The Chicago Bears were 0-2 to start the season. Everyone thought they were on track to challenge for the #1 overall pick again. Then they won nine of their next ten games. The biggest exclamation point yet came on Black Friday when they thumped the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles 24-15 behind 281 rushing yards. Suddenly, the Bears are 9-3 and the #1 seed in the NFC. Head coach Ben Johnson didn't put much credence in that, stating the team hasn't accomplished anything yet. Still, it has people outside Halas Hall bringing up the forbidden question.
Can this team actually win a Super Bowl?
It sounds crazy. Just last year, the Bears were 5-12 and the laughing stock of the NFL. Teams don't just go from that to a championship contender in one year. Well, one person thinks they have. Chris Canty was a defensive lineman in the NFL for a decade, winning a Super Bowl with the New York Giants in 2011. He had the Bears #1 on his latest power rankings, declaring them legitimate contenders. Why? He believes their dominant ground game, opportunistic defense, and comfort in close games are a perfect recipe for making a deep playoff run.
Canty's words about the Chicago Bears aren't crazy.
If you look into the data of recent Super Bowl champions over the past 20 years, his formula is present more times than one might think. Here is a list of teams that won the title who ranked in the top 10 in both rushing and takeaways that year.
2024 Eagles:
- 6th in takeaways
- 1st in rushing
2018 Patriots
- 6th in takeaways
- 5th in rushing
2017 Eagles
- 4th in takeaways
- 3rd in rushing
2016 Patriots
- 3rd in takeaways
- 7th in rushing
2013 Seahawks
- 1st in takeaways
- 4th in rushing
2009 Saints
- 1st in takeaways
- 6th in rushing
Everybody says you need an elite quarterback to win the Super Bowl these days. Most of the time, that is true, but people don't discuss how even teams with elite quarterbacks take advantage of this formula. Besides, the Eagles have won two championships in the past eight years and didn't have a top 10 quarterback either time. What you need is a solid quarterback who protects the football and can make big throws in big moments. One would think Caleb Williams, with his five interceptions and five 4th quarter comebacks, fits that role.
The odds of the Chicago Bears going all the way are low. They have too many weaknesses you don't find in typical champions. Even so, sometimes it's about which team gets hot at the right time. Nobody can deny the Bears are scorching right as the calendar turns to December.
