The Chicago Bears are sitting at 3-7 after ten games. They are at a point where they have a few extra days off, and with ten games being around the halfway point of the season, it is a nice mid-way break. So, what are some bold predictions for the team after this point in the season? What could happen in the final seven games?
5. The Chicago Bears own pick will be outside the top ten
One of the big talking points around the Chicago Bears towards the end of the season will be their draft position. They have a chance to own two very high draft picks because they not only have their own, but they also have the Carolina Panthers.
As we sit right now, the Panthers will give the Bears the first overall pick, and the Bears will pick fifth. A bold prediction is that the Bears will go from picking fifth right now to picking tenth or later when the draft rolls around.
The team is playing better in recent weeks than they did to start the year. This goes well beyond quarterback, so while Tyson Bagent is 2-2 as a starter, it is fair to think that Justin Fields can keep that quality of play going.
The defense is getting healthy and got upgraded, the offensive line is looking better, the Bears could finish stronger than they started.
If the Chicago Bears can finish the season 4-3, they will be on a similar trajectory to recent weeks. That would put them at 7-10 on the season. Last year, the teams with 7-10 records were in that nine through 11 range. This seems realistic for the Bears.
Right now, the team picking 14th has four wins, just one more than the Bears. There will be some teams who flounder to finish the year, so if they finish strong, it could be outside the top ten. We better hope the Carolina Panthers continue to struggle.
4. D’onta Foreman will push Khalil Herbert back to his old role with the Chicago Bears
To start the season the Chicago Bears were giving Khalil Herbert almost all of the work. Roschon Johnson would mix in at times, and D’onta Foreman was inactive.
The Bears saw injuries to Herbert and Johnson in the same game, so Foreman took over. He has not looked back since week six. Roschon Johnson returned and has spelled him on passing downs, but his role is similar to when Herbert was out.
The question is, what will happen when Herbert returns? At this point, Foreman is too good, and the Chicago Bears have to ride with him. As the months get to the colder part of the year, the Bears need to go to a power-heavy approach. They need a back to grind out yards. Foreman does that better than Herbert.
Last year, Herbert was efficient as the change up who would be a spark after the Bears lulled you to sleep with power. Herbert was getting 59% of the snaps share and 43% of the rushing work when he was healthy. Last year he was playing closer to 37% and was getting 34% of the rushing work. It may be bold, but he should go back to the rates of last year in the final seven games.
3. Justin Fields will do enough to make quarterback debates a thing again
Right now, the consensus is pretty clear that Justin Fields has not done enough to warrant the Chicago Bears sticking with him as their quarterback. That can change, though.
Fields has a chance to play well in the final seven games, and if they do end up picking around ten or 11 because they rattled off some wins late, there is a chance that he will enter 2024 as the unquestioned starter for the Bears.
Things are coming into place for him to play well. When he got hurt, he was coming off of his best connection with D.J. Moore. Cole Kmet was trending up, and Darnell Mooney is now healthier than he was in the first month.
Braxton Jones and Teven Jenkins are back, and we may see Nate Davis in the last seven games as well. More than that, the defense is looking better than ever.
So, these next seven games will feature the best offensive line, skill players, and defense that he has seen since being drafted. Things are coming together, and he just has to play well to see the wins come. He can do enough.
2. Kyler Gordon will be the Chicago Bears best defensive player
This was the Chicago Bears' worst defender last year in most instances. Now, Kyler Gordon has a chance to finish the year as one of the key defenders to get excited about entering the 2024 season. His season got off to a rocky start when he broke his hand in week one.
Gordon returned in week six, and it is easy to say that the last five games are the best of his career. Thursday against the Carolina Panthers was the best game of his career. He looked competent as a run defender, Blitzer, and even in coverage against Adam Thielen.
He has seen Thielen and Keenan Allen in recent weeks, and teams are not relentlessly coming after him like they did last year. That is because he looks much tougher in coverage.
Gordon is now focusing on just one position, and he has taken ownership of it. Now, he has seven games to show just how good he can be. Jaylon Johnson is playing excellent football, and Montez Sweat is one heck of an addition. Even if Kyler Gordon gets his name in a similar discussion with those two, he is doing something well over the final seven weeks.
1. The Chicago Bears will more than double their sack total
The Chicago Bears currently sit in 32nd place with 13 sacks this season. The only way to go from here is up, but it is fair to think that the team can pull that off. They may not only improve their pass rush, they could easily double their 10-game production in the final seven games. How about 17 sacks in the final games after 13 in the first 10 to get us to an even 30?
The main reason is Montez Sweat. He has 6.5 in eight games, so if he could get similar in the final seven, it would go a long way. Still, it is also his addition that makes everyone better.
Yannick Ngakoue no longer gets the extra attention, and he is better as the second rusher. DeMarcus Walker will slide inside and get more pressure up the gut.
More than that, Justin Jones is playing for a contract this offseason, and the rookies Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens need to show progress. Lastly, as we noted, Kyler Gordon has started to gain respect as a pass rusher and could help the Bears' cause in this area.
The Bears' defense was not ready to get after it in the first couple of months, but they have slowly built this unit up. The sacks have to come a lot more frequently in the back seven games of the year.