Outside of seeing the potential growth of second-year quarterback Justin Fields, little is expected from the Bears as the team is undergoing a revamp under their first-year head coach, Matt Eberflus.
Although there are low expectations for 2022-23, which is largely reflected in NFL betting odds, it allows Bears fans to enjoy the games without the fear of missing the playoffs. So, as the NFL season gets going, Chicago Bears fans may be in a position they haven’t been since the first part of the 2018 season.
In the 2020-21 season, similar frustrations and a lack of being able to enjoy the games were shared amongst Bear fans. However, last year the Chicago Bears made a late-season run, winning 3 of their final 4 games to pull off the last spot for the NFC playoffs.
Although the Bears’ offense had averaged over 31 points over the 4 final games, their fans seemed not to be joyous for the team’s Wild Card playoff game against the New Orleans Saints. For fans, it felt like the Bears had just one extra game to play before the end of the 2020-21 season.
The Bears are one of the NFL’S most historical teams. They also double as one of football’s most successful teams, having won eight NFL championships and one Super Bowl.
The Chicago Bears were founded in Decatur, Illinois, on September 20, 1919, and are one of the only two remaining teams from the NFL’s founding in 1920, along with the Arizona Cardinals, who also originated in Chicago.
Halas Hall, the team headquarters, is located in the Chicago suburb of Lake Forest, Illinois. The team practiced at adjoining facilities and started to train at Halas Hall in 2020, completing its renovations.
Soldier Field serves as the current home for the Bears. The team relocated to the stadium in 1971 after outgrowing Wrigley Field, the team’s home for 50 years. Soldier Field was initially named Municipal Grant Park Stadium but was later changed to honor the veterans of World War I in 1925.
The stadium has a capacity of 61,500, making it the second smallest stadium in the NFL. In addition, the stadium lives up to its name as there are numerous salutes to the armed forces internally and externally.
Aside from architectural concerns, the stadium is a great place to watch an NFL game. The seating bowls provide excellent sightlines to the field, and the video boards give a crystal-clear picture. At Soldier Field, fans are usually attentive and loud, giving the hall almost a college-football feel.
The top rivalries of the Chicago Bears are the Green Bay Packers, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Philadelphia Eagles. The Green Bay Packers have been the Bear’s biggest rivals since their team’s inception in 1920. The two teams have played a whopping 200 times, with the series currently at 104-95-6 in favor of Green Bay.
With the Bears and Indianapolis Colts playing their football in the ever-competitive Midwest, these two teams seem to keep an eye on each other, including their fans. The fact that these two teams play in different conferences doesn’t impact how they go at it when they encounter themselves on the schedule. Adding to the legacy of this rivalry, both teams squared off back in Super Bowl XLI, a game that the Colts ultimately won. Thanks to Future Hall of Fame quarterback Payton Manning and Company.
Key players for the Bears this year are De Robert Quinn, RB David Montgomery, and Justin Fields. Since 2019, Montgomery has been the primary back of the Bears, including logging his first 1,000-yard season in 2020.
Fields was selected eleventh overall in the previous NFL season by the Bears, who traded against the New York Giants in exchange for the twentieth overall pick. In the last season, he completed 26 of 39 passes for 285 yards, a touchdown, and a rating of 96.6 being his highest of the season against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 15.
