Is a 25-24 win over the struggling Raiders enough to prove the Bears are playoff contenders, or just another false hope in a season full of them? The Chicago Bears got a win on the road against the Raiders 25-24 after a blocked field goal attempt by the Raiders. The Bears go up to 2-2 and just finished up their bye week sitting last in the NFC North. The first two games of the season didn’t go too well as they lost a game that they should have won against the Vikings first game of the season then got killed by the Lions the next week.
I believe that the Bears are not having the start they need and need improvement to be considered a wildcard playoff team. The Bears needed to win that first game of the season for not only moral boost but also a division win. Division wins are going to be a big part of the Bears making the playoffs because in the end they won’t make the playoffs as fourth in the NFC North standings.
I am normally a fan of the Bears defenses each year and believe last year they had a very strong looking defense setting them up well for this year. The defense has looked poor compared to last year as they are 25th in points allowed. Last year the defense was 14th in the league of points allowed. This could be because of a whole new coaching staff or injuries. Five Bears starters were out against the Raiders and that’s not even including Jaylon Johnson who could be out for the season with a groin injury. This is a huge problem for the Bears as these are all key players and losing their best player in Jaylon Johnson hurts the defense a lot.
The defensive line is a problem though and it needs immediate fixing if they want to be a part of the wildcard. Ashton Jeanty had a field day against them putting up 138 yards on 21 carries and three total touchdowns. It’s a bad look for the Bears defense when a running back behind a poor offensive line puts up that performance on you.
Ryan Poles has drafted or signed all five of the starters that were out. I don’t believe Ryan Poles is worthy to be fired right now due to the fact that his offseason moves this year set us up for a possible wildcard year. Drafting and trading wise I think Ryan Poles has struggled up to this point. My biggest knock against Poles right now is that Micah Parsons was up for grabs before the season and I think Poles should have made a move for him. Poles has let up two second round picks for Chase Claypool and Roquan Smith. You hear one of these names and think of one of the best linebackers in the NFL. The other name you think never got to his prime and has no idea if is on any rosters. Chase Claypool was nowhere near second round value at the time and it hurts draft stock when the Bears make a dumb move like that. Roquan Smith, who was already considered one of the best, went for a second round pick only. I think that move to send him out for a second only was a big mistake. I can’t deny though that the Panthers draft trade was amazing by Poles and he put a future in the Bears hands.
The offense on the other hand has looked good with the twelfth best scoring offense in the league. They are still not a playoff caliber offense but I think with time it will improve as we have already seen it do within the first four games. Rome Odunze is looking like a stud as he is having a breakout second season currently. I have no doubts Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson can be a great duo for years to come and think if anything Caleb has shown massive improvement. I think the first two weeks were over reactions by Bears fans as the team didn’t look great but that was expected by me with a whole new coaching staff. I think the Bears have an opportunity to compete this year and maybe slide into a wildcard spot but they still need to grow through these next couple weeks as the later half of the season starts to get really challenging.
So overall I am not worried about the Bears performance so far into the season, and think they are heading towards success within the Ben Johnson era. I just believe so far into the season they need to clean up a lot if they want to be considered one of the wildcard teams.
