Bears’ biggest offseason questions could be answered in Week 18 vs. Packers

The Chicago Bears have one game left in their 2023 season, and while it’s disappointing that there won’t be any post-season action to enjoy in Chicago, the season-finale against the Green Bay Packers has a chance to be a signature moment for the franchise.

The Bears have won seven of their last 12 games, including their last five in a row at Soldier Field. With a chance to win eight games after a season that saw Matt Eberflus win just three in his first year on the job, progress up and down the roster, including at quarterback where Justin Fields is playing his best football as a pro, is obvious.

And now, with a trip to Lambeau Field against a Packers team that needs to win to stay alive for the playoffs, the Bears have an opportunity to begin their 2024 offseason with the kind of momentum that catapulted the Detroit Lions to the NFC North title this year. It’s also a game that could provide clarity on two of the team’s biggest looming decisions.

Is Matt Eberflus safe?

Ryan Poles’ first big move as the Chicago Bears’ general manager came when he hired Matt Eberflus as head coach in 2022. The Bears are 10-23 in nearly two seasons under Eberflus’s watch, but the last half of those 23 games- the last 12- are encouraging. The Bears’ defense is playing like one of the NFL’s best, and the offense is beginning to catch up and score enough points to produce a winning brand of football.

If Chicago wins in Week 18, they’ll finish the season 8-5 after starting 0-4. If you factor in the three games that the Bears had a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter and lost, they’d be a playoff squad. There’s no denying that Eberflus has done a really good (if not great) job turning Chicago around in a very short period of time.

I don’t think there’s any chance Matt Eberflus will be fired. He’s doing what good coaches do after hitting rock bottom in a rebuild: he’s developed a winning mindset in the locker room that, with an upgrade in talent between Years 1 and 2, is now winning games on the field.

A win over the Packers will cement Eberflus’ status in the media and among the fans, but I think his job is already safe for 2024.

Will Justin Fields be back in 2024?

As for Justin Fields? The answer isn’t as clear. Sure, he played great against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 17, and there’s thought outside of Halas Hall that that win, combined with the fans at Soldier Field chanting, “We Want FIelds!”, increase the odds he returns as the Bears’ quarterback in 2024.

I’m not so sure I agree.

Every drop back #Bears Justin Fields against the Falcons in today’s game. pic.twitter.com/DI7SqXMP2G

— ImBearingDown (@ImBearingDown) January 1, 2024

ESPN’s Courtney Cronin and Jeremy Fowler published a deep dive into the Bears’ upcoming quarterback decision, and it confirmed that the sentiment around the NFL is that Fields is who he is right now. He’s a playmaking quarterback who holds onto the ball too long and hasn’t been consistent enough to feel 100% certain he’ll become a superstar.

But he is winning games now, and the Chicago Bears locker room fully supports him as the leader of the team. That matters, especially considering how much pressure will be on a rookie not only to succeed as a quarterback in a city that’s never really had one, but also to win over a locker room full of Fields fans.

I have a hunch that the decision for Poles won’t have much to do about Fields on-field play, however. As noted above, he is who he is, and I don’t think the Bears will base their quarterback strategy on his projected improvement. Instead, they’ll focus on whether this Justin Fields, the one we’ve watched play over the last five or six weeks, is good enough to compete for a Super Bowl with additional assets around him.

Let’s face it, if the Chicago Bears trade the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, they’ll load up the roster at positions like wide receiver and edge rusher with talented blue-chip rookies and perhaps a veteran or two. They’ll stock future draft classes with additional first-round picks, too. It certainly feels like it would be the fastest way to get back to the Super Bowl.

But what if Caleb Williams or Drake Maye have special grades? What if Poles and his scouting staff view them as franchise quarterbacks, while Fields, after Year 3, is graded as a quality starter who falls short of that franchise tag?

If so, Poles may side with positional value (get it right at quarterback) over other roster upgrades.

We’ll get a firsthand look at what the future of the NFC North could look like in Week 18. If the Bears commit to Justin Fields, his battles with Jordan Love will continue well into the future. And if Fields falls short or is outclassed on Sunday, Ryan Poles may not like how that future looks.

Maybe, just maybe, Fields’ future is coming down to the last game of the 2023 season. It could come down to a dominant effort against a Green Bay Packers team that’s dominated the Bears for the last decade.

The Justin Fields era could come down to the last four quarters at Lambeau Field.

What do you think, Bears fans? Will Justin Fields be back in 2024? How big is this week’s game against the Packers for his future outlook? Comment below in our UNLOCKED comments section. Bear Down!