There is an immense amount of feel-good around the Chicago Bears after an 8-3 start to this season, which has the team tied for second place in the NFC headed into Week 13, but at least one prominent NFL insider remains dubious.
A fan asked Ben Solak of ESPN to rank the most fraudulent of teams between the playoff contenders in Chicago, New England, Indianapolis and Tampa Bay. His list, starting with the most deceptive group based on this year’s results and ending with the least deceptive, was as follows: Bears, Buccaneers, Colts and Patriots.
Solak didn’t elaborate, but his thought process isn’t hard to suss out. Chicago’s eight victories have come against teams that are collectively 27-58-1 through Week 12. Six of those eight wins have been by between one and five points, and the Bears have bested just one team that currently boasts a winning record — the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-6).
Two of Chicago’s three losses have come to the Baltimore Ravens (6-5) and Detroit Lions (7-4) by an average of 22.5 points. The Bears also fell to the Minnesota Vikings by a field goal at Soldier Field in Week 1.
Bears Defense Has Struggled Mightily Against Poor Competition This Season, in Part Because of Injuries
GettyCornerback Jaylon Johnson of the Chicago Bears.
Chicago is going to get its chance to prove the doubters wrong down the stretch of the regular season. Despite the lack of competition through its first 10 games, the franchise faced the hardest strength of schedule in the league heading into its home matchup with Pittsburgh last weekend.
Next up is a road contest against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Friday, November 28, which the Bears will follow with a game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field nine days later.
Chicago has an upper-echelon offense, which is averaging 369.6 yards per game — good enough for sixth in the NFL. An elite rushing attack of 142.3 ground yards per outing, second in the league currently, is what makes the Bears’ offense tick.
The defense — which has battled injury issues to prominent contributors all season, particularly in the secondary — is more problematic. Chicago is allowing 362.8 yards of total offense to its opponents through 11 games, which is the sixth-worst mark in the league.
Bears QB Caleb Williams Has Improved Drastically From Year 1 to Year 2
GettyChicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.
Still, it was quarterback Caleb Williams on whom Solak elaborated Tuesday, noting that he is on an ascending path under new head coach Ben Johnson that may well lead to legitimate greatness in the relatively near future.
“He has improved week over week and already has multiple special plays a game,” Solak wrote. “We like to believe that when players become “good,” they eliminate all of their egregiously bad plays, but it simply isn’t true.”
“Williams will always have a few bad plays a game, as every quarterback does. As he smooths out his play style and generates more chemistry with his receivers, that number will decline,” Solak continued. “He’ll continue stacking wins and good games, and we’ll know that he’s a good player. The upcoming game against the Eagles’ defense might be ugly — they’re not a great matchup for the Bears — but Williams is good and becoming great.”
The Bears should have a good chance to make the playoffs if they can win 10 games this season, which means going 2-4 down the stretch. If Chicago can finish its final six contests with a .500 record, the team should be playing come Super Wildcard Weekend — and potentially hosting a playoff game as the NFC North Division champions.
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