The 2022 season is right around the corner, and we’ve reached the point where we’re seeing an abundance of record predictions for every NFL team. Most of them are ridiculous and are even more meaningless as the season hasn’t even started.
It’s no secret many are predicting the Chicago Bears to be one of the worst teams in the NFL this season. But they certainly benefit from a favorable schedule, quarterback Justin Fields and new head coach Matt Eberflus, factors that could lead to some additional wins in 2022.
Sports Illustrated’s Gary Gramling released their NFC North record predictions for the 2022 season. They predicted the Bears will finish dead last in the division with a 3-14 record.
Best Case: It’s a coach’s league, and Eberflus and Getsy get the most out of their respective units. The scrappy Bears are a tough out every week, with Fields showing signs that he is a franchise QB. Chicago finishes below .500, but optimism is high going into 2023.
Worst Case: There is simply not enough talent on the roster to win games. But, even worse, Fields’s development remains stuck in the Soldier Field mud playing behind an offensive line that can’t protect him and a group of receivers that can’t get open.
Not only does three wins seem incredibly low, but they had the Detroit Lions winning six more games and finishing just behind the Green Bay Packers in the division at 9-8.
Much like many have been riding the “Bears are going to be the worst team in the league” bandwagon, there have been a number of people projecting the Lions to overachieve. And winning nine games — after just three a season ago — would be a massive leap.
There’s no denying that the Lions have gotten better and the arrow is pointing up. But it’s difficult to see them winning nine games and competing with Green Bay for the division title. Just as it’s hard to believe the Bears are only penciled in for three wins.
The good news is that the 2022 season starts in a week. And those records are the ones that actually count.
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Analyzing the Bears’ updated 53-man roster
Story originally appeared on Bears Wire