The last three decades have not been great for the second-oldest franchise in the NFL. The Chicago Bears have made it to the postseason just seven times in the last 30 years, and they have a total of four playoff wins in that stretch. Chicago has not won a postseason game since 2010, and the Bears are unlikely to return to the playoffs in 2022 with a new head coach. Most analysts are pegging Chicago to finish behind Detroit in the division, as the Bears are likely to have one of the worst five offenses in the NFL.
Chicago Bears Season Win Total
Over 6.5 Wins +110
Under 6.5 Wins -130
2022 Chicago Bears Schedule
| WEEK | MATCHUP |
| 1 | Vs. San Francisco 49ers |
| 2 | @ Green Bay Packers |
| 3 | Vs. Houston Texans |
| 4 | @ New York Giants |
| 5 | @ Minnesota Vikings |
| 6 | Vs. Washington Commanders |
| 7 | @ New England Patriots |
| 8 | @ Dallas Cowboys |
| 9 | Vs. Miami Dolphins |
| 10 | Vs. Detroit Lions |
| 11 | @ Atlanta Falcons |
| 12 | @ New York Jets |
| 13 | Vs. Green Bay Packers |
| 14 | BYE WEEK |
| 15 | Vs. Philadelphia Eagles |
| 16 | Vs. Buffalo Bills |
| 17 | @ Detroit Lions |
| 18 | Vs. Minnesota Vikings |
Chicago Bears Offense
This franchise has not had a star quarterback since Sid Luckman more than 70 years ago. Jim McMahon, Jim Harbaugh, and Jay Cutler are the best quarterbacks the Bears have had in the last four decades, so Chicago jumped at the chance to select Justin Fields in the first round of last year’s draft. Fields was not great at a rookie though, completing less than 60% of his passes for under 2,000 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 12 games.
Unlike other franchises that surrounded their young quarterback with solid skill position players, Chicago decided to go with a full rebuild and did not give Fields any help. Allen Robinson left the team, and the Bears did not prioritize adding new receivers. This is now the worst receiver room in the NFL, and third-round pick Velus Jones Jr. is unlikely to be much help. Tight end Cole Kmet is a solid option though, and David Montgomery is a quality receiver out of the backfield.
Chicago’s inability to move the chains through the air had an adverse effect on the ground game. Montgomery averaged just 3.8 YPC last season, as he was largely running into seven- and eight-man fronts. Khalil Herbert didn’t have a lot of success either, picking up 4.2 YPC for the Bears.
To make matters worse, Chicago didn’t have its first-round pick this year as a result of the Fields trade. That meant the Bears were unable to draft a new receiver for their quarterback or give him help up front. This isn’t a good offensive line, so Fields will have to scramble a lot.
Chicago Bears Defense
The defense lost its best player this offseason too. Chicago traded Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers for a second-round pick in this year’s draft and a sixth-round pick in next year’s draft. Mack came to the Windy City with a lot of fanfare and hype about bringing back the great Chicago defenses of old, and the immediate returns were great. However, his play tailed off the last two seasons.
Chicago looked to revamp its secondary through its first two picks in the NFL Draft. The Bears selected cornerback Kyler Gordon from Washington at No. 39 and safety Jaquan Brisker at No. 48 from Penn State. Veteran Eddie Jackson will look to lead these young defensive backs.
The linebackers are in good hands with Robert Quinn on the outside and Roquan Smith on the inside. Quinn was one of the NFL’s best pass rushers in 2021 with 18.5 sacks, while Smith finally showed his talent with a whopping 163 tackles and 12 tackles for loss. They will be very busy as this defensive line isn’t very good.
Prediction
There isn’t much to be excited for this season. Chicago is probably going to have one of the worst offenses in the league, and the defense isn’t good enough to take over games. The Bears just don’t have the firepower to compete with some of the best offenses in the NFL.
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