Members of the Chicago Bears organization, Bears fans around the world and those that have kept the faith since 1985:
Matt Nagy can't hurt you anymore. The Bears are in a good space. Truly. After years of having a team that was long on promise but short on delivery, it's refreshing to see the up-front approach by new general manager Ryan Poles, who is working on accomplishing what he set out to do. What does that mean for the 2022 season? Let's take a look.
2021 rewind
One high from last season: Beating the Bengals in Week 2. Not only did the Bears destroy (fine, they won by a field goal) the eventual AFC champion Bengals but they were actually 3-2 before the unpleasantness happened.
One low from last season: Losing to the Buccaneers, 38-3, in Week 7. I mean, we all knew that Tom Brady was going to make the Bears pay for beating him the previous season. But yeah, it was somehow worse than Bears fans imagined.
2022 VIPs/b>
Head coach: Matt Eberflus. 'Flus was one of those well-respected, longtime NFL assistant coaches who just seemed to deserve a chance to be a head coach at some point. Like when Jason Sudeikis went from being a guy who was a funny sidekick in a bunch of pictures to eventually carrying his own TV shows and feature films. I know a lot of people kind of groaned when the Bears hired 'Flus, lamenting that they were once again leaning on the defensive side of the ball. But somebody remind me of how offensive geniuses Marc Trestman and Matt Nagy did in Chicago? And if I'm being honest, the best NFL coach in history and the league's greatest dynasty was rooted in defense. So let's make no apologies. The one thing Bears fans have embraced is that 'Flus will forge an identity in Chicago that has been missing since the Lovie Smith era. The hope is that the quarterback position is a little better than what Lovie had to work with in the prime years of his time in Chicago.
Quarterback/b>: Justin Fields. I always feel like Qui-Gon Jinn facing the Jedi Council when I try to explain how well Fields is going to do in Year 2. I mean, he didn't have great numbers last season. But let's look at what he was given to work with in 2021. Fields was the 11th overall selection in last year's draft, but didn't see many first-team reps in camp because of a promise made to the QB the Bears signed before picking Fields, Andy Dalton. ANDY DALTON. I mean, Peyton Manning was once benched for Brock Osweiler in Denver, but let's make sure we don't hurt Andy Dalton's feelings. Anyway, the offensive design was not built around Fields' skills, so if anything, it should be viewed as a miracle that he was as good as he was last year. Fields led the Bears to wins over the Lions and Raiders and put the team in winnable positions against the 49ers, Ravens and Steelers. The Pittsburgh game was exceptionally horrific because of a costly and controversial taunting call. But Fields flashed enough to have Chicago buzzing. And if offensive coordinator Luke Getsy has any sort of competence in play-calling, that alone should help Fields improve. His teammates have noted he seems more confident coming into this season as the unquestioned starter.
Projected 2022 MVP/b>: David Montgomery, running back. Even as Fields makes strides, a lot comes down to the running game. Getsy, who previously served as Green Bay's quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator, had two running backs who topped 1,100 all-purpose yards last year. That's big for Montgomery and second-year back Khalil Herbert, who looked really good last season. But for the projected MVP, I'm leaning toward Montgomery, who is entering the final year of his rookie deal. Monty has 1,919 rushing yards since 2020, which is the seventh-most in the NFL over that span. The Bears were 3-2 when he had at least one rushing touchdown last year. They were 2-6 when he did not score.
New face to know:/b> Lucas Patrick, center. You know, I think a lot of people overlooked this signing. Patrick played for Getsy in Green Bay and will be a stabilizing force for the Bears. I don't want to make a comparison to what Alex Mack brought to the Falcons back in 2016, because he was the best center of his generation. But at the same time, don't underestimate how important Patrick is for the Bears, and why they won't go after a free-agent center like JC Tretter.
2022 breakout star:/b> Cole Kmet, tight end. People like to pretend that Kmet hasn't done well in the league since he was selected in the second round of the 2020 draft. But the guy was a top-20 tight end last season. At least statistically. And those stats might be fantasy points, but listen to me: He's going to break out in 2022. He might not ever develop into the next George Kittle. And that's fine. But at the same time, he could be a Robert Tonyan type of player. Tonyan did well for Getsy in Green Bay. That would be a welcome development for the Bears.
2022 roadmap/b>
Three key dates:
Week 1 vs. San Francisco 49ers. The Bears should have beaten the 49ers when they played last season. Spoiler alert: The defense didn't do its job.
Week 10 vs. Detroit Lions. The Bears swept the Lions last season, which is kind of a miracle when you consider everything that was going on. This game kicks off a stretch of winnable contests for Chicago, which visits the Falcons in Week 11 and the Jets in Week 12.
Week 13 vs. Green Bay Packers. This game could be significant if the Bears are making a surprise playoff push. And I mean it would be a surprise push to all of the haters, not to me. The Bears have a bye the following week before playing the Eagles and Bills at home.
