5 Reasons Chicago Bears Will Be Playoff Bound in 2011
Published by Jim Poljak on August 18, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
When a team makes it to the NFC Championship Game like the Chicago Bears did last season, it should be a foregone conclusion that they will return to the playoffs the next season. But this is the NFL we’re talking about, and the only foregone conclusions anymore are James Harrison getting fined for an illegal hit and a player on the Cincinnati Bengals getting arrested.
There are some tough obstacles in front of the Bears in 2011. They play in the same division as the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers, two of their first three games are against the past two Super Bowl winners (New Orleans Saints and Packers) and the NFC is quickly becoming a powerhouse conference with teams like the Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants on the steady rise towards becoming perennial Super Bowl contenders.
Another obstacle for the Bears is themselves. They were the 30th ranked offense in the NFL in 2010 and will need every aspect of their offense to be better. The offensive line is going to have to be better at not getting quarterback Jay Cutler beat up, the wide receivers will need to show up in big games and not go gentle into the good night and the coaching staff is going to have to be quicker to make a switch in philosophy if the games are not going according to plan to start the season.
Despite all of that, I still feel that the Bears will be one of the teams to survive the inevitable turnover of playoff teams in the NFL this season. And while they may not repeat as NFC North champions, here are the five reasons they will still be playoff bound in 2011…
