This Sunday, the Detroit Lions will play in their first NFC Championship game since the 1991 season, which makes the Chicago Bears the team in the NFC North with the longest NFC Championship game drought.
The Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, and the Lions have all played in at least one NFC Championship Game since the 2010 season, which was the last season the Bears were in the game, where they lost to the Green Bay Packers, who ultimately went on to win Super Bowl XLV.
Since the Bears last NFC Championship game appearance, the organization has had the least amount of playoff wins and playoff appearances than any team in the NFC North. As the McCaskey family sits at home watching the playoffs for the 3rd consecutive year, the Detroit Lions, who have been the laughingstock of the NFL, are rolling through the NFC like it is no problem for them.
The Chicago Bears need to pay attention to the Lions' success
The main reasoning is that the McCaskey family almost refuses to keep up with today's NFL. Hard-hitting defense, big run game, and lack of quarterback development does not produce much success in 2024. Mitch Trubisky and Jim McMahon are the only two quarterbacks to be in the Pro Bowl over the last four decades, where Trubisky was an alternate in the 2018 season. The Houston Texans, who have only been an NFL team since 2002, have had more Pro Bowl quarterbacks and 4,000-yard passers than the Bears. (Newsflash, the Bears have never had a 4,000-yard passer in their century-long existence)
As we all watch the Lions continue to exceed expectations and make up for decades of despair, the Bears seem to be in the same cycle that has caused their lack of success over the last 15 years. A change in identity needs to happen for the Bears in 2024. Hopefully Ryan Poles, Matt Eberflus, and new coordinators can right the ship.