Updated Chicago Bears Win/Loss Predictions for Second Half of the Season

Coach Boss 

Looking back on my game by game picks and I remember one of major reasons I don’t gamble. The first half (7 games) of the Bears season went kind of as expected; there where good games and bad games, growth on offense and deterioration on defense. I am pleased to see the direction the offense is headed in. They have only given up 11 sacks all season, have only had 1 false start all season and, are currently ranked 2nd in the NFL in scoring at 30.4 points per game. The defense has made some great plays with 19 forced turnovers (2nd in the league) and 3 defensive TDs, but they are giving up a ton of yards and can’t seem to get off the field on 3rd downs.

So what should we expect in the remaining 9 games of the season? The Bears will probably end up losing more games than it should because of the deficiencies on defense. Jay Cutler is out for at least 3 more weeks and Lance Briggs leaves a HUGE hole in an already poor defense. Thankfully, the Bears play some bad teams down the stretch St. Louis (who is hurting at the QB position themselves), Minnesota (see St. Louis), Cleveland and Philadelphia who are both decent and really bad at the same time. Unfortunately, the Bears play too many teams that have more weapons at their disposal and who are not on their 4th and 5th string guys. 8-8 might not look so bad at the end of the season.

Keith

The Bears will not be as feeble as they were the last time Cutler was out for an extended period of time (Caleb Hanie era). The offense isn’t the problem, it will be the lack of defense that will sink the Bears ship. I thought the 2nd half of the season was the time the Bears team would click, but now I only see a 2-6 finish with wins against the Rams and Vikings! I really hope I’m proven wrong.

Mike Praser

I was wrong about the defense being the same as last year. Sure, they are still getting the takeaways, but they are giving away a lot of yards and points. I didn’t expect the Bears offense to be as good as it has been.

I’m sticking to my guns and predicting the Bears will pull off a 10-6 record to make the playoffs. I have been right so far with my 4-3 prediction, and I think Josh McCown can run the same offense. I’m not going to hit the panic button yet mostly because injuries are spreading across the league like a plague including the NFC North.

Boomer

I guess I am different than most of my colleagues in that I didn’t have over-the-top expectations for this season with a 9-7 record.  I knocked them down a peg to an 8-8 prediction now.  The defense has been a major disappointment in the first half, but an improved offense has countered the decline on the other side of the ball.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again – you’re never as good as you think and you’re never as bad as you think.  While the Bears defense has been bad in the first half, things should stabilize as they adapt to their new reality. Changes in scheme and newcomers stepping up could help.   The schedule softens up after Green Bay, but the defense just can’t quiten get it together soon enough.