LAKE FOREST Chicago Bears T-Shirts , Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears are rolling into their first playoff appearance in eight years, with nine wins in 10 games and their sights set on a bigger prize after capturing the NFC North."This is where it gets real," coach Matt Nagy said Monday.From four straight last-place finishes to hosting a wild-card matchup against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, it's been quite a transformation for the Bears over the past 12 months. A busy offseason that started with former coach John Fox getting fired and ended with the blockbuster trade for Khalil Mack has paid off in a big way. Now, it seems anything is possible. But as far as Nagy is concerned, it's business as usual this week."Don't stay up later at night just because it's the playoffs," he said. "Why? Just do the normal stuff that you've been doing. It's been working. Why do you need to change it now, because it's the playoffs? No, just continue to do what you do."What the Bears (12-4) are doing seems to be working quite well. They more than doubled their win total after going 5-11 a year ago while posting their best regular-season record since the 2006 team went 13-3 and reached the Super Bowl.The Bears refused to let up in a 24-10 victory at Minnesota that knocked the Vikings out of the playoffs. They went with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky the whole way and only held out previously injured starters.With Philadelphia also beating Washington https://www.thebearsfanshop.com/hats , the Eagles claimed the final wild card over the Vikings. That sets up a playoff matchup with no shortage of story lines, starting with Nagy going against his friend Doug Pederson. The two worked together under Andy Reid in Philadelphia and Kansas City.Trubisky will be making his first playoff appearance, and there will be brothers on opposite sides — Bears guard Kyle Long and Eagles defensive end Chris Long."I'm happy for both of us and proud of him," Kyle Long said Sunday, after returning from a right foot injury that caused him to miss eight games. "They've had a tough start and they've battled back and they have an incredibly talented team, so it's going to be a tough game at home."It's been a tough road back to the playoffs for Chicago.The drought cost three coaches their jobs and led to shrinking crowds as fans' frustration mounted. Chicago is making its first playoff appearance since the 2010 season, when it won the division and lost to Green Bay in the NFC title game.The Bears fired Lovie Smith after going 10-6 in 2012 and continued to unravel from there. Marc Trestman lasted two seasons. Fox was let go after three seasons with a 14-34 record, a .292 winning percentage that ranked as the second-lowest in franchise history.But look at the Bears now.A team that started the season by blowing a 20-point lead against an injured Aaron Rodgers in a loss at Green Bay has its sights set on a Super Bowl run.The Bears gave up a league-low 17.7 points per game during the regular season and ranked third in total defense. No team forced as many turnovers (36) or intercepted as many passes (27). And though the offense has been inconsistent in Nagy's first year, there has been growth Chicago Bears Hoodie , particularly from Trubisky. He has a 109.7 rating over the past three games, completing just under 76 percent of his passes for three touchdowns without an interception."I am very proud of this team," Trubisky said. "This was a big turnaround from last year, being in the same locker room with these guys but having a whole different feeling. … Looking back, we have got 12 wins and we are playing at home in the playoffs, and we are excited for this next opportunity. If we keep doing what we are doing, hopefully we can do something special and keep rolling."NOTES: Nagy said he hopes Long can play the entire game after being in for 27 snaps on Sunday. … Nagy sounded optimistic WR Allen Robinson (ribs), S Eddie Jackson (ankle) and LB Aaron Lynch (elbow) will be available after missing the Minnesota game. "I'm hoping they're all ready to go," he said. … Nagy also downplayed the left shoulder injury WR Anthony Miller suffered against the Vikings Dion Sims Jersey , saying there's "nothing significant there." WR Taylor Gabriel also hurt his ribs, and DE Roy Robertson-Harris had "a little whiplash from enemy fire," Nagy said. The Chicago Bears have hired Jamie Kohl of Kohl’s Professional Camps, a service that trains kicking, punting and long snapping, to serve as a kicking consultant for the 2019 season. With eight..." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteWindy City GridironWindy City Gridiron - Being who you thought we were since 2005!Log In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsSectionsBearsOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Latest NewsThe Bears DenNotesXs and OsSuperfansFiled under:Latest NewsNewsNotesBears hire Jamie Kohl as a kicking consultant New,67commentsCDTShareTweetShareShareBears hire Jamie Kohl as a kicking consultant Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY SportsThe Chicago Bears have hired Jamie Kohl of Kohl’s Professional Camps, a service that trains kicking, punting and long snapping Tarik Cohen Color Rush Jersey , to serve as a kicking consultant for the 2019 season. With eight kickers at rookie mini-camp this weekend, it makes sense to have some eyes on the players, and considering the kicking woes in Chicago of late, having an extra coach around this year couldn't hurt. Today at Halas Hall. the Bears had all eight kickers working out on a separate field for a portion of the work-out, but they did bring the team together at the end of practice for some 43-yard field goal tries. I know I don’t have to explain the significance of that distance to you guys, Each kicker had one try with the players and coaches looking on in silence, and they went 2 for 8. Redford Jones and Spencer Evans were the only two to make it, meaning Chris Blewitt, Elliott Fry https://www.thebearsfanshop.com/James-Daniels-Jersey , John Baron II, Casey Bendarski, Emmit Carpenter, and Justin Yoon all missed. The Bear Report’s Zack Pearson said that Jones, Fry, and Bednarski were the three kickers that impressed the most on the day. One day into the offseason and there’s already some kicking drama in Chicago.