The NFL wrapped its 100th season with Super Bowl LIV, where the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-20.
The Chiefs ended their 50-year Super Bowl drought with the victory, which left me thinking about what the Bears must do in order to end their 34-year Super Bowl drought.
Here are five things that need to happen if the Bears hope to win a Super Bowl:
1. Stabilize the quarterback position
If there’s something you can take away from the most recent previous Super Bowl winners, it’s that they’ve all had solid quarterbacks. While there have been teams in the past that have won in spite of their quarterback and led by a dominant defense, recent history suggests that you need a quarterback to win.
Which might be a problem for the Bears, who have the opposite of stability at the quarterback position. Chicago remains committed to Mitchell Trubisky as their starting quarterback heading into 2020, but there’s no doubt they’re going to bring in veteran competition and maybe even a young QB through the NFL Draft.
One thing is certain, the Bears cannot waste their championship-caliber defense any longer. Fix the quarterback position, whether that’s improved play from Trubisky or a new QB under center.
2. Get production out of offense
Sticking with the offensive side of the ball, it’s not enough for just the quarterback to start playing better. The rest of the offense also needs to step things up, especially after an abysmal offensive output in 2019.
The Bears have already indicated that they’re focusing on fixing the many offensive issues that plagued the team last season, starting with bringing in new coaches that specialize in areas of concern, including quarterback, offensive line, tight ends and run game.
The Bears cannot continue to rely solely on their defense to carry them through the season. Because there will come a time when the offense needs to step up for the defense, and they need to be ready to return the favor.
3. Remain as healthy as possible
As much as production is important, remaining as healthy as possible is also a big factor in making a playoff run. One of the main differences between the 2018 and 2019 Bears were the injuries. While the Bears had their share of injuries in 2018, including to Allen Robinson and Khalil Mack, they weren’t serious.
The Bears lost several key starters to injury in 2019, including defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, linebacker Danny Trevathan and all three of their top-three tight ends in Trey Burton, Adam Shaheen and Ben Braunecker.
Obviously you can’t control what happens during a game — one unlucky hit can change a season — but the Bears need to remain as healthy as possible if they’re going to have a chance at making a potential playoff run.
4. Beat the Packers
In order to be the best, the Bears are going to have to beat the best. Following 2019, the NFC North’s best are the Packers, who were division winners.
While the Bears were 4-0 against division rivals the Vikings and Lions, they went 0-2 against the Packers in 2019. In the last decade, the Bears have beaten the Packers just four times out of their 20 meetings.
If the Bears have any hope of making the playoffs, they need to win those games in their division. And the challenge for the Bears will be beating the Packers.
5. Win a playoff game
At this time last season, some were already crowning the Bears Super Bowl champions. And they hadn’t even won a playoff game. Sure, you could argue that the Bears should’ve won that wildcard playoff game against the Eagles, if not for that heartbreaking missed field goal.
The last decade wasn’t kind to the Bears, as they only made two playoff appearances. But there’s a winning culture that’s been instilled in that locker room. The expectation is playoffs. The expectation is Super Bowl contenders.
But it’s not enough to just make the playoffs, Chicago needs to prove that they can win the big game. Cody Parkey’s double doink aside, the Bears need to do enough to win the big game.
