After nine weeks of football, the Chicago Bears sit at 3-6. The record looks terrible, but Bears fans are confident because quarterback Justin Fields is playing like a guy who will be in talks for a Pro Bowl nod. Will he get there? Well, that probably depends on where the Bears finish in the rankings. So let's look at their remaining games and try to find this team's floor and ceiling.
Week 10, vs. Detroit Lions
The Lions are 2-7 and will come into this game riding high after knocking off the Green Bay Packers, but let's be honest: it's the Packers. This was a game between two bad teams in which the loser was the team that made the least of many mistakes. I don't think stock in the Lions should rise much after barely overcoming a bottom-five roster in their own house.
Week 11, at Atlanta Falcons
What's been going on with the bird teams this year? The Falcons, Seahawks, Eagles, and Cardinals are all playing much differently than the experts predicted coming into the season. The Falcons are OK at 4-6, but their defense is surrendering nearly 400 yards and 25 points per game. Justin Fields should feast.
Week 12, at New York Jets
The Jets are intriguing. They have an excellent roster of weapons on offense and a stifling defense, but their quarterback situation is extremely discouraging. I like the Jets roster more than the Bears, but the Bears' quarterback room has far more potential right now. This one could make for an interesting game.
Week 13, vs. Green Bay Packers
The Packers are one of the worst teams in football right now, and they show no signs of changing that. Especially given the devastating injuries from Week 9. They'll be coming into a bitter rival's home turf facing an electric crowd and one of football's brightest young quarterbacks. This could be a turning point in the game's oldest rivalry.
Week 15, vs. Philadelphia Eagles
This game looks rough for the Bears, but let's hang on a second. Following their mini-bye after the Week 6 Thursday Night Game, the Bears took a long look in the mirror and emerged a brand new team. So, following their official bye in Week 14, who's to say the Bears don't come out refreshed and ready to fight for a Wild Card spot? This could be a classic trap game for the Eagles.
Week 16, vs. Buffalo Bills
Another game that, until recently, had all the makings of a blowout loss for the Bears. But the Bills have looked vulnerable lately, and Josh Allen's MVP case has taken a couple of black marks. In successive weeks, they nearly allowed a reeling Packers team to force overtime, then lost to the Jets. I'm not saying this game looks good for the Bears, but I'm moving it out of the 'devastating loss' column for now.
Week 17, at Detroit Lions
As stated above, the Lions are not a good football team. I won't pick them to beat the Bears until they prove they can do it.
Week 18, vs. Minnesota Vikings
This game could be the most interesting matchup in the final week of the regular season. A playoff spot could be on the line for the Bears here, while the Vikings may rest their starters after locking up the NFC North already. A home game for the Bears against a division rival with a shot at a Wild Card game for young quarterback Justin Fields? Things could get crazy.
Final Predictions:
Look, the NFL is truly a week-to-week league. Anything can happen, and predictions rarely turn out true. But I promised a floor and ceiling prediction, so here we go.
The Bears will finish the season no worse than 6-11, their record from last year, with wins against the Lions twice and the Falcons. But if everything goes right for them and things go poorly for a couple of other teams in the conference, I see the Bears finishing 9-8 and the 7th playoff spot, with their only two losses coming against the Eagles and Bills.
But like I said, predicting the NFL is a shot in the dark. How do you think the rest of the season goes?