The Bears aren’t playing in Super Bowl LIV, but there are no shortage of storylines for fans to follow as the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs face off in Miami.
Whether it’s former players and coaches getting a shot at a world championship or memories of Hard Rock Stadium or thoughts of making it to the Super Bowl, there’s plenty to watch.
Here are six storylines involving the Bears heading into Super Bowl LIV:
1. Super Bowl Returns to Miami
It’s been 13 years since the Bears played in Super Bowl XLI, which was the last time they saw the big game. So with the Super Bowl returning to Miami, there’s a lot of nostalgia when it comes to the 2006 Bears and what they almost accomplished.
The highlight of that Super Bowl loss to the Colts came on the game’s first play, when Devin Hester returned the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown. As the Bears celebrate 100 years, it’s a play that remains iconic.
It was all downhill after Hester’s return touchdown, as the Bears offense struggled to move the ball and the Bears defense struggled to stop the Colts as a monsoon rained down on Miami.
2. Robbie Gould returns to the Super Bowl, as a 49er
Former Bears kicker Robbie Gould is making his second Super Bowl appearance — once again in Miami. The Bears’ all-time leading scorer will get another chance at a Super Bowl championship, this time with the 49ers.
Gould spent his first 10 seasons with the Bears, but he was released following a disappointing 2015 season. Over the next three seasons, Gould would go on to become arguably the best kicker in the NFL, with the Giants (2016) and 49ers (2017-18), converting 82-of-85 field goal attempts.
There was a time last offseason where many wondered if Gould, who had stalled in contract negotiations with San Francisco, would wind up back with the Bears. But it wasn’t meant to be. Now, Gould gets another crack a Super Bowl.
3. The Patrick Mahomes of it all
While Bears fans are surely tired of hearing about how Chicago took Mitchell Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes, it’s no doubt going to be a storyline that many will be talking about. Although most of that will likely come online.
In his second full season, Mahomes has led the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl since 1970. Regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s big game, Mahomes future is incredibly bright.
4. Dave Toub gets another crack at Super Bowl
This won’t be the first Super Bowl for Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub, who last coached in Super Bowl XLI when he was the Bears’ special teams coordinator.
Toub, who was with the Bears from 2004-12, will get another shot at winning a Super Bowl, as he came up short with the Bears in 2007. Although, one of Toub’s biggest accomplishments came via the NFL’s all-time kick returner Devin Hester. Hester returned the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown.
“It was probably the epitome of my career, that one play,” Toub said, via the Sun-Times.
5. Raheem Mostert was the one that got away — from everyone
Another former Bear that will be playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday is running back Raheem Mostert, who was an undrafted free agent who bounced around six teams before landing with the 49ers in 2016. One of those teams were the Bears, who signed Mostert to their practice squad in September 2016.
Mostert came up big in San Francisco’s NFC Championship win over the Packers. The former Bear had a monster of a game with 220 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
The 49ers will be looking for another strong performance out of Mostert, especially when trying to keep the offense out on the field and limit the number of times Patrick Mahomes touches the ball on offense.
5. How close are the Bears to making the Super Bowl?
There will be only be two fanbases that will be happy when the Super Bowl kicks off. The others will be left to wonder: How close is my team to making it to the Super Bowl? Will they ever?
For the Bears, this was supposed to be the year. There were many that pegged the Bears as Super Bowl contenders before the season even started. Instead, the Bears regressed and missed the playoffs for the eighth time in the last decade.
So how close are the Bears to returning to the Super Bowl? Believe it or not, the Bears are closer than many think. They have the defense to make it to the big game. They’re essentially an offense — and arguably a quarterback — away from making a playoff run.
This offseason will be about addressing the weaknesses of this team, especially on offense, and trying to find a way back to the playoffs — and hopefully the Super Bowl.
