The Chicago Bears odds are wacky going into 2018. That’s to say they don’t seem to have any definitive direction. Are they going to win? Will they suck again? Apparently neither. Or least that’s the way the oddsmakers have made it seem. ESPN conducted a recent collaboration with data-driven website Football Outsiders to reveal their odds for various key NFL events this season.
The two most prominent were who was most likely to make the playoffs and who was most likely to contend for the #1 overall pick in the 2019 draft. There weren’t a ton of surprises in either category. New England, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Green Bay, and Minnesota headlined the postseason contenders. The Browns, Jets, and Cardinals stand as favorite to be the first team picking next year.
So where does this leave the Bears? To paraphrase that Stealers Wheel classic song: stuck in the middle.
Chicago Bears odds unfavorable for both playoffs and #1 pick
If there is an NFL version of purgatory, this would be it. Not good enough to make the playoffs. Not bad enough to get the best possible player in the draft. Just sort of lingering right there in the middle. This is where the numbers seem to stack the Bears up in 2018. Projections have them winning somewhere in the vicinity fo seven games
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Their chances of making the playoffs stand at just 12% and winning the division is a mere 6%. Forget the Super Bowl. The Buffalo Bills have more favorable odds than Chicago at this point. That just doesn’t seem right. Still, one can take solace in if this is true then the Bears will certainly be favored in the push for the top pick in the draft yes?
Sorry. Even there they seem to get screwed to a slight degree.
A 5% chance for the top pick and 27% for a top five position. While that ranks 10th among teams in the league it still feels rather weak and a testament to the position they find themselves. Experts no longer believe they’re a bottom dweller thanks to the work done this offseason. At the same time, after years of losing they can’t be trusted with the faith of making a run.
This begs the question. Will the Bears follow the prediction or blow it to smithereens? Fans will have to discuss which they’d prefer. Of course making the playoffs is preferred, but would they rather go 7-9 as an average team or have a shot at the #1 pick? Discuss.
