Why Do I Like the Chicago Bears This Week?
I always like the Chicago Bears…
…and we’re only guaranteed 16 of these ballgames a year. The next time the Bears will take the field is nine months away. Might as well enjoy seeing the colors out there.
Three Reasons to Sit Through This Game
- It won’t mean much to disappointed Bears fans but 8-8 will feel much better to this locker room than 7-9. They can endure this miserable campaign and know they were only a play or two away from being in the tournament ANYWAY.
- And 4-2 in the NFC North will reaffirm the club’s belief that they are only a few moves away from being back atop the division in 2020. (Of course one of those moves needs to be at the most important position in professional sports.)
- There are four metrics one can look at to get a good sense of a quarterback’s play: FO’s DVOA (value per play), DYAR (total value), QB rating and total QBR. None are close to perfect but I believe if you take the average ranking of the four you can get a clearer picture. Here is where Mitch Trubisky ranks in all four:
- DVOA: 26th
- DYAR: 26th
- QB Rating: 28th
- Total QBR: 28th
- Fan of old school stats? Mitch is 32nd in average yards per completion and 27th in touchdowns. There’s not a single, discernible stat one can look to for optimism regarding Trubisky’s performance this season.
- Verdict: he’s been better than rookies and backups this year. Nobody else. So why is this a reason to watch? Maybe it’s his last start?
- Khalil Mack needs a sack and a half to get to double digits on the season. One has to believe he’ll be motivated to get there. And the Vikings offensive line will help. They are bad in protection.
Tweet of the Week
Two teams are tied for playing the easiest schedule of opposing offenses (average DVOA: -4.9%).
The team with the best defense (New England) and the team with the worst defense (Miami).
Hardest schedule of opposing offenses: Chicago.
— Aaron Schatz 🏈 (@FO_ASchatz) December 23, 2019
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Nobody would argue the Bears defense has been dominant this season. But they are fifth in points allowed while facing a better collection of offenses than any other team in the league. This unit has suffered injuries galore (and some bad luck) and they still delivered. They have financial decisions to make throughout this group but there’s no reason to believe Ryan Pace won’t continue to field a top unit in 2020.
Game Prediction
Bears own the Vikings.
Vikings are locked into the 6th seed.
Last year in this slot the Bears beat a Vikings team with EVERYTHING to play for but there was a significant difference: Mitch Trubisky was not then a complete liability at quarterback. He is now.
Chicago Bears 17, Minnesota Vikings 16
