For Patrick Finley’s pessimistic look at the Bears’ next 10 games, click here.
The current version of the Bears requires some rewiring of the brain for anyone who has watched this team the last four decades. It’s the same uniform, the same logo and the same field, but a very different operation.
It’s no longer inevitable, or even probable, that the Bears will fall apart. The annual tradition of a four-to-six-game losing streak is done. There’s competency across the board, as evidenced by their impressive win over the Patriots, managing well during quarterback Caleb Williams’ three-game absence and the fact that they’ve won 17 of their last 24 games.
There’s every reason to be optimistic about where the Bears are headed, and it starts with coach Ben Johnson.
The mentality of the entire organization changed when he arrived. Goals got greater, standards got stricter and doubt got demolished. There had been a feeling of resignation toward certain realities, like the Packers’ dominance, but it’s not there anymore.
At 5-2, the Bears are in position to chase everything they want this season.
The schedule certainly gets tougher, but none of their remaining 10 games are daunting enough to concede. Even in the Nov. 2 visit to the defending champion Seahawks, the early line has the Bears as a negligible three-point underdog.
At their best, they have every piece necessary to make a run at the Super Bowl: a savvy head coach who has a handle on both sides of the ball, a game-changing quarterback surrounded by weapons and a dynamic defense.
Are they flawed? Yes, but that’s true of every team. It comes down to how well they can scheme around their flaws and compensate for them. Johnson and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen have consistently shown that ability.
The starting point on discussing whether any team can win a title is the coach and quarterback. For the first time in recent memory, the Bears check those boxes.
Johnson’s credibility is high enough that he pretty much skated on a botched trick play Thursday in which Williams handed the ball off illegally to left guard Joe Thuney. He brushed it off with, “Shooters shoot,” and it’s hard to imagine any recent Bears coach getting away with that.
He has shown an uncommon ability to adjust, whereas previous Bears teams had no shot if Plan A crumbled. He’s fully engaged in the defense and special teams, even though they aren’t his areas of expertise. And, most of all, he’s developing Williams into a championship-caliber quarterback.
The high-end talent was obvious with Williams his first two seasons, but he lacked a foundation. Johnson has helped establish the essentials — throwing accuracy, coverage recognition, quick reads, precise timing — and blended that with his remarkable improvisational skills.
If that continues, the Bears will finish at least 12-5. They won’t necessarily sweep their road games against the Seahawks, Bills and Lions — a tough ask for anyone — but, at minimum, they’ll hold their own.
This is a team that nearly made the NFC Championship Game last season and is playing better this season. There’s no limit on who the Bears can play with and how far they can go.