The Chicago Bears have felt far away from the Super Bowl for many years. Their 2018 season was the closest they’ve been, and that ended in the wild card round. After finishing with a losing record for the fourth year in a row at 5-12, nobody is willing to believe they’re any threat to the premier teams in the NFC. Or at least that is what the common national pundits would have you believe. Sports bettors might be feeling a different way. NFL analyst Kay Adams discovered this recently when she discussed the latest odds.
FanDuel revealed its list of the likeliest teams to win the NFC championship and go to the Super Bowl in 2025. Of course, the Philadelphia Eagles are the favorite at +310. Detroit, San Francisco, and Washington followed since they were recent participants. The real shock came when the Bears popped up right below the Green Bay Packers with +1900 odds. Those are better than both the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys. Talk about an unexpected turn.
The Chicago Bears are making believers out of people.
There are some factors at play here. For one, some may think their 5-12 record was misleading. After all, several of their games ended with heartbreaking 4th quarter collapses. They easily could’ve been 9-8 with some luckier bounces. For another, they’ve been busy this off-season. Head coach Ben Johnson arrived with his standout offense and a highly regarded coaching staff. Then there was the bull rush in free agency, where they loaded up on the offensive and defensive lines with Jonah Jackson, Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, Grady Jarrett, and Dayo Odeyingbo. To top it off, they have three picks in the first 41 selections of the draft. If the Chicago Bears can hit all three, they should be a significantly better football team than the one that finished last season.
