Chicago Bears 2023-24 NFL Season Recap

Chicago Bears NFL Season Recap

What a roller coaster of a ride it proved to be for the 2023-24 Chicago Bears this NFL betting season. Heading into the year, the beloved were lined +450 underdogs to cash in on the NFC North title odds behind Green Bay and Detroit. Then after losing yet again to the hated Packers in Week 1, their ROI got boosted all the way up to +2500 and then as high as +4500 before coming up with their first win of the year against the Commanders. Then Justin Fields got injured against the Vikings and their pay-off hovered in the +6000 range before fattening up to +8000 after getting blasted by the Chargers in Tinseltown under the Sunday night lights.

Once Chicago had no shot of winning the division, its execution on the playing field got much better evidenced by ripping off wins in three of four against the Panthers, Vikings, and Lions then following it up with two more wins and NFL odds covers against the Cardinals and Falcons. Notice I didn’t make any mention of what went down in the Week 9, Week 11, and Week 15 losses to the Saints, Lions, and Browns respectively? It’s because it’s still too hard for me to think about those games knowing full well they ultimately cost my team a shot at Super Bowl glory.

So are we sold on Matt Eberflus and the coaching staff? Ryan Poles sure seems to be and that’s all that matters. I however am not sold and don’t believe he has the chops to lead this franchise back to the Promised Land. Maybe he gets better with age, but Week 18’s loss in Green Bay showed me all I need to know that he isn’t the guy that will get the job done. He – along with the remainder of the coaching staff – coached scared ultimately allowing Jordan Love to hand Chicago a tenth straight loss and non-cover to the team every Bears fan loves to hate.

Going back to those three aforementioned losses; Chicago held double-digit fourth quarter leads in each and went on to lose all three and failed to cover against Cleveland. Throughout his two-year stay in the Windy City, Eberflus already has five blown fourth quarter leads under his belt. He spit the bit against the Lions and Packers in his inaugural season calling the shots for my beloved team, and followed it up with three bigger ones the next season. I don’t know what else can be said about that.

Putting all that on the backburner, there was growth up and down the roster. The offense formed an identity of running the football (No. 2), while the defense dramatically improved defending the run holding the opposition to a league-best 86.1 yards per game. But even with Montez Sweat coming over from Washington and bringing 6.0 sacks with him, Chicago still only tallied 30 QB sacks for the season; second-worst to the Carolina Panthers. That’s simply not good enough for a defensive-minded coach that was brought in to dramatically improve what has been the backbone of this franchise since the beginning of time.

Of the Bears seven overall wins – an output that just failed to exceed their 7.5-game season win total odds – only one was tallied against an opponent that went on to punch a ticket to the playoffs. In other words, a high majority of those wins were of the false flag variety! Of the ten losses, six came at the hands of playoff entrants and they were defeated by an average of 12.5 points per game. The record was attained with smoke and mirrors and I hope that’s something Ryan Poles accepts heading into the regular season.

Chicago Bears 2024 Offseason

Before getting into the whole Justin Fields dilemma which is first and foremost the main concern of Bears fans across the globe, I just want to say one thing – Fire Luke Getsy! The guy is a double agent for the Green Bay Packers and must be returned to sender! His play-calling nearly had me throwing remotes through multiple screens the last two seasons. My heart can’t take any more of his BS schemes and play-calls! 175lb wide receivers as lead blockers – get out of here with that garbage!

Will he stay or will he go? That’s the No. 1 question being asked of this franchise entering the offseason. If the front office has decided to move on, it’s highly likely Chicago holds onto the No. 1 pick and tabs Caleb Williams the quarterback of the future. If Fields stays, Poles will trade down once again and likely make it a point to snag either Marvin Harrison Jr. or Olumuyiwa Fashanu with the first of two top-10 first round picks. I personally hope it’s the latter scenario that plays out in the coming months. So long as a new offensive coordinator is brought in and Fields continues to work on his awareness, I think Chicago’s offense is set up for success. Giving him another elite talent to get the pigskin to or another hog to keep him upright will only see him take another step forward in his progression as a bonafide QB1 in this league.

My wish list for the 2024 NFL Draft: WR, EDGE, OL – make it happen Poles!

Chicago Bears Schedule & Results

The Chicago Bears are the foundation franchise of the NFL. Founded in 1920 by George Halas, the Bears have eight NFL and one Super Bowl championship.

Halas coached the Bears in most of their seasons through 1967 and won those eight NFL titles. Mike Ditka, who played for Halas, was the head coach of the legendary 1985 Bears Super Bowl championship team. Virginia Halas McCaskey, daughter of George Halas, is the team's current owner. She is 99 years old.

With such a rich lineage, the Bears often cause their fans plenty of frustration. Since 1991 the Bears have made the playoffs only seven times. Their lone Super Bowl appearance in that span was in the 2006-07 season when they lost to the Indianapolis Colts.

The Bears go by the moniker of “Monsters of the Midway” based on their old tradition of physical football and strong defense. However, the Bears have had horrible defenses in the past two years. That has been the rule rather than the exception for most of the past 20 years.

Chicago’s 1985 team rates as one of the greatest in NFL history. The Bears went 15-1 en route to a blowout Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots. Chicago’s defense mauled the opposition all year and dominated at a level nobody had ever seen.

Mike Ditka was the coach of that Bears championship team. He is the most popular player and coach in the franchise's history. However, there is the belief that the Bears should have won more championships in that era. Chicago let that 1985 season get to its head and never played with the same level of drive and discipline.

Chicago Bears Past Seasons (2000)

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