Chicago Bears: Re-evaluating remaining 2018 schedule
By Erik Lambert
The Chicago Bears are 3-1 and in the driver seat of the NFC North. Not a single rational person thought that would be the case when 2018 began.
Such is another reminder that last year means nothing in the NFL. The work the Bears did this past offseason is paying huge dividends already and it still feels like this team hasn’t reached its full potential yet. With new revelations about how good they might actually be, is it time to re-evaluate the schedule to see whether they might make a better run than expected? Yes, I think it is. So let’s get started.
2nd Quarter
at Miami Dolphins – Win
It feels like the Patriots exposed who the Dolphins really are. Their 3-0 start never felt like that of a dominant team starting to emerge. More like a decent team that took advantage of an easy early schedule. Ryan Tannehill can have his good moment but he tends to vanish when confronted by top defenses. He hasn’t had a 200-yard passing game when sacked at least four times since 2015.
vs. New England Patriots – Loss
The Bears have never beaten Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Facts are facts. Those two are hard to beat. They find ways to take advantage of your biggest weaknesses and can jump on teams so fast. Chicago is a young team with plenty of talent but such a thing won’t intimidate New England. They came into Soldier Field back in 2010 against a playoff team at won 36-7.
vs. New York Jets – Win
After a strong start, it appears the Jets have rediscovered the form that led to their picking in the top 10 last year. Their defense is well-coached and opportunistic but also flawed. Sam Darnold can make some big pass plays but he’s reckless with the ball, especially when he’s constantly under pressure. That spells doom against the Bears defense.
at Buffalo Bills – Win
What happened in Minnesota was an odd anomaly. The fact is the Buffalo Bills are a BAD football team. Their defense isn’t that good and the offense is 10-times worse. Josh Allen can’t hit throws with any sort of consistency and he’s got gunslinger tendencies when pressured a lot. If the Packers can shut him out, the Bears shouldn’t have a big issue.