Windy City Gridiron
The Chicago Bears are playoff-bound.
Ben Johnson has taken this team, in year one, from worst to potentially first, if they can win just one more game (or if Green Bay can lose one more game).
The Chicago Bears are a flawed football team. Their defense gives up too many explosive plays, their special teams are inconsistent, and their offensive passing game isn’t always cohesive.
The Chicago Bears are far from perfect, but one thing is clear this season: every NFL team is.
In the recent past, we’ve seen several juggernaut teams from the Philadelphia Eagles to the Kansas City Chiefs, but this year, there is no juggernaut. The best records in the league are quarterbacked by Drake Maye, Bo Nix, and Sam Darnold. All three of those quarterbacks have flashed big-time talent, but those same quarterbacks have issues, even Drake Maye.
How many playoff games has Maye started? We don’t know what he will be when the lights shine bright. You can be confident he will rise to the occasion, but it’s only a projection; there are no data points.
So in a year where there are no dominant teams, and every team is flawed, I keep coming back to one simple question:
Why not the Chicago Bears?
The 49ers can’t stop anybody. Sam Darnold isn’t trustworthy when the lights are bright. The NFC South? No. The Eagles offense? Sketchy at best.
Why not the Chicago Bears?
No Micah Parsons. No Nick Bosa. No Fred Warner.
Why not the Chicago Bears?
If I told you an NFL team could play at home, in the cold, and rush for 150 yards with a quarterback who tends to come up big in the fourth quarter, would you think this team would have a good chance to reach the Super Bowl?
I sure would.
Why not the Chicago Bears?
This season got off to a rough start. 0-2, we all remember it well. The team started winning, and we started wondering, perhaps this team could win some games, but all that matters is Caleb Williams. They kept winning. Suddenly, it was, wait a minute, can they make the playoffs? Even at that point, the thought process was just, just enjoy the ride, whatever happens, happens.
They kept winning. Suddenly, they were in first place. The thought process changed to, can they win a playoff game or two?
It’s time to change the narrative again.
Why not the Chicago Bears?
Why can’t this Chicago Bears team find themselves in Super Bowl 60? They’ve beaten the Eagles. They’ve beaten the Packers. They certainly can handle either team in the NFC South. Can they beat the three teams in the NFC West? We will get a better idea of that this Sunday night, but the Chicago Bears have shown they can compete with any team in the league.
And if you can compete with any team, and believe in yourself and your teammates, for a team that runs well, has clutch QB play, a brilliant...
