Bears missing golden opportunity in the wide-open NFC playoff race

The Chicago Bears’ record of 2-4 in the NFC North is more than a little frustrating given the overall weakness of the division and the NFC in general.

The 2022 Chicago Bears are blowing a massive opportunity at a potential playoff berth this season, highlighting just how frustrating the season has become.  The Bears’ 2-4 record belies the fact that they have lost three of their games by a touchdown or less.  Losses to the Giants (20-12) the Vikings (29-22) and the Commanders (12-7) represent peak frustration for Bears fans in the division and the playoff race in the NFC.

If the Chicago Bears could have found a way to eke out wins in those three games, they’d be sitting at 5-1 right now, would have a lead over the Vikings in the NFC North, and would hold the second seed overall in the NFC playoff race.  They would be ahead of both the Vikings and the Giants if they could have come up with two wins against those 6-1 teams (assuming a win tonight over the 3-3 Patriots).

Instead, the Chicago Bears are faltering at building up some confidence in their head coach and their QB.  While there is a myriad of reasons why the Bears are coming up short, they should be in a better position to win with a franchise quarterback under center who makes enough plays to carry his team to victory in close games.  

Instead, Justin Fields is putting together one of the worst passing seasons in the history of the league.  The knock on Fields coming out of college was his processing speed wasn’t at an elite level.  That lack of processing speed has shown time and time again in his short time with the Bears.  

While it would be too early to crown the Bears as a playoff favorite at this point in the season even if they were 5-1 heading into Foxborough. it’s rare that teams with a 5-1 record falter down the stretch and miss the playoffs.  The bottom line is this season and next season represent a clear chance for the Bears to establish themselves as a playoff contender.  The NFC is full of old QBs that are on the downside of their careers and may not be back in 2023.

Both Tom Brady Kirk Cousins and Aaron Rodgers are having uncharacteristically bad years and are clearly in the twilight of their careers. Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia is the only young QB of note that has stepped in and led the Eagles to an undefeated record to this point in the year.  But after Hurts, no one else represents the future of great QB play in the NFC.

Now more than ever it’s time for Justin Fields to seize this opportunity and put the Bears in a position of momentum heading into 2023.  While the 2022 season is not over, the narrative for the book of the 2022 season seems to have been written.  It’s up to Justin Fields to change that narrative, given the lack of elite teams in the NFC, and show that he and the Bears have a head start on becoming one of the best teams of the future.

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