Most people agree the NFC North remains a two-team race going into 2024. The Detroit Lions won the division last year and reached the NFC championship game. Meanwhile, the Green Bay Packers rebounded with Jordan Love at quarterback to claim a wild card spot and thumped the Cowboys in Dallas to open the postseason. Both are considered Super Bowl contenders. That is why not many people think the Chicago Bears are worth talking about going into this season. After all, they were 1-3 against those teams last year.
However, no two teams are ever the same. It’s possible for a bad team to become good in a short period of time. Former player and personnel director Louis Riddick believes the Bears have done that. He explained on ESPN that GM Ryan Poles did a masterful job piecing together a roster that, on paper, is capable of challenging the big dogs in the division. They already have a good defense. Now, with the arrivals of Caleb Williams, Rome Odunze, and Keenan Allen, they have enough offensive firepower as well.
For the longest time, talent was what separated them from the rest of their contemporaries. That has finally changed. They have at least one Pro Bowl-caliber player at almost every position group on the roster. It’s been a long time since that was the case. What needs to happen now is good health. Chicago needs their top guys to actually stay on the field for close to a full season. That is especially true along the offensive line, where Teven Jenkins, Nate Davis, and Braxton Jones all missed several games in 2023.
As we all know, the NFL is a prove-it league. Detroit and Green Bay already know they’re good, and they are free to carry themselves that way. The Chicago Bears still need to prove to everybody, and themselves, that they can not only hang with but actually beat top teams. Head coach Matt Eberflus is the one who must push them to that point. If he can’t, his job status might be called into question by next January. We’re finally going to see the first true signs of Poles’ grand plan.
