The Chicago Bears win projections for 2018 were pretty much set at the end of August. Most experts had them going somewhere in the vicinity of 6-10 and 7-9. A modest improvement from their 5-11 season in 2017. The reason for such lacking optimism? A mix of being in a loaded division spearheaded by the Vikings and Packers along with a lot of uncertainty around new head coach Matt Nagy and quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
It’s a hard pill to swallow for Bears fans. This meant they’d have to wait at least another year before their team might finally compete for the playoffs. Only that didn’t seem to sit well with GM Ryan Pace. He’d endured plenty of criticism for the three-straight losing seasons to start his tenure in Chicago.
Nobody wants to win as much as him. The problem was to figure out a way to give his team the best chance possible. They needed a bold move to finally move that needle. So, in an ice-water-in-the-veins moment, he sent two 1st round picks to Oakland in exchange for 27-year old Pro Bowl defensive end Khalil Mack.
Suddenly that top 10 Bears defense from last season got arguably the best pass rusher in the NFL. At their biggest position of weakness, no less. Was that able to move the needle at all?
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Chicago Bears win projections now sniffing playoff contention
Cynthia Frelund is an analytics expert for NFL.com. She was forced to redo her calculations after the Bears dealt for Mack and her findings were somewhat staggering. Not only did Chicago see a bump in their projected win total, but also their chances to make the playoffs for the first time since 2010.
Who would’ve thought that the Bears’ game against the New York Giants might actually mean something huge this season? The Giants had the second-worst record in the NFL last season and looked like a rebuilding team. Suddenly they’re on the upswing in the minds of experts and could surprise in the wild card chase. Chicago has lost each of the past two times they visited New York, so that will be a challenge if the prediction is true.
Either way, this is welcome news for fans. While there are no guarantees, this at least reinforces that 2018 could end up being the most exciting season to watch in a long time. Too many times the Bears have been irrelevant in the standings by November and December. If they can stay healthy, this team has a chance to change that.
