Chicago Bears: Matchup with New England Patriots is season-altering

If Bears lose, NFC North could change drastically

Let’s establish a few things first. The Green Bay Packers are coming off a ridiculously-entertaining Monday Night Football game against the San Francisco 49ers which saw an all-too-familiar ending to Bears fans.

The 49ers gave Aaron Rodgers a shot, and he made them pay. The Packers are on bye in Week 7, but they currently have the same amount of wins as the Bears, with three.

The Vikings’ record, meanwhile, is exactly the same at 3-2-1. Minnesota has a winnable game this week against the New York Jets, which would put their win total at four. If the Bears lose, they fall all the way to third place in the NFC North.

Losing two in a row could do some damage to their confidence as well. Once looking like an ascending team who could compete with anyone, if they lose badly to the Patriots a week after losing to the Dolphins, they certainly take a step back.

Let’s not kid ourselves. We didn’t think the Bears would be Super Bowl contenders as early as this year. The first four weeks of the season were a pleasant surprise. But, if they get run out of Soldier Field by New England, the thought that maybe they aren’t ready to compete with anyone could certainly begin to creep in.

I’ll be the first to say it — the Bears aren’t ready for a Super Bowl run. They’re still a year or two away. But, they have the foundation of a championship team.

Losing to the Patriots means potentially losing a division lead, and that would be a tough pill to swallow considering the way both Minnesota and Green Bay began the year.