Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles has gone on record this offseason, stating that he expects the 2023 version of the Chicago Bears to compete for an NFC North crown this year. This is a large proclamation given that the team is coming off a league-worst three-win campaign in 2022. Even so, you can hear the excitement in Poles’ voice when he talks about this team compared to the last season’s.
“It’s not even close,” Poles said via The Athletic. “This is a different group; practice, meetings, the weight room. I feel like a family is starting to come together, even with the rookie class just showing up this past week. There’s just a different feeling.”
Going from worst to first seems to happen every other year in the NFL. However, as most Bears fans can tell you, the NFC North has had a regular pecking order for the last four years. The Packers and Vikings will battle for the crown, with the Packers usually pulling ahead late. This leaves the Lions and Bears competing for the third spot. But with the departure of Aaron Rogers to the New York Jets, the division is as open as ever, and Poles believes it.
Let’s take a deeper dive into the 2023 schedule to see how it may line up for the Bears in 2023.
