Three takeaways from the Chicago Bears victory over the Panthers
Remember all of the offseason talk about how tough the NFC North would be, with the 13-win Green Bay Packers, the perennial Playoff contending Minnesota Vikings, and the up-and-coming sleeper Detroit Lions? Six weeks into the 2020-21 season, the Chicago Bears sit atop that vaunted division with a 5-1 record.
In a short time, this year’s Chicago Bears have found a way to test one’s patience, faith, and even heart rate speed. They remain a flawed team. But, they’re a flawed team with some benefits to their side.
It shouldn’t go unnoticed that Sunday afternoon’s 23-16 victory over the Carolina Panthers moves them to an NFC-best 5-0 against conference teams. The Bears still have some work to do before they can reap the full benefits of that record, but their success in that regard certainly bodes well for the future.
In my article looking into where the Bears ranked in every meaningful statistic, I made note of how despite five (now six) games worth of a sample size, this Bears team was still a difficult one to understand. How committed are they to establishing a ground game with David Montgomery? Was it an anomaly to see teams have so much success running against them? Would we get a single third-quarter YouTube highlight this season?
After the Panthers game, this Bears team still doesn’t quite have the feel of one that’s warming up for a championship run. But, there were some positives (and negatives) to take away from Week Six. Here are three that caught one observer’s eye.