Can the Chicago Bears Climb Back to the Top of the North?

The Bears were expected to rule the NFC North with a furry, iron fist this season, and be a front-running contender for the conference.

But it hasn’t worked out that way so far. The Bears are 3-2 after their loss to the Oakland Raiders two weeks ago, and sitting on the bottom of the NFC North, even though they soundly beat the Minnesota Vikings three weeks ago. Now the Chicago Bears find themselves listed as +3-point underdogs at home in Soldier Field. If you get into the action, make sure you are getting the best lines and bonuses. Start by checking this Bookmaker review.

So what gives?

Well, Chase Daniel threw as many interceptions as he did touchdowns and the running back corps could find any holes against the Raiders front. Tarik Cohen and David Montgomery combined for just 35 yards on the day. 

Now they’ll play against the NFC South’s New Orleans Saints who just got a big defensive stop over the Jacksonville Jaguars, winning as 2.5-point underdogs. The stadium was chanting ‘Teddy’ as he steadily drove the ball downfield in the 4th quarter to seal the victory. On the flip side of things, the Saints defense held Gardner Minshew to just 163 yards with zero TDs and one interception.

Mitch Trubisky is reportedly ‘working hard’ at returning for Week 7, but is still highly questionable. He’s been out with a bum shoulder since the beginning of that Vikings game and apparently did not take any time off during last week’s bye. He was out practicing and working out that injured shoulder, trying to get it strong enough to play against the Saints. But even if he plays, will he be 100 percent? This is a big part of the reason we are seeing the Bears as home underdogs against a team with a mediocre backup QB. Typically, Las Vegas gives the home team three points while handicapping for homefield advantage. So when we see the Saints listed as field-goal favorites it means the data-crunching experts in Vegas believe that the Saints are 6 points better than the Bears right now on a neutral field.

But even if Trubisky comes back, he has to get better. And no I don’t mean his shoulder. I mean he needs to play like the No. 2 overall pick that the Bears invested in to move up and snag him as a ‘franchise guy.’ So far this season he has thrown for 588 yards, with 3 TDs and INTs with an overall passer rating of 81.0. 81 might not sound too bad, but you have to consider that it is skewed by the fact that he had a 116.5 game against the Redskins, who own one of the worst pass defenses in the league. In his brief appearance against Minnesota, he was 70.1, against the Broncos, 70.0, and against Green Bay, a miserable 62.1. His total QBR is 37.8 … I’m sorry but that just isn’t acceptable, it’s 5th worst in the NFL for starters.

He has to learn how to move in the pocket better and create plays when the pocket collapses if the Bears want to climb to the top of the division. The next 5 games are going to be a tough stretch. They face four playoff teams over the next five weeks. So, whoever it is taking the snaps, they have to be playing at peak performance to get the job done against these upcoming teams.

The Bears D is solid, the offense just needs to find it’s rhythm. If they do, they can salvage this season and make a run at the playoffs.

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