The Chicago Bears’ 2022 season is officially one week away as the team will begin preparations this week to take on their Week 1 opponent, the San Francisco 49ers. Outside of seeing the potential growth of second-year quarterback Justin Fields, little is expected from Chicago as the team is embarking on a rebuild under first-year head coach Matt Eberflus. Although there are low expectations, it allows Bears fans to enjoy the games without being fearful of missing the playoffs.

Football Hasn’t Been Fun For Bears’ Over The Past Three Seasons Due To High Expectations

Since the surprise 12-win 2018 season, Bears’ football hasn’t been entirely fun for the fans as expectations have been set extremely high over the past three seasons. From 2019 to 2022, former head coach Matt Nagy and his football team were expected to compete for the playoffs and win the Super Bowl. In 2019, Chicago was a Super Bowl favorite as their defense was viewed as the best unit in the league, and quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was seen as a potential MVP candidate.

.@adamrank joined #GMFB to tell us his expectations for the @ChicagoBears in 2019.

"I will be shocked if they're not in the Super Bowl." pic.twitter.com/jsac63l5k3

— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) June 7, 2019

In 2019, the Bears couldn’t live up to the projections placed on them as they finished with four fewer wins than the year before and disappointingly missed the playoffs. Chicago fans were critical of both Nagy and Trubisky as the team’s offense was inconsistent in most games, failing to produce points and sustain drives. The Bears’ offense in 2019 had eight games in which they scored one or no touchdowns.

The games were not fun for fans, as too often, supporters were left wanting more production from Chicago’s offense and feeling dejected if the team struggled to win games against inferior opponents. Each game in 2019 felt like a playoff game in itself as if the Bears were to lose, their Super Bowl and playoff hopes were dealt a costly blow. A prime example of the fans’ frustration with the team came in a Week 8 game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Although the Bears led the Chargers at home by a score of 9-7 heading into halftime, the hometown crowd booed Chicago off the field due to a poor offensive output.

1. The #Bears offense has now scored 7 points or fewer in a game seven times since 2019.

They passed for less than 200 yards 26 times since 2018.

I'd add more reasons to why Matt Nagy is stealing money at this point but do I really need to?

— Erik Lambert (@ErikLambert1) October 25, 2021

In 2020 and 2021, Similar frustrations and a lack of being able to enjoy games were shared by Bears fans. During the 2020 season, Chicago made a late-season run, winning three of their final four games to clinch the last spot for the NFC Playoffs. Although the Bears’ offense had averaged over 31 points over the final four games, Chicago fans seemed to have no excitement for the team’s Wild Card playoff game against the Saints. For fans, it felt as if the Bears had just one extra game to play before the end of the 2020 season.

Super Bowl and playoff expectations hindered last season, especially for Fields in his rookie season, as fans expected too much from the rookie quarterbacks. Bears fans believed the team’s first-round quarterback would give Chicago the best chance to compete for a title over veteran quarterback Andy Dalton. Instead of enjoying watching Fields develop as a quarterback, fans expected the rookie to lead the Bears’ offense to constant success. The rookie struggled in most of his games with Chicago as the team finished with a 6-11 record, resulting in Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace being fired.

While I’m excited for the Justin Fields era to truly start, I really hope #Bears fans don’t put too much pressure or have too high of expectations out of the gate.

He’s a rookie QB that will experience highs & lows.

Hope we can all just enjoy the ride.

— Aaron Leming (@AaronLemingNFL) October 7, 2021

Without Any Playoff Expectations, Bears’ Fan Can Enjoy The Team’s development

Heading into the 2022 NFL season, Bears fans will be in a position they haven’t been since the early part of the 2018 season. Like this season, all that was expected in 2018 by Chicago fans was to see how the team’s second-year first-round quarterback would develop. Those expectations changed once All-Pro linebacker Khalil Mack was acquired a week before the season started forcing fans to believe that the team could compete for the playoffs.

Fields and the Bears during their three preseason games have created excitement as several rookies, including safety Jaquan Brisker, wide receiver Velus Jones Jr, linebacker Jack Sanborn, and defensive end Dominique Robinson all stood out with individual highlights. Although Chicago lacks quality veteran talent to compete for a playoff spot, the team appears inspired to play hard and intelligent football for Eberflus and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.

I went to bed last night and had dreams about this throw. Luke Getsy seems like he's just what the doc ordered for Justin Fields. #Bears https://t.co/yCLHZHbYcx

— Jarrett Payton (@paytonsun) August 28, 2022

Getsy and Fields were highly praised for their work during the preseason, as the offense moved the ball with consistent success. Bears fans are excited now as Chicago might have a quality quarterback but also a promising offensive play-caller in Getsy. Any win this season in which the Bears’ offense scores multiple touchdowns, fans will be able to enjoy the success free from any preexisting expectations or unattainable goals.

Football is more fun without pre-determined expectations or when players and teams aren’t held to high standards that appear more significant than the initial game. With Bears fans, they will be able to enjoy potential growth as a rewarding positive, as any win in 2022 can be celebrated as just a win and not something needed to reach a more prominent goal. Fields and his team will be free of any pressure allowing them to play football and enjoy any unexpected success.