Schedule
The Bears have a bye in Week 8, perfectly separating the first half from the second. There could be an opportunity for the Bears to jump out to a 4-0 start, with the Houston Texans and the Dallas Cowboys presenting the biggest threats. The Detroit Lions have played the Bears close and tight over the past couple seasons, and while they do not have Calvin Johnson any longer, you could definitely see Matthew Stafford burning the Bears secondary. Ultimately, the Bears are better than they are and should be able to handle the Lions.
You don’t, and can’t feel good about the Green Bay Packers game, and even the Minnesota Vikings present the Bears some issues. Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles found success in 2015, and could be a tough matchup for the Bears weak secondary.
The Bears will do good by themselves coming out of the first half of the season with a 4-4 record.
The second half presents some more interesting matchups, but the Bears could find some success out of the bye. Games against Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, and San Francisco 49ers don’t scream tough. While I don’t believe for a second in Eli Manning, I can see him torching the Bears secondary. Outside of that, the Bears could start 3-1 after the break. I don’t think the tail end of the schedule matches up well, and with probable sure loses to the Packers, Redskins, and a tough game in Minnesota to close out the regular season… things don’t look great for momentum.
The NFL is a league of mediocrity. Teams are all basically 7-9, 8-8, 0r 9-7, outside of the ridiculously good and ridiculously bad. The Bears will be in this mix.
Prediction
The Chicago Bears will be boring offensively. Underneath screens, QB rollout passes to a tight end or running back, draw plays on 3rd and long. It will be a boring, mistakeless style of play that will put added pressure on the defense. This is where the team will falter. While the revamped front seven are good, they won’t be able to completely make up for the bad play from the secondary.
I want to think that this team is anything but a 7-9 team, but I can’t. I would prefer that they were a 3-13 team or a 11-5 team, but they just aren’t. Everything about them screams mediocrity, and middle of the pack football team. The QB is medicore. The running game is mediocre. The line is mediocre. The great defensive front seven is equalized by the bad secondary.
Sure they could squeak out another win, but they could just as easily lose another game. It is a shame too because the team will be just good enough to draft in the middle, keeping them from the potential franchise changing talent at the top.
Ultimately, this is the same as usual football club. Middle of the road, but not enough to earn a playoff nod. We are seeing some of what Ryan Pace and John Fox are building towards though. There are some impact players on both offense and now defense. As they grow and the team is able to put other impact players around them, this team will become much better in all aspects of the game. Unfortunately the Bears will have a big drop off after the season as Jay Cutler will likely be allowed to leave, and there is a chance Alshon Jeffery is allowed to walk as well. Will a 15th pick in the 2017 draft be a good spot to find a replacement for Cutler? Will they turn the reigns over to Hoyer? In the end, only Ryan Pace will know for sure.
Till then, enjoy the completely mediocre team that will trot out on Soldier Field’s grass every Sunday till the new year. Suggestion… pick up some tequila for the ride.
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