A 2017 Chicago Bears playoff run? The laughter from most people upon hearing that can be deafening at times. The thing about the NFL is it’s a fickle beast. People think whatever happened one year is going to remain that way the next. This despite constant evidence to the contrary. Specifically teams going from obscurity to contention almost overnight.
In their mind it’s simple. The Bears were 3-13 last year. That means they aren’t making the playoffs this year or any year in the near future. Is that all? No other reasons? Sure they mention the questionable quarterback and wide receiver situations, but the truth is most of the predictions are based on half-assed research into the team itself.
Maybe that’s why it was a bit of shock hearing two respected NFL analysts both say they can see the Bears making the playoffs this year.
A 2017 Chicago Bears playoff run starts with good health
It’s so easy to forget how banged up the Bears were last year. Saying they ended up with 21 players on Injured Reserve sounds bad, but it doesn’t quite convey the depth of the carnage. These weren’t just any players. A great deal of them were key players. Starters. In fact here is a list of names who missed at least five games in 2016 with various ailments.
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- Jay Cutler
- Eddie Goldman
- Kyle Fuller
- Lamarr Houston
- Kyle Long
- Pernell McPhee
- Zach Miller
- Eddie Royal
- Danny Trevathan
- Kevin White
All of those men were expected to be primary contributors last year. When on the field they showed flashes of helping the team win too. So not only missing them, but missing them for long stretches of time made it almost impossible for the Bears to pull out close games. It should be considered a minor miracle they were able to play so many good teams down to the wire.
Fans kept wondering how different it might’ve been had even some of those guys managed to stay healthy. It’s why head coach John Fox and GM Ryan Pace remain so optimistic. If their reserves could put up such strong efforts, it stands to reason the starters can take it to the next level. Everything comes back to them avoiding the injury bug.
The team has embraced every method possible to help prevent such problems this season. Sometimes though it comes down to plain old luck. At some point one would have to think it will swing their way.
