The last decade wasn’t kind to the Chicago Bears. Following a disappointing 2019 season that once started with Super Bowl aspirations, the Bears entered an early hibernation at 8-8.
There are plenty of things that the Bears need to address this offseason to better their football team for the upcoming season — a majority of those coming on offense. But if Chicago is going to right the ship this season, they’re going to need to do several things.
Here are five New Year’s resolutions for the Bears in 2020:
1. Fix the offense
No doubt the biggest offseason priority for the Bears will be fixing their abysmal offense that, ultimately, was the reason why Chicago failed to make the postseason. The defense did their part. But the offense couldn’t do “just enough” to help them out.
There were many issues that plagued the offense — quarterback, lack of a running game, offensive line, tight ends and even play calling — and all of those will be areas of need that general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy need to correct. For the Bears to go anywhere in 2020, they need to fix their offense.
2. Find an answer at quarterback
Fixing the offense starts with finding a definitive answer at quarterback. While the Bears remain committed to Mitchell Trubisky as their 2020 starter, a lot can happen between now and next season. General manager Ryan Pace said that they’ll be looking to bring in depth at quarterback, and it’ll likely be a veteran with game experience at an affordable price.
Trubisky will likely be the starter in the 2020 opener, and the Bears will need consistency out of him. But if he continues to struggle as he did last season, the Bears should be quick to pull him for another option.
3. Don’t waste the defense — but refine it
The Bears’ Super Bowl window is fast closing, and they’re close from wasting a championship-caliber defense because their offense isn’t up-to-par. The defense was far from the issue with the Bears this season — as they allowed the fourth fewest points in the NFL.
But there are areas where this defensive unit can grow, starting with takeaways. After managing 36 takeaways in 2018, Chicago’s defense managed just 19 in 2019. Considering the offense thrived off their defense’s ability to give them short fields — and even score them points — it’s something this team could really use more of in 2020.
4. Beat the Packers
The Bears’ struggles against the Packers have been well-documented, particularly in the last decade, where they lost 17 of 20 games against Green Bay. The simple fact of the matter is that Chicago needs to do better against Green Bay. They can’t go another decade where they’re absolutely owned by their rivals to the north.
But for the sake of this argument, let’s focus on how the Bears have fared in Matt Nagy’s two-year tenure. While the Bears have gone 4-0 against the Lions and Vikings, they’ve gone 1-3 against the Packers. Their lone win came last December, where the Bears clinched the NFC North. Two of the three losses have come by a single score.
5. Return to the postseason
Now, this is obviously a lot easier said than done, especially considering that the Bears only made the playoffs twice in the last decade. But this is a football team that should be looking at each season as an opportunity to make a run at the postseason — and even contend for a Super Bowl.
The Bears aren’t in rebuilding mode — they’ve got key pieces in place on both sides of the ball that give them chances to succeed. But in order for the Bears to return to the playoff contenders they once were, they’re going to need an offensive overhaul this offseason, which was evident in the firing of four coaches, including offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich.
