Not having to worry about a game on Sunday enabled Chicago Bears fans to focus their attention on other matters. The biggest by far was the ongoing shape of the top five picks in the 2024 draft. It’s becoming clear which teams are the threats to earn such spots. Chicago own the #4 selection as of now thanks to their 3-8 record. Yet the bigger prize is the pick acquired from the Carolina Panthers. They had the worst record in the NFL coming into this week, giving the Bears control of the #1 overall pick.
That didn’t change on Sunday as Carolina fell 17-10 to the Tennessee Titans. It pushed them to a 1-10 record with no signs of improvement. Their remaining schedule is almost entirely divisional games against teams that know them well and have better rosters. If that weren’t bad enough, it appears there is growing tension behind the scenes between owner David Tepper and head coach Frank Reich. Tepper’s reaction to the loss according to Panthers beat writer Joe Person said it all.
The Chicago Bears’ good news didn’t end there.
The New York Giants also won their second straight games, all but killing any hopes they had of competing for the #1 pick. That means only two teams remain in the running alongside Carolina. They are the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals. Both are 2-9. Hopes are high that the return of Kyler Murray in Arizona can help get them another win or two down the stretch. Bill Belichick still coaches the Patriots. He’s been known to steady freefalls plenty of times in the past. Still, the best hope for Chicago is for Carolina to lose out.
All that being said, even if the Chicago Bears don’t end up with the #1 pick, it’s a virtual certainty at this point that it will be in the top-3. That will give GM Ryan Poles (or whoever replaces him) a monumental opportunity to land a blue-chip talent for this roster. If the Bears also fail to finish strong, they too could end up with a top 5 selection. It would mark the first time that has happened since 1965, the same year they took Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus. This roster is far better situated than that one was.
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