Windy City Gridiron
The playoffs are here and the Chicago Bears are not sitting them out.
As they prepare to host the Green Bay Packers for round three of their rivalry this season, let’s take a look over how various analysts have them ranked.
The Bears aren’t heading into the postseason riding high, following two straight losses, but they shouldn’t be counted out, either.
I know I am one of the skeptical few who did not think the Bears would be in the postseason in year one given how everything went under the previous regime.
But here we are and I am happy to be wrong. The Ben Johnson-Caleb Williams era appears to be at the start of a new run at success not seen in Chicago in a long time.
Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, though, the NFL is constantly in flux and things change rapidly.
The catchphrase for this season among fans and observers alike is the same: “enjoy the ride.”
This level of success is new and different but it’s all about just enjoying it as it comes.
9. Chicago Bears (11-6)
Chicago is yet another surprise team that has flipped their record and gone from worst-to-first in just one season. Despite some early detractors, the marriage between first-year head coach Ben Johnson and second-year quarterback Caleb Williams has been an enormous success. Similar to the Texans, the Bears’ start of the season wasn’t what anyone had hoped for, but following a stretch of 11 wins in 13 tries, they were able to clinch their first division title since 2018. How viable a playoff contender are they? That will be answered by a defense that leads the league in takeaways, but has largely been a disaster otherwise.
7. Bears (No. 6; 11-6): They’re limping into a rematch with their biggest rivals (who are also limping).
8 (7): Chicago Bears (11-6)
In the finale, the Bears were terrible for three quarters in a game they were trying to win, against a Lions team that was eliminated a week earlier. They rallied in the fourth quarter but still lost. That’s not good. The Bears had a successful season but that gets completely overshadowed if they lose to the Packers, their biggest rival, in their first playoff game. There’s a lot of pressure on the Bears this week. Let’s see how they handle it.
7. Chicago Bears (7) They lost two straight to close out the season, but still ended up as the second seed. The defense has been an issue and could be their undoing in the postseason.
8. Chicago Bears (7) As is fitting for this year’s playoff field, a Week 18 defeat didn’t hurt the Bears. Losing to the Lions made for some nervous moments, but the Eagles’ loss ensured Chicago would end up as the...
