The Chicago Bears are in the playoffs for the second time in three years. We should be happy about that right? It’s hard to make the playoffs. Especially for this team. Yet only the Bears can find a way to make fans annoyed and even depressed about making the postseason. That takes a special kind of skill. How did they manage to do it?
In a few easy steps. They started 5-1 then lost six in a row. They got blasted by the Packers in Green Bay, then knocked off three bad teams to make their record look better and then promptly got blasted by the Packers a second time. Despite all of the money they spent to improve from 8-8 last season, they ended up right back where they started at 8-8 again.
The only reason they’re in the playoffs is courtesy of the NFL.
Their decision to expand the postseason format from six teams to seven enabled them to sneak in after the Arizona Cardinals fell 18-7 in Los Angeles against the Rams. What makes a lot of Bears fans so upset is they know the reality of this team. It’s just not good enough. It’s average. Average teams don’t win Super Bowls. Yet the fear is George McCaskey will use a playoff berth as an excuse to retain the current regime of GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy.
This despite lots of evidence that they don’t deserve such consideration. Nagy’s offense is bad except against bottom-dwelling defenses. His teams too often look unprepared and undisciplined in big games. Pace for his part has missed on way too many high-profile moves including three top 10 picks (Kevin White, Mitch Trubisky, Leonard Floyd). Not to mention the ridiculous money he paid to Robert Quinn and Nick Foles this offseason for next to nothing in return.
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Chicago Bears will be rewarded with a trip to New Orleans
The Saints hold the #2 seed in the playoffs this year. So they’ll host every game they play in the playoffs unless it’s against Green Bay. Everybody knows they’re always difficult to beat in that dome. They’ll also get a key piece to their offense back in wide receiver Michael Thomas. Given how the Bears defense has played lately, they’ll need a huge game from the offense to have any prayer.
Chicago already lost to New Orleans earlier in the season 26-23 in overtime. That was at home. It will be a different type of game on that fast Superdome turf. Especially with three key starters now dealing with injuries. Jaylon Johnson and Buster Skrine both missed Sunday with shoulder and head ailments. Then Roquan Smith left the game against the Packers with an elbow problem.
This has the look and feel of a team that will be one-and-done.
Then what? Trubisky will be a free agent. The Chicago Bears will have to decide if they want to keep him at a much higher price. Or if they want to try hunting down a new QB despite a 1st round pick in the 20s range. All this while deciding the fates of Nagy and Pace as well. It is difficult to feel like this team is trending in the right direction.
That more than anything is why fans are finding it difficult to celebrate this “successful” season.