The Chicago Bears wrapped up the month of December as one of the hottest teams in the entire league, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to secure a playoff berth.

As the Bears look ahead to their final week of the season against the Green Bay Packers, finishing the season on a high note seems to be now at the forefront of expectations.

Despite the overall outcome of the 2023 season, the Bears stunning turnaround this season, especially down the stretch, points toward good things coming the team's way in the near future.

The Bears played their best football over the past month of the season while having their backs against the wall. While it's not going to end with a playoff opportunity, the team should still be proud of the resiliency they showed.

The team went 3-1 in the final month of the calendar year, with all three wins coming at home. The Bears +42 point differential at home during December demonstrated that few teams will want to play at Soldier Field late in the season going forward. The Bears only December loss was a three point loss against the Cleveland Browns, who have now won four consecutive games.

That type of dominant late season stretch of games is something that is mainly shown by great teams in the NFL. While the Bears are still a ways away from being defined as such, it was a great outcome to see from an organizational standpoint.

"I really believe that our guys are coming together at the end here which is really cool to see," Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said on Monday. "We're playing our best football in December and now leading into January which I think is important for our future. The guys are continuing to have their eyes forward and being locked in for this particular week which is the Packers week to finish off the season."

The Bears locker room is the tightest it has ever been heading into 2024 with the majority of the roster comprised of young promising players who will be around in Chicago for years to come.

The team will have the opportunity to end the season on a high note against the Packers in Week 18 who will be needing a win to reach the playoffs. Despite the high stakes for the other sideline, the Bears will just be focusing on their job on Sunday, and that's closing out the season much differently than it began against their biggest rival.

"It's about finishing right and it's going to be about us," Eberflus said. "It's about the Chicago Bears going up to play our rival in the last week of the season. And to me, that's what it's about. Our guys are excited about it."

"I'm gonna keep it about us," Eberflus added when asked if the Bears will be looking to play spoiler against the Packers postseason hopes. "I really will. I always do. I'm just gonna keep it about us, our execution, the men in that locker room playing together playing for each other that brotherhood we have, and about us playing with the right passion and emotion."

Let's see if the Bears can kick off the new year with the same energy the previous calendar year ended off with and continue to build upon it during the 2024 season.

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