These two stats show why the Chicago Bears' recent success is not fools' gold

Much of the optimism surrounding the Chicago Bears going into this season was due to not just the strength of their schedule, but the way the order of the games unfolded. Since the NFL didn't give the Bears a division game until week 11, it meant that the Bears would open their season by playing their fellow 2023 last-place NFC division teams and a weak AFC South. It was the perfect runway to get a rookie quarterback settled while still managing to stack wins before the hard stretch of the schedule got underway.

In an ideal world, this would allow the Bears to stack wins and give them some room for error down the stretch as they fight for a wildcard, or even the division crown, in the NFC. However, now that they've started to do that, finding their way to a 4-2 start and a 3 game win streak going into their bye week, many are quick to dismiss the Bears as a legit threat for the NFC playoffs because of who they've beaten.

Sure, beating an injured LA Rams team, and a sliding Panthers and Jaguars team is nothing to start planning a Superbowl parade over, but the manner in which the Bears have won these games (especially the latter two) does provide a positive indication that the Chicago Bears are cementing themselves as a real player in the NFC and in the NFC North.

The following are two stats that put the Bears' recent dominance in perspective and showcase why their recent play is more than just smoke and mirrors. It doesn't show how serious the Bears are true contenders to go deep into the playoffs - that'll come later on - but it does reinforce that this Bears team ought to be respected like other playoff hopefuls in the NFC and should be given as good a shot as anyone else in their division to make a run for the division title.