Chicago is playing its best football going into the bye but the toughest road is still to come for the Bears 2024 season
It's no secret the Chicago Bears have been playing its best football on both sides of the ball heading into the Week 7 bye week.The Bears have now won three consecutive games and sit with a 4-2 record through the first six weeks of the season. The first time the Bears had a winning record […]
It's no secret the Chicago Bears have been playing its best football on both sides of the ball heading into the Week 7 bye week.
The Bears have now won three consecutive games and sit with a 4-2 record through the first six weeks of the season. The first time the Bears had a winning record entering the bye under head coach Matt Eberflus.
Defensively, the Bears fired right out of the gate from where they left off in the 2023 season. It's been the offense that suffered through a slow start but the unit has came alive over the last two games. In those two games, the Bears scored 5+ touchdowns in each game, the first time the team has done so in consecutive weeks since 1956.
While the Bears seem to be figuring it out and firing on all cylinders, you have to look at all the context surrounding the team's new found spark. The Bears last three opponents; Jacksonville Jaguars (32nd), Carolina Panthers (30th) and Los Angeles Rams (31st) are the three worst teams in terms of defensive EPA, per Mike Clay.
Coming out of the bye, the Bears get some more favorable matchups going up against the Washington Commanders (28th), Arizona Cardinals (27th) and New England Patriots (25th). But, then things get real for the Bears.
Right now, the NFC North is by far the best division in football, boosting a 17-5 record from the four teams combined. The NFC North also has by far the highest point differential by any division at +211. The next closest division, the AFC West, has a +20 point differential.
Heading into the bye, the Bears have yet to play a divisional opponent. In fact, the only opponent the team has played with a winning record through six games has been the Houston Texans, who gave the team its first loss in Week 2.
After the Patriots game in Week 10, the Bears following games will be against the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, and then the Vikings and Lions again.
That's going to be an incredibly tough stretch for the Bears team and the moment when we'll figure out just what kind of team this really is. For now, it's a hot one and we'll see just how long head coach Matt Eberflus can keep that going for.
