The Chicago Bears signaled their intent to rebuild when GM Ryan Poles basically gutted over half of the roster. Khalil Mack was traded. Akiem Hicks and Allen Robinson left via free agency. The exodus was massive and completely understandable. The Bears had the oldest roster in the NFL and were coming off a 6-11 season. There was no point in prolonging the inevitable. Poles wants to build his team through the draft, and he needed roster spots to make that reality.
Even so, he and head coach Matt Eberflus never lowered the team standard. They stated their primary goal was to win as many games as possible. To their credit, the team has fought hard to achieve that objective, reaching 2-2 through the first quarter of the season. They could’ve been 3-1 if not for a frustrating performance in New York last week. However, optimism is already fading with this team. Insider Jeff Howe of The Athletic then revealed some information that should sober up fans as to what’s coming next.
“There were minimal expectations in Chicago this season, so the 2-2 start already feels like a victory. Eberflus’ No. 1 objective, along with offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, is to aid Fields’ development, and there’s no close second for a team in full rebuild mode. The Bears have the third-most difficult remaining strength of schedule, so it would be a huge surprise if they keep up this pace in the win column.”
Chicago Bears do indeed face a gauntlet.
As things stand now, the Bears have 13 games remaining. No fewer than seven of them are against 3-1 or better teams. That includes their Sunday opponent, the Minnesota Vikings. This doesn’t even include the New England Patriots with their excellent defense or the Detroit Lions with their league-leading offense. Those games are hardly gimmes. Facts are facts. Chicago can go a long way on effort, but there comes a time when talent has to take over, and they simply don’t have the horses.
Their offense is the worst in the NFL by a wide margin. Justin Fields has yet to throw for 200 yards in a game and has been sacked 16 times. The Chicago Bears have already set records for futility when passing the ball, yet somehow they’re flirting with a new all-time low. Combine that with a run defense that is also the worst in the league, and it’s a bad combination. They may squeeze out another win or two, but everything points to them going on a long series of losing streaks the rest of the way.
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On the bright side, this puts them in the conversation for a top five pick. That would give Poles a golden opportunity to finally add blue chip talent to his roster.
