The silver lining of Chicago Bears' bad news on Sunday
The Chicago Bears got a dose of bad news on Sunday. With Justin Fields inactive on Sunday, Trevor Siemian was expected to start at quarterback against the New York Jets. Siemian, however, injured his oblique during pre-game warm-ups. As a result of the injury, veteran Nate Peterman will get the start for the Bears. Peterman […]
The Chicago Bears got a dose of bad news on Sunday.
With Justin Fields inactive on Sunday, Trevor Siemian was expected to start at quarterback against the New York Jets.
Siemian, however, injured his oblique during pre-game warm-ups.
As a result of the injury, veteran Nate Peterman will get the start for the Bears.
Peterman has played in 10 career games with four starts. He has three touchdowns against 12 interceptions.
That doesn't exactly inspire a lot of confidence that Chicago will pull out a win against the Jets.
And that's alright.
The Bears have shown everything they need to show this season. Fields is electric and looks like a franchise quarterback. And the team is playing hard under Matt Eberflus — there's no loafing or taking plays off.
With the playoffs out of the equation, the Bears' main objective for the rest of the season is to strengthen their culture and continue to build a foundation for the future. The wins don't really matter.
Which is why fans should appreciate the silver lining that comes with Peterman starting.
Of course, Chicago fans want to see a win on Sunday.
But if that win doesn't happen, it just means that the Bears' draft position will improve.
And that will be massive for Chicago.
For starters, the Bears don't need a quarterback. And with some quarterback-needy teams expected to be at the top of the draft, it means Chicago should have their pick of premier non-quarterbacks (maybe Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson?).
It also means that a team that wants a quarterback might be willing to give up a passel of picks for the Bears' first-round pick.
Chicago obviously has some work to do. But the franchise is in a good spot moving forward. And if they end up with a top-three pick, it'll have them in an even better spot.
Update:
After all of that, Siemian is starting after all. But the silver lining still stands.
Featured image via Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
