Bears Over 8.5 Wins

Coming off a 12-4 campaign in 2018, the Chicago Bears were a huge disappointment last season, going just 8-8 and missing the playoffs. The Bears must have been the #1 NFL consensus pick to be the most disappointing team in the league. However, Bears fans should be looking forward to the 2020 season because there are several reasons to believe that the Bears can go over on 8.5 wins to secure a winning record and put themselves in the playoff hunt.

• The Bears still have a defense that can carry them to the playoffs, led by pass rusher Khalil Mack.
• Chicago has an underrated set of wide receivers that has a surprising amount of upside.
• The Bears brought in Nick Foles during the offseason, giving them a much-needed Plan B at quarterback if Mitchell Trubisky doesn’t step up his game.

Same Old Defense

The defense carried Chicago in 2018 and gave them a fighting chance last season. Fortunately, the Bears are still in a good position to have a top-10 defense again in 2020 after allowing just 18.6 points per game last season. The defensive line is stout and Chicago still has one of the NFL’s elite pass rushers in Khalil Mack. The secondary is also in good shape, especially after adding a little more depth at cornerback. The Bears may have been the worst team against the spread in the league last year, but the only reason they ever covered was their defense. The bookmakers who set the NFL point spread had to give that defense respect and it is returning in full force this season.

Upside at Wide Receiver

Chicago’s passing game was a big part of the problem in 2019. However, the Bears have the talent at wide receiver to change that in 2020, especially since there’s nowhere to go but up. Allen Robinson is the undisputed no. 1 wide receiver and a safe bet to put together another 1,000-yard season. Meanwhile, Anthony Miller showed flashes last year of developing into a strong no. 2 receiver. Plus, the presence of Cordarrelle Patterson and Ted Ginn gives the Chicago offense some much-needed speed. Finally, don’t sleep on Riley Ridley, who could make more of an impact in his second pro season.

Options at Quarterback

The jury is still out on Mitchell Trubisky, and at the moment, they appear to be leaning toward being a bust. The Bears didn’t have much of a Plan B last year, but that’s changed after the team traded for Nick Foles in March. In fairness, Foles shouldn’t be looked at as a savior. But if Trubisky falters, he should serve as a viable replacement. We can tell you the people who make NFL expert picks for a living are hoping to see Foles under center. The Bears offense was anemic last year with Trubisky calling the shots and they need a major facelift to be competitive in 2020. If the Bears were good enough to win 12 games with Trubisky in 2018, they surely have a good enough supporting cast to win 10 games with Foles this year.

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