After a Chicago Bears bye week that seemed to last an eternity, it’s finally game week again!
Chicago ended the first half with a tough loss to New Orleans, dropping to an NFC North worst 3-5. But this team is absolutely headed in the right direction. So much so, in fact, that many people expect them to be relevant into December. Remember, the last three seasons, the Bears have been toast around Thanksgiving. So this is absolutely marked progress, thanks to one of the top defenses in the league.
While the playoffs are a long shot due to a strong NFC list of contenders and the Bears’ current 1-5 conference record, there is still a lot to play for and learn about this team during the remainder of the season. Here are some bold predictions for the second half:
1. Defense pitches two shutouts
This defense can compete for a championship today. That’s how good they are and that’s how well they’ve played. One of their biggest issues had been their inability to generate takeaways. They showed flashes of it against the Steelers, but they really discovered their mojo against the Ravens when they took advantage of a bad Baltimore offense. Since then, they’ve turned it on, causing turnovers in bunches against the Panthers and Saints, holding each offense to WELL below their season average.
Why two shutouts? Well, they face two of the most dreadful offenses in football in the currently 0-8 Browns and 49ers in December. Oh, and both those games are at Soldier Field. If the Panthers were held to just three points at Soldier Field and the the Saints were held to just 20 at the Superdome, what are DeShone Kizer and CJ Beathard going to do against this defense?
2. Mitch Trubisky finishes with 15 touchdown passes
Trubisky currently has two touchdown passes in four games started. So this means he’ll pass for 13 over the remaining eight games — more than 1.5 per game. I, along with everybody else in Bears World, expect Chicago to open up the offense and start passing more to strike more balance with their powerful running game. Because of that, assuming they execute properly, the Bears will no longer be predictable to the point where my dog knows what plays are coming. And I expect that they should have many more chances to score.
Obviously this one is predicated on the Bears actually doing the sensible thing and making an effort to inject variety and creativity in their offense. It’ll be very interesting to watch.
3. Bears finish with a winning record
Say whaaaaaaaaat? Well, these ARE bold predictions. But let me explain.
The Bears are 3-5. They’d need to go 6-2 over their final eight games to ensure a winning record. Sounds unlikely off the bat, right?
Well, consider their remaining schedule: Home vs. Aaron Rodgers-less Packers, Home vs. Lions, At Eagles, Home vs. 49ers, At Bengals, At Lions, Home vs. Browns, At Vikings.
Of those, the Bears are the better team in five of these matchups! If they play to their capability and don’t shoot themselves in the foot, they should beat the Packers this Sunday, the Lions at home, the 49ers, the Bengals, and the Browns. That’s five wins, putting them at least at 8-8.
Then, of the remaining three games, I think the Bears are good for an upset in one of them. So far, only the Panthers win and games that Mike Glennon didn’t throw away in the first quarter didn’t come down to the final drive. Yes, that’s right — the Bears were in coin flip games throughout the first half, despite a brutal schedule. Looking at these remaining three, the defense is good enough to bully these teams into lower scoring affairs. It then comes down to the offense. Hopefully by the Lions or Vikings game, they’ve shown enough growth to make an upset more feasible.
But yeah, there you have it. A winning record — it sounds nuts in theory. But if you break it down, there’s a method to the madness.
Despite the bold predictions — we can all agree on one thing. This is the most exciting Bears season and upcoming offseason in years. Chicago should compete for the NFC next year. It’s been a while since we’ve said that.
