Are the Chicago Bears really this bad?
After three weeks of preseason football, the Chicago Bears look like they might be the worst team in the NFL.
Are the Chicago Bears really this bad?
First, the Chicago Bears got demolished and shut out by the Denver Broncos in their exhibition opener, losing 22-0. Then, they got out to an early lead against the New England Patriots, only to fall behind and lose 23-22. Finally, this past week the Bears were clobbered by the Kansas City Chiefs 23-7.
If there’s one game that really matters in the preseason it’s Week 3, when the starters get the most playing time. Saturday’s pounding marked the third straight year that the Bears got blown out in the dress rehearsal game.
The Bears aren’t just losing, either. They’re often being dominated in all three phases of the game. Here’s a couple of sobering preseason stats for Chicago:
Perhaps of concern is the fact #Bears are last in NFL in scoring in preseason with 29 points through three games.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) August 29, 2016
#Bears have allowed the 4th-most yards (365 per game) in the NFL this preseason.
Reminder: Preseason football doesn't count.
— Zach Zaidman (@ZachZaidman) August 29, 2016
Writing off Chicago’s play thus far as “only the preseason” is lazy analysis.
Preseason football may not technically count, but when a team performs this poorly in August it generally does not bode well for their regular season.
Bears fans, it's best to just keep telling yourselves that it's only the preseason https://t.co/53kiiFCIvK pic.twitter.com/Zcc6QiFyLc
— SB Nation NFL (@SBNationNFL) August 27, 2016
Preseason is meaningless IMO, but this pretty much summed up the #Bears offense in the first half. pic.twitter.com/kwtROmmuAE
— Aldo Soto (@AldoSoto21) August 27, 2016
Any way you slice it there has not been much to like about Chicago’s preseason. In fact, with the exception one strong quarter by their starters in New England it’s pretty much been a horror show from start to finish.
The question is this: does it really matter if a team bombs in the preseason?
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Perhaps not. However, you can add all the asterisks and maybes and so-whats in the world. This team does not look good, they do not look deep and they do not look remotely ready for the regular season.
Worst of all, injuries this weekend underscored how thin this roster is at several key positions. With Connor Shaw out, there’s virtually no depth at quarterback behind Jay Cutler whatsoever. Matters are not helped by the the offensive line, which might as well be called Kyle Long and the flunkies. Finally, with Tracy Porter dealing with a concussion the Bears are without their top three cornerbacks.
Add it all up and these Bears appear headed for a 4-12 kind of season as opposed to the 8-8 one we have been predicting this offseason.
The good news is that over the next two days NFL teams will be trimming their rosters down to 75. That will free up a lot of talent, so help may be on the way. Look for Ryan Pace to be aggressive on the waiver wire because the Bears need as much as they can get.
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