Chicago Bears: Bye week comes at the perfect time

The Chicago Bears have some high expectations for themselves and the 3-2 start isn’t exactly what the had in mind to start the season.

The Chicago Bears had a rough go of it in London, England against the Oakland Raiders. They weren’t good for most of the game and although the final score says it was close, there were some concerning things while watching that game. The defense is all world and the best in the NFL but somehow they spotted the Raiders a 17-0 lead early. The team creating turnovers and capitalizing on some Raider mistakes allowed them to eventually take the lead before a 97-yard drive by Derek Carr and the Raiders offense cost the Bears a win.

They are now home from London and on their bye week. The week off couldn’t have come in a more perfect spot for Matt Nagy’s team. Losing to the Raiders in the “Khalil Mack revenge game” is not a good look. Especially knowing the all-world defense allowed Carr to drive 97 yards down the field for the win. They need a break and they need it now.

Last season they had a bye at the perfect time too but they came out of it and lost. This year is a chance to learn from that and be ready for the New Orleans Saints in their next game. They likely won’t have Drew Brees under center so this is an opportunity for the Bears to pounce. The Bears gained some respect around the league last year but if they don’t fix this soon they will start to lose that respect they built up.

This extra week is also an opportunity for the Bears to try and get Mitchell Trubisky healthy. He wasn’t having a great start to the season but he is so clearly better than the backup Chase Daniel. Daniel is a good backup but when he is thrust in there as a starter defense eats him alive. That is two years in a row that he got a win in relief but got beat the following week as the starter. Mitch has the ability to extend plays as well and that is needed with how bad the offensive line has been.

After five games there is really no reason to panic yet, but there is cause for concern. The Bears need to get it together and make sure they are ready for a very good New Orleans Saints team in a couple of weeks. Hopefully, the bye week does exactly what it is supposed to do and rejuvenate the team and help get some important pieces healthy.