Six weeks into the NFL season and the Chicago Bears sit atop the podium in the NFC North. With a 5-1 record, not only are they sitting atop the NFC North, but they are also second in the whole NFC. Despite these accomplishments, most power rankings put out by major sports outlets don’t have them inside the top five, and some even have them outside the top-ten. With that said, let’s take a look at the Bears so far into the season and see if they are truly bears, or if they are just cubs.
Preseason Rankings
Before taking a deeper dive into the Bears, let’s first take a look at what the team was expected to be this year. Ahead of the season, there was a series on this website that had Chicago listed as the 27th-best team in the NFL. Many didn’t know who would start at quarterback, and the offense looked lackluster behind an offensive line that had lost Kyle Long to retirement. Defensively, the team still had stars with Akiem Hicks, Roquan Smith, Khalil Mack, Kyle Fuller, and Eddie Jackson returning for the 2020 season. Even though the defense was star-studded, the offense ultimately dragged the team’s outlook down, mainly because of the quarterback controversy between Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles.
Stats Through Five Weeks
Before we take a game-by-game approach, first take a look at how Chicago ranks in the major categories statistically:
Total Offense – 28th, 312.8 YPG
Passing Offense – 23rd, 222.8 YPG
Rushing Offense – 28th, 90.0 YPG
Adjusted Sack Rate – Tied-9th, 5.1 Percent
Scoring Offense – 27th, 21.3 PPG
Giveaways – 7, 7 Interceptions, 0 Fumbles
Total Defense – 7th, 337.2 YPG
Pass Defense – 10th, 224.2 YPG
Run Defense – 14th, 113.0 YPG
Scoring Defense – 7th, 19.3 PPG
Takeaways – 8, 5 Interceptions, 3 Fumbles
If you look at these stats, it’s fairly obvious how Chicago is winning games. The Bears defense is the only reason why Chicago is in games, and the offense does just enough for them to win. Of the five teams, the Bears have beaten, only one is in the top-ten in scoring offense. The others rank 13th, 15th, 23rd, and 31st.
Week 1 – Detroit Lions
Detroit had a 23-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter. From then, the Lions struggled to move the ball downfield, and Trubisky did his best against a secondary that was without Jeffrey Okudah. The Lions were also missing Kenny Golladay in this game, which hampered Matthew Stafford and the offense. Trubsiky had three fourth-quarter touchdowns, including one to Anthony Miller, to put them ahead late in the game. On the ensuing drive, Stafford led the Lions down the field and had a game-winning touchdown that was dropped by D’Andre Swift to cost them the game. Chicago luckily walked out of Detroit with a 27-23 win.
Week 2 – New York Giants
Against the Giants, Chicago went into halftime with a 17-0 lead. While this may seem impressive, the Giants were without Saquon Barkley for most of the game, as he suffered a torn ACL. After halftime, the Giants went on to score 13 unanswered points thanks to two arrant Trubisky passes that resulted in interceptions. Thanks to a lucky play where Bobby Massie caught a deflected pass for the first down, the Bears were able to keep their final drive alive before a 50-yard missed field goal attempt gave the ball back to New York. On the final drive of the game, New York was able to drive down the field until a questionable pass interference call that could’ve gone either way ended up costing the Giants the game.
Week 3 – Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta had a 26-10 lead on Chicago heading into the fourth quarter against the Bears. In Falcons fashion, they managed to let the Bears back into the game, led by a quarterback switch as Foles was inserted into the game. Ultimately, he led the Bears to a comeback win against a team who would go on to fire their head coach a few weeks later. Through three weeks, the Bears had yet to play all four quarters in each game and had won thanks to a dropped touchdown and an incompetent team allowing a comeback in two of their three wins. The other came against a team that wasn’t expected to win more than five games this year.
Week 4 – Indianapolis Colts
This game wasn’t as close as the 19-11 score was. Chicago was never in the game, and the Bears were down 19-3 with less than two minutes remaining before a touchdown to Allen Robinson and a converted two-point conversion. Foles was horrendous all game against the top defense in the league, and the running game never got going as David Montgomery had an average yard per carry mark of 2.7. The first good team Chicago played, and they weren’t even in the game.
Week 5 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bears and Bucs played on Thursday night in Week 5. Tampa Bay was missing Chris Godwin and had Mike Evans and Scott Miller hampered by injuries. The Buccaneers defense got after Foles with three sacks, and Carlton Davis picked him off. Once again, Chicago’s rushing attack was limited, as they only had 35 yards on the night. Foles peppered Robinson all night as he ended with ten catches. Jamel Dean and Davis held Chicago’s receivers in check the whole game. Unfortunately, Tampa Bay’s night would end on a play where Tom Brady still thought he had one down left on the series.
The Bears ultimately won a game they shouldn’t have as they were dominated in every aspect. The game came down to the final drive where the Bucs were plagued by penalties on a night where they had 109 penalty yards, including some that shouldn’t have been called.
Week 6 – Carolina Panthers
It was another close game for Chicago. Carolina outgained Chicago in every aspect. Thanks to two costly turnovers by Teddy Bridgewater, including one on the final drive, Chicago won. The Panthers were without Christian McCaffrey and Kawann Short in this game. Chicago was only able to muster 63 rushing yards against the league’s worst rush defense. The Panthers were also starting four rookies on defense and their second cornerback had only been on the team for a month and a half.
Ruling From The First Six Games
Chicago has won all five of their games by one score or less. They have won their five games by a combined 20 points against teams that have a combined record of 11-18. Foles has yet to throw over 250 yards in each game. Montgomery only has one touchdown on the year. His best rushing total is 82 yards and has averaged a miserable 3.7 yards per carry. The defense is the only reason why Chicago is 5-1 and the fact that they have had an easy schedule so far. Both Darnell Mooney and Jaylon Johnson have had inspiring play so far as rookies, but those two are the only ones exceeding expectations, while everyone else is underperforming.
What’s Next?
After their 5-1 start, the Bears are in for a rude awakening, which starts this Monday against the Rams. Los Angeles should be able to beat the Bears handily. After that, the Bears get games against the Saints and Titans. This is a brutal stretch for a Bears team that has only played two above-average teams.
At this point, Chicago could very well be 5-4 with a must-win game against the Vikings. After Minnesota, a showdown against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers greets them. They will likely find themselves at 5-6 or 6-5 in a crowded NFC after the game against Green Bay. The latter half of the season gets soft again with another game against Detroit, although Chicago only beat them by four due to a dropped touchdown, followed by games against Houston, Minnesota, and Jacksonville. At best, the Bears will be 9-6 at this point with the season finale against the Packers all but sealing their fate on if they make the playoffs or not.
The worst part about this all is that Chicago is currently out of contention for a quarterback in April. All of Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, or Trey Lance will likely be gone by the time the Bears select. Chicago will continue to be stuck in quarterback purgatory thanks to the sporadic play of both Foles and Trubisky. They will also likely lose Robinson in the offseason, leaving them with little to show for their small Super Bowl window.
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