For just a moment, Bears fan, remove the mental block you have on the 2017 season and rewind 365 days from when the Bears clinched the NFC North title Sunday against the Packers.

Dec. 16, 2017. Ford Field.

Mitch Trubisky threw three interceptions and the Bears retreated from Detroit after a 20-10 loss to the Lions. Their 10th loss of the season strengthened the question of when — not if — coach John Fox would be fired.

The Tribune headlines over the next two days ranged from “A complete mess” to “Going the wrong way” to “End. This. Now.”

Now come back to the present.

Dec. 16, 2018. Soldier Field.

Trubisky threw two touchdown passes and no interceptions in a 24-17 victory over the Packers. Khalil Mack had 2½ of the Bears’ five sacks of Aaron Rodgers. Vic Fangio’s defense recorded its 35th takeaway of the season. And after it was over, Matt Nagy stood at the fringes of a chaotic, bouncing locker room watching his players dance to celebrate the Bears’ first playoff berth in eight years.

The Tribune headline: “Crown ’em.”

The Bears became the 47th team in league history to go from worst to first in the course of a year and one of 24 to have done it since 2003.

So how exactly did the Bears get from Point A to Point B? How did the vital traits of this team bring the division title to life?

Nagy’s communication

Jan. 9, 2018. Halas Hall.

In a blue suit and orange tie, Nagy stood in front of the Chicago media for the first time and considered why he could succeed as head coach of a Bears team that hadn’t had a winning record in six years.

“I’ve always considered myself a leader, a leader of men,” Nagy said. “I have a command, I feel like, in the room.”

Nagy’s ability to communicate his message is a common thread through the Bears’ accomplishments this season — from guiding Trubisky in learning his offense to persuading his players to buy in to his vision of success when skeptical outsiders saw too many obstacles.

The quarterbacks room long has been Nagy’s comfort zone as a former Arena Football League quarterback, so it was a natural place to start in establishing that bond. Even as Trubisky’s highs and lows in his second season have been pronounced, his trust in Nagy is evident. That starts with openness.

“(It’s) him being able to be hard on me (and me) being able to take that criticism and wanting to get better from it all the time,” Trubisky said. “The main thing for me is that he believes in me, and that means a lot to me. Whatever he says, I’m going to take it to heart, and he can never be too hard on me because I know he wants the best for me and this team.”

Watch one of Nagy’s postgame victory speeches or the Bears’ “Club Dub” dance parties and you’ll see the impression he has left on the team as a whole. Nagy said it has been “a surprise in a good way” how accepting his players have been.

His approach isn’t just about getting them to believe in grand goals. He tries to connect with the individual by asking about his kids or holiday plans, understanding a personal relationship can foster trust.

“Those little things go a long way, and for me it’s natural,” Nagy said. “I’ve always been that way. It’s having relationships with people more than as just players. The players thing is easy — you just coach ’em — but the people part is harder. … There are a lot of different people out there, and can you connect with different personalities? That’s been my favorite part, honestly, of this first year.”

Fangio’s command

Dec. 9, 2018. Soldier Field.

Fangio’s defense was well on its way to being considered among the NFL’s best by the time December hit, but this game was different.

It was a Sunday night meeting with the Rams, who less than a month earlier had beaten the Chiefs 54-51 with a high-powered attack led by Jared Goff and Todd Gurley.

“The score isn’t what I’d like to see as a connoisseur,” Fangio said dryly about that game.

He had another one-liner cued up for the week after the Bears intercepted Goff four times and held Gurley to 28 rushing yards in a 15-6 victory. The game solidified on a national stage what Fangio can do with a talented group of players, and it put this Bears defense among the elite.

“I tried to do a cartwheel but I couldn’t,” he said.

Who does what for the Bears? And who do they report to? A look at the franchise's organizational flowchart. (Colleen Kane) (Colleen Kane)

Opposing coaches such as the Rams’ Sean McVay and 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan see Fangio, in his 19th season as an NFL defensive coordinator, finding ways to maximize his players’ skill sets and constantly adjusting his scheme based on what’s best that week.

“I knew what he could do X’s-and-O’s-wise,” Nagy said. “You don’t really ever know until you do it how they handle themselves during the week with game planning. (Now that) I get to see the mentality that he has and his knowledge of the game — what he’s seen, how much he knows and different looks he can give to cause problems — I respect it even more. He goes about everything the right way, and it transfers to practice and out on the field.”