CHICAGO (670 The Score) – Former Bears coach Lovie Smith came through for Chicago on Sunday.
The Bears secured the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft when they lost 29-13 to the Vikings and Smith’s Texans rallied late to beat the Colts, 32-31. The Bears dropped to an NFL-worst 3-14 with their setback while the Texans improved to 3-13-1 after scoring a miraculous touchdown on fourth down and following it up with a two-point conversion with 50 seconds left.
The Bears have selected No. 1 overall twice before in franchise history, with the last time being in 1947, when they selected running back Bob Fenimore.
The Bears’ 14 losses were the most in franchise history in a single season, though this mark came in the expanded 17-game schedule. The struggles didn’t come as a surprise, given that first-year general manager Ryan Poles quickly began the rebuilding process after being hired last January.
Chicago opened its season with a 19-10 win against San Francisco at Soldier Field and was 3-4 in late October after a 33-14 upset win at New England. Despite his Bears having the opportunity to potentially contend for a playoff berth in the second half of the season, Poles elected to deal star linebacker Roquan Smith (to the Ravens) and veteran pass rusher Robert Quinn (Eagles) prior to the trade deadline. Chicago then bottomed out with 10 consecutive losses to close the season.
“Coming away from this year, there’s a lot of positives,” Poles told the WBBM Newsradio 780 pregame show Sunday. “I think we grew as a team. Our culture is right. Our locker room is right. And we’re ready to go vertical next year and build off of the foundation that we set this year.
“I’m excited for the future.”
The Bears currently own eight selections for the 2023 draft, including a second-round slot acquired from the Ravens in the Smith trade. Chicago traded its own second-round pick to Pittsburgh to acquire receiver Chase Claypool on Nov. 1.
The 2023 NFL Draft will begin on April 27 in Kansas City.
Related
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
Listen live to 670 The Score via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker