More than a few people out there aren't happy with the Chicago Bears and their 3-2 record coming out of the bye week. The primary reason is they just haven't looked like a coherent football team in that stretch. Offensively they're in the doldrums at the moment, ranking 30th overall. The offensive line can't get the ground game going (3.4 yards per carry) and their pass protection has also struggled. Mitch Trubisky got off to a slow start and then injured his shoulder. Chase Daniel came in and played well to start, but then threw away a priceless chance to win against Oakland.
The frustration with that reality has led people to think the Bears would be 4-1 or even 5-0 had they managed to get even modest play from that side of the ball. However, the reasons behind this record go deeper than some people might see. In fact, upon closer inspection it should be considered an impressive feat that they have a winning record at all. Not just because of the health issues they've had to deal with, but other factors as well.
Chicago Bears schedule has been quietly murderous
Here's the thing. Football is a game of rhythm. Not just on the field but off as well. Teams that have success don't do so just because of their talent, but also the consistency they're able to find early in the year. For example, let's look at the 4-1 Buffalo Bills. They started their season with two games on the road but with a twist. Both were against the New York-based teams (the Jets and Giants). That meant they didn't have to do any traveling after their first game, which undoubtedly helped their cause in winning those games.
Then they had two-straight games at home, which was a short flight back to Buffalo. That's a flight time of fewer than two hours round trip. When looking at the Bears' schedule thus far, it looks far more grueling by comparison.
#1 - Schedule quirks
Remember that line about rhythm coming into play? Well the Bears have experienced anything but that over their first five games. Adam Hoge of WGN made a great point about how wacky the start to the season has been in terms of scheduling. The Bears have played night games on Thursday, Monday and Sunday. One of them on the east coast and the other in London.
"Speaking of schedule quirks, the Bears still have not played a Noon game this season and won’t until next week (Week 8) against the Los Angeles Chargers. While their Week 5 game against the Raiders started at Noon CT here in Chicago, it was actually a night game for the players, kicking off at 6 p.m. in London."
The other two games were played in the late afternoon slot. That's right. Chicago has yet to play a traditional noon game this season. Why is that significant? Last season the Bears had a stretch from Week 4 through Week 13 where they had seven noon games. They were 6-3 during that run and would've been 7-2 if not for a missed field goal in Miami. Consistency in scheduling time can matter a lot.
#2 - Travel
This is the other part of the scheduling factor that comes into play. The Bears have had to do a lot of traveling so far this season. It started with a trip up to Denver in Week 2. Probably the toughest place for any team in the league to play given the thinner air due to the mountains. Not to mention the notoriously raucous crowds. For the Bears to go in there and come out with a win was bigger than people would care to admit.
Then they had to fly to Washington for a game against the Redskins. A place the Bears had won exactly one time in the previous eight visits. They do just that, fly home to Soldier Field on a short week for a late afternoon game against the 3-1 Minnesota Vikings and win it despite losing their starting quarterback six plays into the game with a shoulder injury.
Last but not least, before they can even savor that win they prepare for a flight of seven hours and 50 minutes across the Atlantic to London for a game against the Oakland Raiders. There, despite falling behind 17-0, they come roaring back in the second half to take a 21-17 lead and were a running into the kicker penalty away from pulling off the win.
To come out of that sort of a grind with a 3-2 record actually looks pretty good in hindsight.
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