Chicago Bears: 5 Players who must put up or shut up in Week 1

These five players must bring it in Week 1 versus the Detroit Lions

Tomorrow when we wake up we will be preparing our day for Chicago Bears football. I know that in this crazy time things may not seem normal and our prep for the game might not feel the same, but once kickoff happens we can at least escape reality for a few hours. Sports have always been a great way to bring people together — even those who come from all different walks of life.

We are nearly 20 years removed from the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Even then, sports brought many Americans back together. Throughout history, we see this common theme. Nelson Mandela used sports like soccer, rugby and boxing as a way to unify South Africa. Mandela had this to say about the power of sports.

"“It has the power to inspire,” he said. “It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers.”"

I tend to agree and although the current pandemic has been a handful to deal with for many, at least we have Chicago Bears football to help distract us from reality. Hopefully, the Bears are able to do more than entertain us though. Hopefully, they come out strong against the Detroit Lions on Sunday and actually excite us.

All throughout this offseason, there has been back and forth about the quarterback position, Matt Nagy, Ryan Pace and the team as a whole. Now that the season is here, there is no more time for debate. Now it is about results. The Chicago Bears can hopefully bring the divide of the fanbase back together and we all find ourselves excited to cheer on a team that proves themselves to be playoff contenders. In order for that to happen, these players must step up versus the Lions.