Chicago Bears NFL Betting
For the first time since 1947, the Chicago Bears have the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Chicago wasn’t expected to have the No. 1 overall pick, but the Houston Texans won their season finale against the Indianapolis Colts, while the Bears lost to the Minnesota Vikings. The Bears lost 10 straight games to close out the season, and now they will be rewarded with the No. 1 overall pick. There is a lot of speculation regard Chicago’s intentions with the pick, as the Bears have a number of options after drafting Justin Fields two years ago.
Chicago Bears 2022 Season Recap
We saw the Chicago Bears start the season off on a high note with an upset win over the San Francisco 49ers. They knocked off the Houston Texans at home two weeks later to move to 2-1, but they were only able to beat one other team the rest of the season. Interestingly enough, that team was the New England Patriots, and the Bears’ 33-14 victory in Foxboro kept Bill Belichick and company out of the postseason.
That sums up a lot of the high notes for the team that finished the season with the worst record in the NFL. Chicago was absolutely abysmal on offense all season, as Justin Fields had no help around him. The Bears had the worst receiving corps in the league without question, and that was even with the decision to trade for Chase Claypool. That trade turned out to be one of the worst deadline deals as the Bears dealt their second-round pick for Claypool, and he had 14 receptions for 140 yards in seven games with Chicago.
Chicago ended up rolling back the clock with its offense, running the ball more than any other team in the league. The Bears ran the ball on 56.2% of their plays, and they led the league with 5.4 YPC and 177.3 YPG on the ground. Conversely, they only averaged 130.5 YPG through the air and finished dead last in interception percentage and quarterback sack rate.
Fields’ mobility was the only reason why this offense had some success moving the ball. The second-year quarterback out of Ohio State ran for 1,143 yards (7.1 YPC) and eight touchdowns, and that was the second-best single season rushing total for a quarterback in league history behind Lamar Jackson in 2019.
David Montgomery ran for 801 yards (4.0 YPC) and five touchdowns, while Khalil Herbert ran for 731 yards (5.7 YPC) and four touchdowns to help pace this team.
Tight end Cole Kmet was the leading receiver with 50 catches for 544 yards and seven touchdowns. Darnell Mooney caught 40 passes for 493 yards and two touchdowns, and the only other players with more than 20 receptions were Montgomery and Equanimeous St. Brown.
Chicago’s defense was one of the worst in the league by the end of the season. The Bears allowed 27.2 PPG (32nd in the NFL) and 375.9 YPG (29th in the NFL). They had trouble getting to the quarterback, and they allowed teams to pick up 49% of their third down conversion attempts.
This defense was a league average unit at the midway point of the season. However, Chicago dealt its two best defenders to playoff contenders, resulting in this team tanking the rest of the year. First, the Bears dealt Robert Quinn to the Philadelphia Eagles for a fourth-round pick, and then they traded Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens for a second- and fifth-round pick a few days later.
The silver lining on this side of the ball is a secondary that could quickly be among the league’s best units. Safety Eddie Jackson is the veteran leader of the unit, and rookies Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker had fine first years.
Chicago Bears Schedule & Results
Although the Bears are a legacy franchise with a large following, their recent ineptitude makes them undesirable to the networks.
The Bears are at the Green Bay Packers on NBC Sunday Night Football in week two. It is the renewal of the NFL’s biggest rivalry. Chicago host the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Prime Video in week six. The Bears are at the New England Patriots on ESPN Monday Night Football in week seven.
Chicago Bears Past Seasons (2000)
YEAR |
RECORD |
PLAYOFFS |
2022 |
3-14 |
None |
2021 |
6-11 |
None |
2020 |
8-8 |
Lost Wild Card Round |
2019 |
8-8 |
None |
2018 |
12-4 |
Lost Wild Card Round |
2017 |
5-11 |
None |
2016 |
3-13 |
None |
2015 |
6-10 |
None |
2014 |
5-11 |
None |
2013 |
8-8 |
None |
2012 |
10-6 |
None |
2011 |
8-8 |
None |
2010 |
11-5 |
Lost Conference Championship |
2009 |
7-9 |
None |
2008 |
9-7 |
None |
2007 |
7-9 |
None |
2006 |
13-3 |
Lost Super Bowl |
2005 |
11-5 |
Lost Divisional Round |
2004 |
5-11 |
None |
2003 |
7-9 |
None |
2002 |
4-12 |
None |
2001 |
13-3 |
Lost Divisional Round |
2000 |
5-11 |
None |
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.
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