4 reasons the Chicago Bears can turn this season around starting against Detroit
By Tony Daly
Many fans will tell you that Justin Fields is the future of the Chicago Bears. While I am still not 100% convinced by this theory, the next seven games are the perfect opportunity for Fields to demonstrate he is a franchise quarterback.
That all starts this Sunday against the 7-2 NFC North Leaders the Detroit Lions. Undoubtedly a difficult proposition for this Bears team, the Lions have bested the Bears in their last two meetings, most recently defeating the Bears in a resounding 41-10 victory in January.
But how can the Bears turn this around I hear you ask? What has changed since Fields has been injured that tells you that things are going to be different when he returns? Well, let’s discuss that…
The Chicago Bears defense is a different animal than it was early on
In the first 6 games of the season, the Chicago Bears gave up an average of 29.33 points per game and 356.83 total yards per game. In the last 4 weeks, this has significantly decreased to an average of 19.75 points per game and 275.5 total yards per game.
A combination of players returning from injury and the addition of Montez Sweat has led people to ask if this Bears defense is actually much better than we had hoped it would become this year.
Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson have become much more impactful, while Montez Sweat has exemplified a huge jump in pass rush ability, which inevitably improves the chances of success for the players around him and those in the backfield.
Regardless of anything else, it is just common sense to say that if your defense can stop the other team from scoring as many points, it gives you a much better chance of winning. If things continue as they have the last few weeks, then the defense could very well make up for the letdown of the first few games of the season.