Chicago Bears can restore hope for 2023 season if they take advantage of next 2 games

The Chicago Bears have a long way to go before becoming a relevant team in 2023.

They started the season 0-3, which, historically speaking, is a fatal blow for any team. Since 1979, only six of the 158 teams that started the season 0-3 have made the playoffs. That's a whopping 1.3%.

It gets even worse for teams that begin the year 0-4, as the Bears did. Only one team has overcome such a horrid start, the 1992 San Diego Chargers, who finished that season with 11 wins in 12 games.

However, those numbers may be a bit skewed with a 17th game and the recent expansion of the NFL playoff field. Still, the point remains: the Bears are the longest of longshots, even after winning their first game of the season in Week 5.

But the Chicago Bears have a chance to flip the narrative on their 2023 season pretty quickly. A 1-4 record can soon inch closer to .500 if they capitalize on their next two games against very beatable opponents.

Up first are the Minnesota Vikings, who, like the Bears, are 1-4 on the year. The Vikings are limping into this contest without star receiver Justin Jefferson, who's been the major cog in Minnesota ranking second in the league in passing yards per game. Jefferson's absence will force the Vikings to lean more on its near-league-worst rushing offense, which, through five games, is averaging less than 81 yards per game (29th).

The Vikings should offer Justin Fields an opportunity to stack his third productive game in a row, too. They rank 22nd in passing yards allowed and have surrendered nine passing touchdowns this year, which is among the most in the NFL.

The Bears are home underdogs as of the time of this post, which suggests the oddsmakers still don't have faith in Fields and Chicago's defense to stop the Vikings despite looking like the better team in Week 5. It makes sense that the Bears have to prove it for more than one week before there's buy-in, but it certainly feels like Chicago is trending up while Minnesota is plummeting.

If the Chicago Bears pull off the home upset, they'll be staring at another home contest against the 2-3 Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7.

The Raiders upended the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football, but it was far from an impressive win. The Packers are a bad team right now, which is excellent news for the future of the NFC North.

How the Bears' schedule sets up with back-to-back home games...

The Vikings rank 30th in opponent passer rating (110.8), 31st in INT rate (0.56%), 31st in completion % allowed (76.4), 1st in giveaways (12).

Raiders are 2nd with 11 turnovers and rank 26th in sack rate (5.88%).

— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) October 10, 2023

The Raiders' offense is one of the worst in the NFL, averaging just 15.8 points per game (29th overall). Their running game is the least productive, totaling 71.4 yards per game, which is shocking considering the year running back Josh Jacobs enjoyed in 2022 (he led the NFL in rushing with 1,652 yards.)

The Chicago Bears will enter these two winnable games with home-field advantage and the added benefit of coming off a mini-bye. Justin Fields is playing the best football of his career, with eight touchdown passes in the last two games and nearly 700 yards of total offense. The defense is getting healthier and starting to produce takeaways and sacks.

Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but the Bears have a very real chance of flipping 1-3 to 3-4 before a tough Sunday night showdown in Week 8 against the Los Angeles Chargers. And if they do, hope for meaningful games in December will be restored.

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