The Chicago Bears are now ten games into the 2023 season. They are onto the back seven games, and sitting at mini-bye, it is a good chance to look ahead at the end of the season and think about what the biggest questions that need to be answered could be. What is there to watch for in this 3-7 season?
5. Can the Chicago Bears continue to see progress from the offensive line
The Chicago Bears offensive line was supposed to be one of the growing units on the team, and through ten weeks, it has been a bit of a mess. It is probably just an optimistic point of view, but there is potential for the line to look better and show their best in the final seven games of the season. Can we actually see this?
First, Braxton Jones left in week two with a neck injury. He played 74% of the snaps in his return week nine and then played a full game on Thursday Night Football. That is a quick turnaround to be tossed into the mix. So, the thought now is that Jones will take the extra time off, and he will come back healthy and rested but not rusty after missing so much time.
The Chicago Bears also had Nate Davis practice. There is a chance that he will play in week 11, and if not, the odds of him playing in week 12 are very high. What does this mean for Teven Jenkins? Does he move back to left guard? Also, does that mean that Lucas Patrick will get replaced by Cody Whitehair? Whitehair has not been great, but he is better than Patrick?
The Bears run game was at its best when Davis and Jenkins were at guard together. When you add in Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright, they actually have four solid pieces who just have not played together. Does this get to happen in the final weeks of the year?
4. What will Justin Fields show the Chicago off of his injury?
The Chicago Bears have another big decision to make this offseason. However, last season, they wanted answers from Justin Fields, and this year, if they do not get answers, it is fair to understand why they would look to move on from him and bring in competition or draft his replacement.
Justin Fields has to walk away from this season with no doubts that he can lead the Chicago Bears. That simply has not happened yet. However, as we noted, the offensive line may be in its best form when he returns. The run game looks as good as ever. When he got hurt, he was just getting into the groove with D.J. Moore.
The defense should help as well. The stats are whatever. Can Justin Fields win more games than he loses in the next seven weeks? If that can happen, and the Bears finish 7-10, maybe he does keep his job. 3-4 down the stretch with things going his way may not be good enough. This will be fun to watch.
3. How impactful is Montez Sweat to the Chicago Bears?
The Chicago Bears did it again. They made another trade deadline when the team should obviously be selling. Still, the Montez Sweat trade feels a little less risky than the Chase Claypool trade, and the Bears already locked up Sweat.
Sweat had seven pressures against Carolina but sacks. Still, he faced Taylor Moton and Ryan Ramcyzk in back-to-back weeks since joining a new team. Those are two excellent tackles, and things are coming at him quickly. Off of the long break, do the sacks come?
The move also allows DeMarcus Walker to sub in for Yannick Ngakoue on run downs and Andrew Billings on passing downs. Do we finally see the best of him in this role?
Lastly, Gervon Dexter has to start playing more. This time off could help him, and the defensive rotation with him into the mix could be stronger. This unit could finish hot, but they need to see more from key names like Sweat, Dexter, and Walker. Will they?
2. Can the Chicago Bears see their secondary at its best?
The first game that the Chicago Bears' top five secondary members started and finished together was week 10. Yes, that is sad. It is also exciting now that we are here. This unit is healthy, and entering week 11, there is nothing changing that.
The Bears have Jaylon Johnson playing shutdown football, and Kyler Gordon looks good in the slot now that he is healthy and focusing on one role. Tyriuqe Stevenson gets picked on as a rookie cornerback, but he is growing as well.
Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker have hardly played together, either. Brikser is back after an injury, and Jackson has strung together two straight games. The final seven games could be a show of what this defense is really made of.
We have seen them healthy for one game, but how about how good they look when they get to gel and play a few games together? That is worth watching for all fans.
1. What is the status of the Chicago Bears two draft picks?
The development of the players on the Bears is paramount, but there is always going to be a focus on the future when the team is 3-7. The Chicago Bears are in an even more interesting spot this year when you consider they also have the Carolina Panthers first-round pick. The Panthers are currently in the driver's seat for the top pick in the draft, and they are in the midst of a lost season with no sign of progress.
So, the Chicago Bears may keep winning and see their odds of the number one overall pick increase. This will be fun to watch through the winter. The New York Giants and New England Patriots are losing quickly.
As we noted, even if the Bears finished 4-3, which would be nice, they sit at 7-10, which would still be a reasonably high draft pick. How high do the Panthers pick, and when it is all said and done, how high are the Chicago Bears picking as well? This is worth watching, even through the losses.