CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears have made a habit out of comeback victories.
A late 38-yard field goal by Cairo Santos lifted the Bears to a 20-19 win over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whom at one point led 13-0 in the first half.
For the Bears, it marked their third win of the season after trailing by double digits, which is tied for the most wins in a team’s first five games in NFL history, according to Elias — the Philadelphia Eagles were the last team to do it in 2014.
The only other time the Bears have had that many come-from-behind victories in their first five games was in 1985 when Chicago won its lone Super Bowl title.
At 4-1, the Bears still don’t resemble a true Super Bowl contender, but coach Matt Nagy’s team is on their way to challenge for a playoff berth.
The Bears finally beat a good team, which is a much-needed confidence booster heading into the long weekend.
QB breakdown: Nick Foles made the throws when he needed to. Foles guided the Bears down the field to set up Santos’ game-winning field goal, and finished the night 30-of-42 for 243 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. Foles had several noticeable gaffes throughout the game — one bad missed pass to Darnell Mooney comes to mind — but Foles kept his poise at the end. That marks two of three weeks Chicago has played winning football under Foles, who appears to be in no danger of losing his job.
Promising trend: Veteran tight end Jimmy Graham keeps catching touchdowns. Graham recorded his fourth touchdown reception of the year with a sensational one-handed grab near the back left corner of the end zone. Graham is presently tied with Baltimore’s Mark Andrews for the second most touchdown catches in the NFL, behind only Green Bay’s Robert Tonyan (5). Graham also is tied with Martellus Bennett (2014) for the most touchdown receptions by a Bears tight end from Weeks 1-5 since 1970.
Troubling trend: Through five games, the Bears have not scored in the third quarter. Chicago’s offense is suspect in general, but its third quarter woes are particularly alarming. The Bears had painstakingly wrestled momentum back from the Bucs before halftime only to come out of the flat — yet again — in the third quarter.
Return of the Mack: The former NFL Defensive Player of the Year was a force to be reckoned with on Thursday night. Mack turned up the heat on Brady most of the game, and even hip-tossed 320-pound Bucs tackle Tristan Wirfs for good measure after a sack. Mack finished the night with three tackles and two sacks. It was — by far — Mack’s most impactful performance of the young season.