CHICAGO BEARS
2021 Record - 6-11-0
Head Coach - Mike Eberflus
New Additions - Byron Pringle (WR), James O'Shaughnessy (TE), Al-Quadin Muhammad (DL), Matt Adams (LB), David Moore (WR), Justin Jones (DL), Nicholas Morrow (LB), Lucas Patrick (OL), Tavon Young (DB), Trevor Siemian (QB), Equanimeous St. Brown (WR), N'Keal Harry (WR)
Offensive Rank in 2021 - 24th (307 YPG); Scoring - 27th (18.3 PPG)
Defensive Rank in 2021 - 6th (317 YPG); Scoring - 22nd (23.9 PPG)
Justin Fields is entering his second season as quarterback and he passed for 1,870 yards last year with seven touchdowns and ten interceptions. He also had 420 yards rushing with a pair of touchdowns a 5.8 YPC average. Trevor Siemian is in camp looking to get the backup spot. The running game has David Montgomery (849 yards, 3.8 YPC average and seven TD) and Khalil Herbert (433, 4.2, two TD) in tow. The wide receivers include Darnell Mooney (81 receptions for 1,055 yards and four touchdowns), Byron Pringle (42, 568, five TD with Kansas City), Equanimeous St. Brown, David Moore, N'Keal Harry and rookie pick Velus Jones, Jr. (Tennessee). The tight ends are Cole Kmet (60 receptions for 612 yards) and James O'Shaughnessy, who had 24 receptions with Jacksonville last year.
On defense, the team lost Khalil Mack to the Chargers but added Justin Jones (from the Chargers) and linebacker Matt Adams (Indianapolis) to team up with linebacker Roquan Smith, who led the team with 163 tackles last season. Defensive End Robert Quinn is back after totaling 18 1/2 quarterback sacks a year ago and Trevis Gipson (seven sacks) and Mario Edwards, Jr. are as well. In the secondary is safety Eddie Jackson and cornerback Jaylon Johnson. Rookies Kyler Gordon (CB from Washington) and Jaquan Brisker (safety from Penn State) are getting long looks to start. Tavon Young, Kindle Vildor, DeAndre Houston-Carson and Dane Cruikshank are also in the mix.
Outlook for 2022 season - It's a new look for the Bears as Head Coach Matt Eberflus takes over and will oversee the second season for quarterback Justin Fields. The offense was ineffective last year and improvement must happen, but how that will develop is the big question as training camp progresses. The team lost a solid wide receiver (Allen Robinson) to free agency but does have a good one in Darnell Mooney. The passing game must improve if the Bears want to become a legitimate contender in the NFC North division.
As long as the defense plays consistently, this team should be in most games, but they have to be able to score more points as they ranked 27th in that area last season. Turnovers were also an issue as the Bears were a minus-13 in the 2021 season. Only eight interceptions for the defense a year ago, but they do get after the quarterback, evidenced by 49 sacks, so that is a plus. Overall, this looks to be another rebuilding season as the Bears look to finish at least third in the NFC North again. They better be ready because the Vikings and Lions look improved and the Packers are once again a big favorite to win the division.
TEAM SCHEDULE
Week One - vs. San Francisco
Week Two - at Green Bay
Week Three - vs. Houston
Week Four - at N.Y. Giants
Week Five - at Minnesota
Week Six - vs. Washington
Week Seven - at New England
Week Eight - at Dallas
Week Nine - vs. Miami
Week Ten - vs. Detroit
Week Eleven - at Atlanta
Week Twelve - at N.Y. Jets
Week Thirteen - vs. Green Bay
Week Fourteen - BYE
Week Fifteen - vs. Philadelphia
Week Sixteen - vs. Buffalo
Week Seventeen - at Detroit
Week Eighteen - vs. Minnesota
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