Whether the Chicago Bears make the playoffs or not, Ryan Poles’ vision for their future looks bright.
We were all New York Giants fans for a few hours. And they didn’t let us down (though Saquon Barkley tried).
The victory over the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football by New York fan favorite backup quarterback Tommy Devito capped off an incredible week for the Chicago Bears.
The Bears, of course, defeated the Detroit Lions at home on Sunday, avenging their loss at Ford Field on Nov. 19 and winning back-to-back games for the first time under Matt Eberflus. Furthermore, both were division opponents.
The Carolina Panthers look as bad as ever and will almost certainly give the Bears a top-two draft pick. That’s a big win, whether they use it on a quarterback or trade it.
After starting 2-7, the Bears are now one game out of a wildcard spot thanks to the Giants’ win and the Seahawks’ loss. Furthermore, New York’s victory raises the Bears’ draft pick from sixth to fifth overall, all without losing a game.
Since Montez Sweat joined the team in Week 9 and became a focal point for opponents, the defense has dominated and ranks sixth in EPA/play allowed. Gervon Dexter Sr. improves with each game. T.J. Edwards could be the team’s best offseason acquisition. Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker both appear to be defensive building blocks for the Bears
Aside from Lucas Patrick, the young offensive line core of Darnell Weight, Teven Jenkins, and Braxton Jones looks fantastic and demonstrates Ryan Poles’ ability to build in the trenches.
DJ Moore has accomplished everything the Bears hoped for when they acquired him in a trade last season.
Justin Fields hasn’t thrown an interception since returning from a thumb injury, and he’s quietly been playing like a top-10 quarterback after putting his dreadful first three games behind him.
No, I’m serious. Since his Week 4 outburst against Denver, he’s ranked sixth in EPA+CPOE and 13th in PFF grade. Though he hasn’t had any of those performances since, his overall level of play appears to be leveling out into that of a competent NFL QB who can win while still having the potential to be spectacular.
There appear to be no negative outcomes for the Bears at the moment.
They could run the table and sneak into the playoffs before putting on a magical postseason push to validate everyone’s hopes for this year’s team.
They could lose to the Browns this Sunday and still be in the running for two first-round picks.
They could take Caleb Williams with the first overall pick and build a juggernaut of a roster around an exciting young quarterback on a rookie contract, giving them a several-year window to win a Super Bowl.
They could keep Fields and trade the top pick for a higher ransom than they received from Carolina last year, and use those assets to keep costs low while preparing to pay Fields.
Some of those scenarios may be more prudent or beneficial in the long run than others, particularly the part about drafting a new quarterback.
The point for now, however, is that Poles’ vision is currently manifesting in such a way that the Bears may be fine whether they win or lose, clean house or not.
A rookie quarterback on this roster would most likely find himself in the best situation of any Chicago Bears rookie quarterback since Kyle Orton. Adding another young star or two to the offense alongside Fields, however, could make this team resemble the Philadelphia Eagles or the San Francisco 49ers — even the version assembled while they were still paying Jimmy Garoppolo a sizable sum.
After several weeks of living in a dark hole of despair with this team, it’s nice to feel like big things are on the horizon for Chicago, even if their now-faint playoff hopes are doomed in Cleveland next Sunday.
Who says they have to with the way they’ve been playing?
Poles are to blame for this.
