Thoughts on a 17-9 win against the Rams …

A win is a win is a win.

So yes: The Bears were victorious yesterday afternoon at Solider Field. And yes: A part of me, after seeing their remaining four games (even if there’s no way they’re going to run the table to 9-7), had a feeling that maybe, just maybe the Bears could sneak into the playoff conversation if they run the table.

But looking at this game for what it really was, there’s simply no reason to believe this team is any better than it’s been the last several weeks. They dropped a 1-10 squad to 1-11, and a victory was still in doubt until Kyle Boller threw an incomplete pass in Bears territory on fourth down with 17 seconds to go. The Bears did not beat the Rams. They simply held them off. If the Rams’ offense showed any real competency, it’s possible we’re talking about another loss here.

But we are not. These Chicago Bears, after not winning a game in over a month, are winners for a week. Let’s embrace that, huh?

Back to the basics.

David Haugh makes the fairly obvious in this morning’s Tribune: the Bears, after hearing Brian Urlacher’s comments about their lost identity early last week, returned to the Bears of old. The defense gave up no touchdowns. They recovered a fumble and tallied an interception.

The offense leaned on the run game the most it has since the first game of the season a year ago — 65 percent of plays from the line of scrimmage were on the ground. Matt Forte had 91 yards on 24 rushes and a touchdown for a respectable 3.8 yards per carry. (Though, he did lose a fumble on the Bears’ first possession of the game.)

Cutler only threw the ball 17 times yesterday; he was 8-of-17 for 143 yards. And he was interception free for only the third time this season. Someone give that guy a medal.

But this was really all an illusion. The Bears were able to establish the run ever so slightly because they played the Rams — they of the fifth worst run defense in all of the league. The Bears defense looked stout because they were playing the league’s 24th-ranked offense — an offense that featured a second-string quarterback who hasn’t won a game since 2007. A quarterback that is now 0 for his last 10 starts.

The Bears returned to Chicago Bears football yesterday because they played a weak enough team yesterday that allowed them to do so.

It was a mirage. A facade. Don’t expect it to carry these last four games of the season.