Following their 15-6 win over the LA Rams, the Chicago Bears are assured of a winning season for the first time in a long time.
FINALLY! It’s taken three coaches, two GM’s and countless player turnover, but the Chicago Bears finally assured themselves of a winning season. With their 15-6 win over the LA Rams, the Bears moved their record to 9-4, guaranteeing a winning season for the first time since 2012.
When you reach ten wins, it’s sort of a “safe zone” to assume that they will make the playoffs. Since the NFL moved to the 16-game schedule, only seventeen10-6 teams failed to make the playoffs up to that point. Well, make it eighteen as the Bears notched a 10-6 record in 2012, but only managed a third-place finish in the NFC North behind the 11-5 Green Bay Packers and 10-6 Minnesota Vikings. The Bears lost the tie-breaker to the Vikings, who had a better division record and grabbed the final Wild Card spot.
The loss caused GM Phil Emery to ax longtime head coach Lovie Smith, who guided the Bears to an 81-62 record in his nine seasons in Chicago. Smith’s Bears most notably lost to Peyton Manning‘s Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI.
The Bears have been searching for answers ever since they sent Lovie packing. Emery tabbed CFL coach Marc Trestman for the Bears head coaching job while letting reigning Coach of the Year Bruce Arians leave Halas Hall without a contract. Trestman was a disaster and lost the team. That prompted the higher-ups at Halas Hall to oust Trestman and Phil Emery after the 2013 season.
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That brought GM Ryan Pace to Chicago, and an odd arranged marriage with Denver Broncos castoff John Fox. The best Fox could do in his three seasons with the Bears was a 6-10 record in his first season with the team. Things got worse before they got better, as Fox was let go after posting a 14-34 record in his three seasons with the Bears.
That brings us to Matt Nagy, who has changed the culture and turned things around in less than a season. Nagy’s Bears still have a long way to go, but the early returns are encouraging. Perhaps the best thing Ryan Pace and the Bears did during the latest regime change was convincing defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to stay on board. Fangio’s defense has dominated as Nagy and the offense are still trying to find their footing.
Every season, there seems to be a worst to first turnaround and it certainly seems that the 2018 Chicago Bears are that team. The next step is to secure a playoff spot. Depending on what happens with the Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks on Monday night, there is a chance the Bears could secure their first NFC North title and playoff appearance since 2010. Of course, that will have to happen against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers coming to town. It’s time to slay the dragon and get back to the playoffs and their rightful post atop the division!