After losing to the Detroit Lions, the Chicago Bears move into tanking territory.
Going into this game, nobody was expecting a Chicago Bears loss. The Lions looked like such a mess that they appeared to be a lock for the Bears’ first win in five games. But somehow Mitch Trubisky and Matt Nagy combined forces and finally sunk the dagger into their very own playoff hopes. The Chicago Bears playoff chances are nearly sunk.
This now puts Chicago in a familiar spot. It’s been something that many fans have accepted for a few weeks; this team cannot compete in the NFL Playoffs. To me, this was a necessary part of a season that will likely result in the firing of Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace. Without this loss, the Bears are still in playoff contention and give the illusion that there’s still hope.
So after a blown lead against arguably the worst franchise in the history of the NFL, where does this put the Chicago Bears? It’s hard to say that you want your team to tank, but as a fan, you’re now in a position where losses aren’t so bad. Yes, it hurts to lose to a division rival, but each loss gives us a better shot at finding a franchise quarterback.
Hypothetically, let’s say the Chicago Bears win this game. What next? You’re 6-6 coming off of a 5-game winning streak that was broken with a win against an interim head coach. It’s been more than clear for a while that this team does not have the offensive firepower to make a playoff run, so Chicago would find themselves in no-mans-land in that scenario.