There are a lot of reasons to expect the Chicago Bears to come out of the bye week better than they have been in the first 12 games. The first obvious reason is the offensive line health. This will be the first real time that we get to see the Bears' offensive line healthy with continuity.
The Chicago Bears offensive line is finally healthy
If you go back to week one, Teven Jenkins was out on the IR. Then, weeks two and three saw both Nate Davis and Braxton Jones go out. The Bears got Davis back in week four, and they got Jenkins back in week five. The Bears happened to blow out Washington and score 40 points with both Jenkins and Davis in the lineup.
Still, they did not get Jones back. In week six, Nate Davis suffered another injury. So, the Bears slogged through another couple of games with a bad offensive line.
The Bears got Braxton Jones back in week nine, but Nate Davis did not return until week 11. The Bears' offense put up 26 points even though Davis did not look great, and you could tell things were gelling.
While the Bears only scored 12 points, their win over the Minnesota Vikings was the first time that Braxton Jones, Nate Davis, Teven Jenkins, Darnell Wright, and Lucas Patrick played a game from to finish, and nobody was in their first game back from an injury. It was the second straight game that this group has played together all season.
They have played just 92 snaps in total and are one of eight different combinations that the Bears have trotted out this season.
Still, this week is an easy argument for them to be at their best. They have continuity, they have health, and they just went into the bye week. The line can take that bye week to rest and get stronger as a unit heading into their third straight game.
A lot of times, they are fighting to stay healthy at this time, while the Bears' offensive line looks like it is about to peak. This could set up a nice finish.