A cliche former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick consistently turned to at this time of year was the idea that “football season starts after Thanksgiving.”That was easy to say when Tom Brady was his quarterback and there was a good chance the Patriots would be playing deep into January or even February. For the Chicago Bears, their season is close to being over after losing a fifth consecutive game, falling to the Minnesota Vikings 30-27 in overtime Sunday at Soldier Field.The Bears (4-7) are mired in last place in the NFC North. They are twice as close to the No. 1 draft pick — two games ahead of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants, who are tied for the worst record in the league — than they are to third place in their division. That’s right, the Bears are four games behind the Green Bay Packers, five back of the Vikings and six behind the Detroit Lions, whom they face Thursday at Ford Field.The Bears won’t wind up with the No. 1 draft pick for the...
