The Bears aren't very good

Monday, November 14, 2005

The Bears aren't very good

I've been meaning to post this for a little while now, but the Chicago Bears kept winning. I think it's four in a row now. They are 6-3 and in first place in the NFC North Division.

The funny thing is that they had basically beaten the Browns as well until two long passes in the fourth quarter by Cleveland. To think the Bears are two plays away from being 7-2 and tied for the best record in the entire conference is scary.

But the Bears aren't very good. They're kind of terrible in fact. They were worse last year (with the likes of Jonathan Quinn and Craig Krenzel at QB), but this year reminds me of last year offensively.

Except that this year they've already surpassed 2004's win total (5). And this year they've only used one quarterback instead of last year (4). Kyle Orton has been alright at best, but at least it's the same guy every game.

And the defense is better this year. In fact, it's probably safe to say this is the best defense in the league. Maybe not. They did give up those two inexcusable passes to the Browns. But Brian Urlacher is healthy this year and last year he missed a lot of time.

Still it's a lot of defense and special teams doing the damage and the offense just kind of a long for the ride. That's bad. The Bears scored some 38 points in week two against Detroit, but they haven't done a lot of scoring since then.

They haven't beaten any team with a .500 record, and some of the teams (Saints, 49ers, Ravens) they have beaten have been downright awful. They are 3-0 in their own division, but the division has been a laughingstock of the league this year.

I'm reminded of their 13-3 year in 2001. Going into the playoffs the critics said they didn't have a chance against Philly because the Bears hadn't beaten anyone significant in the regular season. They may have been right.

But some of the teams on their schedule were supposed to be good. I mean the Ravens weren't supposed to be this bad. The Vikings have been good for a little while now. They're just having a nightmare season. And the Lions? Well, I say the Lions are so bad partly thanks to the Bears. I mean, the Bears swept them! The Lions would be 6-3 if they had handled the Bears.
Still, the schedule has been a cakewalk. And they didn't beat the Browns. Did I mention that? Also, the playoff-bound Bengals took the Bears apart in week three.

The Bears have the Panthers next. The Panthers are currently regarded as the best team in the NFC. This isn't good. Then it's on to Tampa Bay. After that, who knows if the Packers will have gotten well by the time they play the Bears on December 4? It's very possible.
If the Bears can win one of the next four (CAR, TB, GB, PIT), that will be a borderline success. That would but them at 7-6 heading into the final three weeks. Nine wins could win this division.