FOR CHICAGO EYES ONLY: I Am Starting To Be Optimistic About The Playoffs For The Bears
The Bears are 6-3. We all know the score. They haven't played anyone. Only game against a current playoff team this year has been against the Lions who absolutely smoked the Bears in week 2. The Bears have needed to pull rabbits out of their hats in basically every game except for the win against Dallas. Having said that...we do not apologize for 6-3. We don't pay attention to the Caleb haters, of which there are many, as he is on pace to be the first Bears QB to throw for 4000 yards in a season. It's important to enjoy the good moments while they are happening because they seldom happen in Chicago. Our group has been very measured about this team. They aren't good. They aren't complete. Extremely flawed, especially on defense. And...that is why I am starting to be hopeful about the back half of the schedule.
HUGE update from Ben Johnson yesterday about the status of the defense.
Getting Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon back in December are transformative players for the defense. The Bears don't have many studs on the roster. When healthy, Jaylon Johnson is certainly one of them. Arguably the best player on the team, and probably the best player on the defense. Nashon Wright and Tyrique Stevenson are doing their best, but they're not all-pro, top 100 type guys. The Bears get two impact guys on defense and maybe the Bears will be able to win some of these games in the 2nd half without needing Caleb Williams 4th quarter miracles.
Sitting at 6-3 right now means the Bears probably need to go 4-4 the rest of the way. The Minnesota game feels like a lynchpin kind of a game. HUGE. If the Bears can win that and then beat Aaron Rodgers at home they'll be sitting pretty at 8-3 and if they're able to get Johnson and Gordon back for the week 16 game against the Packers they might have enough to beat an offense that is really struggling when Green Bay comes to Soldier Field. The Bears control their own destiny right now. We all would've snapped your hand off to be 6-3 at this point in the season. It's all right in front of them and with the potential of the cavalry coming off of IR in time for a playoff push has me excited. I will revisit or possibly delete this blog after the Minnesota game, but right now I am starting to get excited about what is to come instead the normal MO of looking at mock drafts before Thanksgiving. That is a great place to be.