The season is finally upon us and it is time to see what the 2022 Chicago Bears can do under the new directions of Ryan Pole and Matt Eberflus. So I tasked our staff to give us their predictions on the season.

David Peters

Overall Record – 7-10

Conference Record – 5-5

Offensive Team MVP – David Montgomery or Justin Fields

Defensive Team MVP – Roquan Smith

Offensive Breakout Star – Justin Fields

Defensive Breakout Star – Jaquan Brisker

Breakdown of Season – It will be a very streaky season with the breakdown of the schedule. The team will be a lot better than most thing but will still finish 3rd in the division. Also feel like the inexperience of the roster will show.

Cole Gross

What Makes or Breaks the Season- Can Justin Fields take that next step that we all want and can the offensive line come together as a unit. 

Overall Record – 8-9

Conference Record – 3-3

Offensive Team MVP – Justin Fields

Defensive Team MVP – Trevis Gipson

Offensive Breakout Star – Velus Jones 

Defensive Breakout Star – Jaylon Johnson  

Breakdown of Season – Bears schedule early on sets them up to start pretty good. Besides Green Bay on the road. I believe they could start 4-2 before heading to New England & Dallas. That’s where they hit a rough spot and be around .500 of the rest of the season. They will be in a lot games but in the end, talent from others teams will be the end result.

Steven Lambrecht

What Makes or Breaks the Season- This offense is going to rely heavily on running the football. Since everything is going to be predicated on running the ball, not being able to do so will hurt other areas of our football team. So if the O-line can’t hold up, we’ll be in for a long season.

Overall Record – 9-8

Conference Record –  7-5

Offensive Team MVP -Justin Fields

Defensive Team MVP – Roquan Smith

Offensive Breakout Star – Darnell Mooney

Defensive Breakout Star – Thomas Graham Jr

Breakdown of Season – It all lies on Justin Fields Bears fans. If he takes that leap like we all assume and expect him to make, this team should have no issue winning 7-9 games. As you can see, I think he takes that step and leads us to a 9-8 record. Now, will that be good enough to sneak into the playoffs? Maybe not. Who knows? But I think for all of us Bears fans, we just hope to see improvement from this young team going into 2023 with hopes of competing.

Cael Wyatt

What Makes or Breaks the Season- I think it’s pretty clear that the season depends on Justin Fields and the offensive line. If Fields can take that next step as a QB, and the O-Line can give him a second to breathe in the backfield, I think the Bears could make a run at the postseason, but I’m not exactly optimistic.

Overall Record – 7-10

Conference Record – 5-7

Offensive Team MVP – I think Justin Fields has the potential to be a great QB and rally the team behind him, so he’s my pick for OMVP.

Defensive Team MVP – Eddie Jackson is my pick for DMVP, mainly trying to speak this into existence because this defense is a lot more fun when he’s playing well.

Offensive Breakout Star – Darnell Mooney is one of the many players I think will find a lot more success with a new coaching regime, but I think Fields and him will grow to have one of those great QB/WR relationships that translates to great on-field play.

Defensive Breakout Star – Jaquan Brisker is a rookie safety who’s been looking great in camp, so hopefully that carries over to the regular season.

Breakdown of Season – Honestly, I’m going into this season with pretty low expectations. New coach/GM, Fields’ second year, and in a weird halfway rebuild. I’m just hoping to have some fun this year.

Marty Wessels

What Makes or Breaks the Season- It is really easy to say QB1, and there is nothing wrong with that. I for one think that is a foregone conclusion that he’s going to have a great season. How do I know that? I am an eternal optimist who has been hurt before and isn’t afraid to be hurt again. Realistically I think the bigger make or break is going to be the play in the trenches. I believe that this offensive line has the pieces to be a respectable unit, but the game of putting the right players in the right place has been a puzzle the previous regime struggled with… constantly. The defensive line is also a major question mark for this team. With a blend of returning rotational players, and incoming veterans who have fallen on injury in recent years, it is really difficult to forecast the success of this unit. Training camp is certainly showing that there is reason for optimism, but tread lightly my friends. With dependable play out of #58 and a much improved secondary, this defensive front could really bog the unit as a whole down. If I had to choose just one, I am going with the offensive line being the make or break for the season. With what many expect will be a run first ask questions later type of offense, the boys up front are monumental. Fields can’t role out and make magic happen if he’s face down in the dirt. 

Overall Record – 8-9

Conference Record – 5-7

Offensive Team MVP – It’s no secret that Monsters of the Midwest is a VERY pro David Montgomery account. I for one think the running back is widely underrated by the media and our previous coaching staff. He is a do it all type of player and I think that we are going to see him be the kick stand that holds this team upright as they find their balance. He is a scrappy runner who always finds a way forward, and I think we will really see his hands play a bigger role in this passing game than we have in previous seasons. The running back room is a high point for this roster, and the players below Montgomery each bring unique skills and styles to the offense, but I think his gritty all purpose mindset is going to spark some early success for these Bears. Not to mention the man is playing for a pay day.

Defensive Team MVP – I am not one to go with the masses, but there is no way Roquan is not the Defensive MVP of this team. With Mack and Hicks gone, Roquan is primed to be the face of this defense for the long haul and finally step into that role as the next great Bears Linebacker. Barring a long term hold out, Roquan is going to be the lynchpin that holds the front of this defense to the secondary. I think his versatility is going to be a massive saving grace for this unit, and you can expect to see him to cover a lot of field week in and week out. Move over James Brown, Roquan Smith is the hardest working man in show business this season.

Offensive Breakout Star – Give me Braxton Jones! With all this training camp buzz of him emerging as the starting Left Tackle I am leaning into the “where there is smoke there is fire” mentality. 

Defensive Breakout Star – Trevis Gipson, laying the hammer for a double digit sack season. 

Breakdown of Season – This team is going to be better, but it’s not going to happen right out of the gate. It’s very likely this team starts the season on back to back losses, but don’t be surprised if they find their way to 3-3 or even 4-2 through six weeks. They will hang around with teams they have no business beating and will be competitive down the stretch. Ultimately I think they finish the season with a losing record but I could see that going up or down by two games. The Bears have a good schedule for this new regime. Equal parts hard games, winnable games, and genuine toss ups against teams that find themselves in a similar “rebuild light” scenario. Find a way to win those toss up games and the Bears could back into a wild card spot amongst this wide open NFC basement. I don’t know if the Bears are going to surprise anyone on offense, but then again the problem with the deer and the car wasn’t that the deer didn’t see the car the problem is that the deer couldn’t stop it. Regardless of wins and losses this team will be a hell of a lot more fun to watch. There won’t be dumb penalties for punching other players, jet sweeps for a consistent negative three yards, or a head coach reading a waffle house menu for anything other than toast options. I am ordering a Miller Lite with a side of optimism.