The Chicago Bears know what their 2024 schedule looks like. It will be challenging. Among the biggest hurdles is a stretch of three games in ten days, along with a gauntlet of divisional games in the second half of the season. Probably one of the more interesting issues is their longest trip of the season, when they head to London for a matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars. It marks the first time since 2019 they have crossed the Atlantic. One would think the Jaguars have an advantage since they play over there every year.
That means head coach Matt Eberflus must find ways to ensure his team is prepared. It appears he has one plan of action in mind. According to Nicholas Moreano of CHGO, the Bears plan to travel to London early in the week ahead of the game. This is in direct contrast to what happened five years ago when Matt Nagy had the team arrive on the Friday before the game. Many feel the team’s flat start to that game was directly attributed to their inability to adjust to the time difference quickly enough. The Raiders, on the other hand, arrived long before them. Eberflus has no plans to make that same mistake.
This is another sign the Chicago Bears are in good hands.
Say what you want about Eberflus’ ability to develop a quarterback. One thing is certain. He is always mindful of the details. Many head coaches would not have recognized the dangers of time difference when traveling from Chicago to London. Nagy didn’t. Eberflus saw it before the season even began. Such forethought is a welcome sign this regime knows what it’s doing. Beating the Jaguars will be difficult enough on its own. The last thing the Bears should do is give them a handicap by being sluggish at kickoff.
As for the matchup itself, it should be a fun one. Jacksonville had a disappointing season in 2023. The off-season didn’t seem to help them on paper. They lost Calvin Ridley to Tennessee, Zay Jones to Arizona, and Dawuane Smoot to Buffalo. Most of their free agent additions were on the older side while 1st round pick Brian Thomas Jr. is talented, but kind of a one-year wonder from LSU. A lot of people in that building are under pressure to succeed this season. The Chicago Bears should match up well against them, especially their secondary against the Jaguars receivers.
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Bears should get to London as early as possible. The last time they were here, it was bad, almost embarrassing, even for just a 3-pt loss. Nice stadium, but I prefer Wembley. When Bear players come to the UK for whatever purpose, they would do well to visit the stadium to get an early sense of the environment they will be playing in.
I’m glad we are past the Pace/Nagy era. You can look back and see Nagy wasn’t about his players for sure. It was all about him. Running the offense even though he sucked at it. Now you have a coach with a set of principles and philosophies, that everyone follows. You can tell he is genuine. At the beginning of last year, when they were losing, he held steady and most importantly instilled belief in his players. Yeah, I can see the difference.