Rabbit with a gun: First-place Bears determined to play harder as the hunted

Bears defensive lineman Akiem Hicks returned to Halas Hall from a mini-vacation of sunshine and salt baths in Miami, feeling “recuperated” and ready to get back to work.

And, even with both eyes focused on the Giants on Sunday at the Meadowlands, Hicks was willing to — just a little bit — bask in the national attention and recognition the Bears are getting as this year’s Cinderella team.

A year ago, the Bears were 3-8, and all they had to play for was John Fox’s job and Mitch Trubisky’s experience. Two years ago, the Bears were 2-9 and headed toward a 3-13 finish. Now they’re 8-3, leading the NFC North, ranked from fourth to eighth in various power ratings and getting serious consideration as playoff contenders.

“It’s so nice to see the other side,” Hicks said. “We had our dog days and the tough struggles, and now we’re on the other side, and everything’s just a little bit prettier. My dad is from the South, and he has this saying: ‘It ain’t no fun when the rabbit got the gun.’ It’s a great feeling.”

The challenge for the Bears is to build on the progress they’ve made under coach Matt Nagy that has given them a 1½-game lead over the Vikings (6-4-1) in the division with five games to play.

And now they have to do it as a team that is expected to be in the playoffs instead of a “team to watch.” It’s an interesting and fluid dynamic — the rabbit suddenly getting the gun. The Bears spent much of the season fueled by a lack of respect and recognition around the league. And now that they’re getting it, they have to ignore it and do everything they can to avoid getting caught up in playoff scenarios, Pro Bowl votes, postseason awards and people telling them how great they are.

“You’ve got to remember what got you here,” Hicks said. “You’ve got to remember the work and the time that you invested to get to this point. And, I guess, why stop now? When you’re on top of the division, why pull back?”

Or, as right tackle Bobby Massie put it: “We’re getting attention because we’re playing well. You can’t buy into all the b.s., all the praise and everything because you start listening to that, and you lose focus on the job at hand. Then they’ll be talking [crap] about you again because you suck again. You have to stay humble and keep your eyes on the prize and take it one game at a time.”

This week provides an early test of that focus. They play the 3-8 Giants ahead of a possible playoff preview the next week against the Rams on ‘‘Sunday Night Football’’ at Soldier Field.

“Two weeks out, three weeks out, I don’t even know who we play at certain times,” wide receiver Allen Robinson said. “It’s not really hard [to do]. And I think I can say the same for everybody in the locker room. We’re locked in each and every weekend, week to week.”

The Bears are favorites to win the NFC North and still have a chance at a first-round bye if they can beat the Rams and get help. They’re taking it one game at a time, but many of them know what’s at stake in the big picture.

“At this point, home-field advantage sounds like a good thing,” Massie said. “[But] you have to win every game in order to get that. So you can’t look forward and think, ‘What if?’ It’s one game at a time and get the job done, and it’ll come.”