We’ve essentially entered “play out the string” territory for the Chicago Bears. After a disheartening loss to the Los Angeles Rams in L.A. on Sunday Night Football, the Bears fell to 4-6 and all but shattered their playoff hopes in 2019.
The Bears end the season with alternating home and away against the following teams starting Sunday at Soldier Field: New York Giants, Detroit Lions (Thanksgiving), Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings.
Given how they’ve played lately, especially on offense, the Bears are currently staring at a 6-10 season at best. Yikes. Let’s see if they can turn things around and end the year strong.
With that, I reach into this week’s Bears Mailbag. Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. Follow me on Twitter @DhruvKoul to continue the conversation.
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Mailbag
Usually, missing on a quarterback can set a team back years. But in the case of the Bears, it doesn’t have to set them back far at all. They have a roster that’s built to win now, much of the key core will return next year, and they haven’t locked down a liability of a QB to a long contract (think Rams and Jared Goff). So they can easily get out of this situation.
I’ve said all along — going back to the off-season — that the Bears needed at least consistently average QB play to be successful. When I say consistently average, I mean NOT having the type of high variance performances that Trubisky did last year. He was either excellent in games, miserable in games, or both excellent and miserable in the same games. You can’t have +100 and -100 equal out to 0 when it comes to QB play. You need it to be at least consistently 0 and more 0.
The Bears can get that by signing a smart veteran QB this off-season that can run a professional offense. The nice thing is Matt Nagy’s system is very QB friendly, has receivers running free consistently, and just requires a smart field processor that can deliver an accurate ball to run the off-season. Trubisky hasn’t been that; but there’s no reason the Bears can’t fill this need in the off-season and be right back to competing again.
Think of it this way: An average QB easily wins the games against the Packers, Chargers, and Rams this year. And very likely, an average QB beats the Eagles and Saints, too. That’s AT LEAST 7-3, if not 8-2 or 9-1. Painful, isn’t it?
The Bears won’t be breaking the bank this off-season for a QB, but they also won’t be getting rid of Trubisky, either. While the Bears shouldn’t pick up his fifth-year option, there’s no benefit to releasing him and he has no trade value. So Mitch will be invited to the competition.
That said, I’d imagine the Bears would earmark about $18-20M or so for a veteran QB for 2020. That’s what it costs nowadays. But if they get someone into the competition that can run Matt Nagy’s offense properly, it’s money well spent.
And think of it this way: The veteran QB will be a last-gasp effort by Ryan Pace and Nagy to salvage this window. If it works, they buy themselves more time and can select a QB of the future with their first-round pick in 2021. If it doesn’t work, then both are fired and the new GM/HC can pick their own QB of the future for 2021 and the slate is clear.
Q: Do you still believe in Eddy Pineiro? — Vanessa B.
Remember that Eddy Pineiro started off the season on fire — and he nailed a 53 yard FG in Denver to get the Bears to 1-1. He’s hit a bit of a mid-season slump here, missing a GW FG against the L.A. Chargers that would’ve improved the Bears to 4-3, and missing critical, momentum-igniting FGs against the Rams this past Sunday. It’s not a good look.
But kickers running into adversity isn’t uncommon — Pineiro is still young, talented, and cost-effective. And the Bears’ season is effectively over, so it’s worth seeing if Pineiro can rebound and finish the year strong.
If he continues to struggle, then the Bears have another open question to answer at kicker in the off-season. But if he does improve, roll with him.
Q: Predictions for the remainder of the year? — Chris M.
My game predictions are the following:
vs. Giants — W
@ Lions — W
vs. Cowboys — W
@ Packers — L
vs. Chiefs — W (IDK why)
@ Vikings — L
Final record: 8-8.
I also think both Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy return next year and have a chance to fix this with a new, jointly-chosen QB.
