The Chicago Bears schedule isn’t easy. None really is. Some teams make it look easy but the truth is it’s hard to win in the NFL. Still, things can be made easier with some fortunate breaks. For the Bears, it would at least appear like things are shifting in their direction in the coming weeks. It starts on Monday night where they play an 0-2 Washington Redskins team with one of the worst pass defenses in the league. Not to mention one of the worst running games.
This should be a game the Bears win.
After that, the schedule certainly looked daunting at the start of the year. Hosting the Minnesota Vikings, then a trip to London against the revamped Oakland Raiders, a bye week, a showdown with the New Orleans Saints, and then a highly-anticipated rematch with the Philadelphia Eagles. That is a tough slate on paper. Yet things aren’t always as they seem. It appears the Raiders might be a bit closer to their 2018 form than some were led to believe.
Their defense still can’t get to the quarterback while Derek Carr continues to find himself under siege on offense. With no Amari Cooper (and Antonio Brown), his lacking weaponry is also a problem. The Saints? Drew Brees is out for over a month with a thumb injury, so that leaves their powerhouse offense in question. As for the Eagles? They’ve been playing some ultra-sloppy football of late and are also suffering an incredible rash of injuries.
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Chicago Bears running out of excuses to get going
These developments won’t guarantee wins, but they will provide the Bears with extra advantages. Not having to play a not-so-good Raiders team in Oakland. No Brees to deal with when the Saints come to visit. A trip to face a horrifically banged-up and undisciplined Eagles team? If this team can start to play the brand of football they were towards the end of 2018, there’s no reason they can’t put together a healthy winning streak. Defensively they should be fine. Much of this will depend on the offense.
The offensive line hasn’t been blocking well in the run game. Mitch Trubisky has remained erratic, unable to find a rhythm through two weeks. That can’t continue if they want to keep pace in what is a tough division that continues to excel early this year. Every win matters. Leaning on the defense to stop everybody is asking a bit much. They can score points and should score points. This group is too talented not to.
