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Bear Digest

Have Ben Johnson's Bears Actually Leapfrogged the Powerhouse Rams?

A poll conducted of NFL executives has the Bears among the NFC contenders and even among very elite company.
Gene Chamberlain|
Caleb Williams throws a pass against the Rams as defensive end Kobie Turner closes in duking last season's playoffs.
Caleb Williams throws a pass against the Rams as defensive end Kobie Turner closes in duking last season's playoffs. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Bears

The Bears and regression have gone hand in hand throughout the past offseason.

Ben Johnson realized this when he engaged in his brief but effective discussion on commentary by Jacksonville coach Liam Coen about all the attention devoted to the Bears and Caleb Wiliams.

As recently as this week ESPN's Bill Barnwell went on his annual anti-Bears crusade and anointed them one of the most likely to regress.

However, not all of the media and analytical sect has been seeing orange and blue circling around the toilet before going down the proverbial drain. In fact, a potentially reputable yet unnamed source said the Bears are among the top five teams in the NFC. This would be unnamed NFL executives in the annual poll conducted by The Athletic's Mike Sando.

The Bears were not only ranked No. 5 by six unidentified NFL executives, but the Sando reported one of the executives ranked them the best team in the entire NFC.

Yes, that would mean the Bears are Super Bowl material. Considering the all-star super team assembled for Rams coach Sean McVay and that the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks are still a force, this is a true compliment to Ben Johnson's team.

Sando offered up the possibility Williams has "another level" to his game. As a result, the Bears wouldn't be required to play from behind so often.

A more accurate way to put it would have been the impressive talent provided to Williams and a second year in Johnson's offense -- actually first year being coached by proper NFL: offensive coaches after the debacle of the Matt Eberflus regime -- should allow the Bears QB to ascend.

Still, the executives are seeing a huge difference between talent levels with the Rams and not only the Bears but even the rest of the NFC.

The opinion doesn't seem to be shared by the betting public. According to DraftKings' sportsbook, the Bears are only tied for seventh in odds to win the NFC. They're tied with Dallas at +1250, and behind the Packers (+1050), as well as the Lions (+930) in their own division.

Any prediction of a conference title game appearance or Super Bowl for the Bears must be taken with a grain of salt considering they can't even be certain who their nickel cornerback is, whether their left tackle will hold up, and if they even have a pass rush after trading away the best defensive tackle they had the past two seasons.

And by the way, the Packers do not appear in the top five in this poll of executives.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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