Looking back at this time last year, expectations for the Bears’ 2019 season were sky-high. Coming off a 12-4 record and a division championship — and maintaining core pieces on the roster — there was every reason to believe that they’d make a repeat playoff appearance.
But the Bears didn’t come close. Even when they were still in playoff contention in the waning weeks of the regular season, the Bears never showed that they were deserving of a return to the postseason, aside from their defense that allowed the fourth-fewest points in the NFL.
The high expectations made the Bears’ 8-8 finish all the more disheartening. But safety Eddie Jackson says that “everyone’s motivated” to rebound from that disappointing season and put together something special in 2020.
“From my first day walking in there as a rookie until now, you see the change,” Jackson said. “You see the big difference in the type of players we have.”
There was a time during the John Fox era when finishing .500 would’ve been considered a success. But since Matt Nagy took over, expectations are higher, and nothing short of a return to the postseason will constitute success in 2020.
