life.