CHICAGO (670 The Score) — After a 35-32 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday, the Bears are now more than halfway through their season. And to quote political analyst Dave Wasserman (it is election season, after all), I've seen enough. The 2022 Bears are a success story.
This isn't a "All that matters is Justin Fields' development" column, but reader, I do think that. The fact that Fields had the single greatest regular season rushing performance by a quarterback in NFL history shouldn't be lost on anyone just because the Bears couldn't score on literally every drive of the game, though I doubt it will be. This also isn't a "Losing is the better path because losing leads to Marvin Harrison Jr." column, but reader, I think that too. Continuing to stack L's over the next two months is going to earn them at least a couple shots at adding some elite talent in the offseason, which should go a long way toward avoiding situations where they need to, for example, rely on receiver Equanimeous St. Brown to make game-saving catches on fourth down. The 2022 Bears are a success because, simply put, they're a fun watch.
"Obviously a huge step for Justin Fields and the franchise today, so that was really good," coach Matt Eberflus said. "A lot of good aspects to look at for the football team."
"A lot" is doing some moderately heavy lifting here, but Eberflus does have a point. The amount of aspects worth tuning in for every Sunday at noon is so refreshing -- or encouraging, or whatever other positive adjective you had in mind. If the Bears played in the NBA, they'd be League Pass darlings. If they played in the Pac-12, they'd be that team that has you glued – and maybe placing a few ill-advised wagers on – to the bar TV. They're fun the way that losing teams can be fun, which is just my clumsy way of saying that the Bears can score hella points. That hasn't always been a given over the last couple decades years and definitely shouldn't be taken for granted. These Bears are objectively worse than any team in the Matt Nagy era, and yet no one's blood pressure is spiking. That's the power of 94 points in three weeks.
"As a team, we have proven that we can put up points on the board," Fields said. "We are great at running the ball. In the red zone, I think we have definitely improved on that after that Thursday night game (a loss to the Commanders) where we couldn't score in the red zone. So just like I said, just consistent improvement, consistent and just getting better in executing in search situations."
Running the ball may be the root of it, but as anyone who watches Big Ten football can attest to, pounding the rock doesn't always make for compelling television. What's turned the Bears into a fun watch has been, if you can believe it, a willingness from the coaching staff to "figure out" what each player "does well." If you think that's overly simplified, I don't blame you – one would think that much attention to detail comes with the job. But that coaching style is relatively new to Chicago – not that long ago, we were being told that Fields' struggles were based in the fact that he couldn't do what Andy Dalton and Nick Foles could. Now that the Bears believe there can be more to life than, again, Andy Dalton and Nick Foles, it feels safe to be vulnerable around them again. It feels safe to open your hearts to a Cole Kmet jet sweep or a half-dozen deep shots to Chase Claypool, because you can put your trust, for the most part, in the play-calling and design.
It's wild to think about how the Bears' season is already halfway done. The win against the 49ers in the rainy opener feels like it happened maybe three weeks ago. And did you know they beat the Texans?!? This year?!? Nagy-era losing always seemed to drag on for days on end, bleeding into each new week with each new awkward postgame press conference. For now, those vibes are a thing of the past – as they say, time flies when you're having fun.
Cam Ellis is a writer for 670 The Score and Audacy Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KingsleyEllis.
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