There are plenty of Chicago Bears records that will never fall. George Halas with his over 300 career victories and six NFL championships? Not a chance. Devin Hester‘s 14 kick and punt return touchdowns? No sir. Walter Payton rushing for over 16,000 yards in a career? Probably not. That doesn’t, however, mean every number in the record book is untouchable.
Far from it.
There are in fact quite a few that should be considered in real danger of falling in the near future. Perhaps as soon as the end of 2019. The circumstances certainly look favorable in a number of different categories, both offensively and defensively. Curious which of them are up for grabs? Here are seven possibilities to keep in mind and why.
Chicago Bears records that could fall:
Passing yards in a season
Jay Cutler almost took this record down four separate times but for one reason or another (mostly ill-timed injuries) he never quite pulled it off. Amazingly Erik Kramer still hold the franchise record for passing yards in a season with 3,838. An impressive feat given it was back in 1995 when Dave Wanndstedt was the head coach. Sometimes the stars align just right.
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Mitch Trubisky would’ve had a shot at it last season. He posted 3,223 yards in 14 games, having missed two others with an injured shoulder. He would’ve needed to average 308 yards over those two games to break the record. Hardly impossible. Now that he enters the second year of the Matt Nagy offense with an even deeper arsenal of weapons, it feels like this could finally be the year that mark falls.
Passing touchdowns in a season
Think about this. Sid Luckman set the original Bears passing TD record with 28 back in 1943. It took 52 years for another quarterback to finally break it. That again was Kramer in ’95, clinching it with 1-yard pass to Keith Jennings to knock off Philadelphia in the season finale. Cutler almost tied that number in 2014 with 28, but he was benched for one game by Marc Trestman during the season.
Trubisky threw 24 touchdowns in 14 games last season. That included three games where he tossed at least three. He’s fully capable of going on a hot streak. Further comfort in this system is bound to make life easier in that sense. Not to mention the array of bigger targets he’ll have inside the red zone with Cordarrelle Patterson, Riley Ridley, and a healthy Adam Shaheen.
Consecutive completions in a game
Now this is a fun trivia question for Bears fans. Who holds the record for most consecutive completions in a single game. It’s a fair statement that nobody would get the answer right. That would be Shane Matthews. That’s right. The on-again-off-again starter in the late ’90s and early 2000s found a groove for some reason in a December game against New England in 2000 where he completed 15-in-a-row.
There were six games last season where Trubisky completed at least 70% of his passes. He even went 25-of-29 in a game against San Francisco. So this is certainly a feat he’s capable of. Part of it is thanks to the system he plays in with Nagy getting him some easy completions, but also the accuracy he can throw with when in a rhythm.
Receiving touchdowns in a season
This is a record that doesn’t get talked about much. Probably because there was never much point given how inept the Bears have been at cultivating both quarterbacks and wide receivers. Times have changed. Dick Gordon and Ken Kavanaugh remain tied for the most TD catches in a season with 13. Brandon Marshall almost became the third in 2013 but came up one short.
Trubisky does prefer to spread the ball around but it feels like he was finding his rhythm with certain receivers late in the season. Anthony Miller caught seven touchdowns as a rookie despite nursing an injured shoulder. Allen Robinson had only four but he once had 14 back in 2015, so he’s fully capable of pulling that off as well.
Two-point conversions
There are two reasons to think the Bears offense may start going for the two-point conversion more often this season. One is the obvious concerns around the kicker position. Cody Parkey was a disaster on extra points last year and there’s no reason yet to think Elliott Fry or Eddy Pineiro will be any better. There is also the fact the offense was really good at them in 2018.
All told, the Bears attempted the conversion five times in the regular season. They converted four of those chances. Trubisky was a perfect 4-4 with the only failure coming with Chase Daniel at quarterback. Nagy is the sort of creative play caller who knows how to scheme up some gadgetry for those situations. Right now there’s a three-way tie for most two-pointers in a season with two each for Matt Forte, Brandon Marshall, and Martellus Bennett.
This might be something Trey Burton or Tarik Cohen can challenge for.
Sacks
Richard Dent has been the sack master in Bears history during the Super Bowl era. He holds both the career mark for sacks and also the single-season one with 17.5 in 1984. Nobody has come close to it besides the man himself since then. At last there is somebody on the roster who is more than capable of making a legitimate run at that barrier.
Khalil Mack had 12.5 sacks last season. This despite missing two games and playing two others with an injured ankle. He’s 28-years old and in his prime. If that weren’t enough, he’s playing under Chuck Pagano who is renowned for his ability to elevate pass rushers to playing their best. Mack should be considered a serious threat to finally take up the mantle of “Sack Man.”
Interceptions
Nobody expected Mark Carrier to do what he did in 1990. He was a rookie safety who had high expectations, sure. Yet for him to explode for 10 interceptions in one season? That was a ridiculous pace that not even the man himself even came close to again. Since that year, the record has remained preserved. Tim Jennings had a shot at it in 2012 but he came up just short at nine.
There are a couple of contenders to challenge that mark this season. Eddie Jackson embodies many of the same ballhawking traits as Carrier did. He had six interceptions last season. Kyle Fuller had seven of his own at cornerback. One must also not overlook new addition Ha Ha Clinton-Dix who has a nose for the ball as well. If the pass rush can continue to wreak havoc, somebody could reach that double digit ceiling.
