It seems crazy now but the Chicago Bears once had Super Bowl aspirations going into the 2019 season. Skip ahead to week 12 in the NFL and the Bears are sitting at 4-6 with their season all but over. Now that the playoffs are a lost hope its time figure how the hell we got here. Who should we hold most accountable for this sudden debacle? I've been thinking about this question for a few days now and I think I found the best way to elaborate on this topic:
A good old fashion power rankings list. Lets begin.
Cody Parkey
The double doink king. Obviously this is more so of a joke, but if you think about it, the Bears really haven't been the same since that heart-breaking playoff loss. Just something to think about.
Alright, now lets actually get to the rankings.
1. Ryan Pace
What better way to start this list than at the very top. The man who traded up to draft Mitch Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. I could go on and on with the mistakes Pace has made but for the sake of time, I won't. Yes, you could make the argument that Ryan Pace has found some diamonds in the ruff. Eddie Jackson or Tarik Cohen come to mind. But the bad seems to severely outweigh the good when you take a look at Pace's track record as the Bears GM.
2. Matt Nagy
Some of these rankings can be switched interchangeably but I decided that Nagy has done more than enough to earn his spot here at number two. A year ago this would've been crazy to suggest but the reigning Coach of the Year seems to be on the hot seat. It will be interesting to see how hot it gets as the season progresses and the Bears head into an important off-season. From the top to the bottom, no one's job will be safe.
3. Mitch Trubisky
Remember in the off-season when we had high hopes for the third-year quarterback. That year two in Nagy's system was going to help Trubisky take that much needed next step? Yeah, we were wrong. Very very wrong. Instead of taking that one step forward, it seems that Mitch decided to just turn himself around and sprint like hell backward. Sure, he has shown flashes here and there but for most of this year, he's been so bad it's straight-up comical.
4. Offensive Line
The Chicago Bears offensive line is one of the worst in the NFL right now. They rank 28th in run blocking and 23rd in pass protection according to Football Outsiders. This is another huge reason for the regression the Bears offense has shown in 2019. It is hard to do anything remotely positive in both the run/passing game when the guys up front aren't producing.
Honorable Mentions
The receiving corps who is tied for the most dropped passes in the NFL.
Eddy Pineiro who seems to be just an off-brand Cody Parkey with fewer doinks.
The tight end position. It has been horrific. Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen have combined for a total of (drum-roll please) 0 touchdowns.
The Verdict
Sure we can try and pinpoint and debate who holds the most to blame for such a disappointing Bears season but in reality, everyone is at fault. Yes, some more than others but, in the end, it takes a lot of moving parts to produce a good football team in 2019. The Bears are the prime examples of how fast things can change in the NFL. You can do from division champs to battling for last place in less than a year. That is the cruelty of the NFL.
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