Chicago Bears: 5 Reasons to Still Watch in 2016

It’s been a disastrous season thus far for the Chicago Bears, but there are still reasons why you should continue to watch this team.

Year 2 under head coach John Fox was supposed to be different for the Chicago Bears. After a 6-10 finish in 2015, the Bears were supposed to take a jump this season. Instead, their poor play has left some Bears fans thinking about jumping off the bandwagon.

Not much has gone right for the Bears in 2016. Injuries to key starters, blowing fourth quarter leads, and overall team inexperience has doomed the team. The Bears have still not won a game on the road. Moreover, despite ranking in the top-10 in yards, the offense has been awful at the one thing that matters—scoring points!

Most Bears fans have turned their attention to the Chicago Cubs (and rightfully so) or the upcoming 2017 NFL Draft, where the Bears are still in serious contention to have a top-five pick. Football Sundays have become more about checking fantasy teams (or getting in a good nap) for Bears fans than actually watching the game.

However, before you completely tune out the Bears for the rest of the 2016 season, here are five things that might persuade you to stay:

The Development of Young Players

If the Bears want to turn things around in 2017, they are going to have to rely on some of their young talent blossoming into reliable, competent starters. All three running backs (Jeremy Langford, Ka’Deem Carey, and Jordan Howard), tackle Charles Leno, Jr., and center Cody Whitehair should get the bulk of your attention on offense, while linebacker Leonard Floyd, safety Adrian Amos, and nose tackle Eddie Goldman should do the same on defense. If wide receiver Kevin White ever gets healthy, his development also bears watching, as his ascension (or dare I say, descent) could impact what the Bears do with impending free agent Alshon Jeffery in the offseason.

The Quarterback Situation

With Brian Hoyer likely done for the season with a broken arm, Jay Cutler again becomes the starting quarterback by default. There’s simply no other player on the roster to push Cutler for the job (and please don’t say Matt Barkley is the answer). If healthy, Cutler is the guy. However, you could be watching the end of the Jay Cutler-era in Chicago, as the team could move on from him at the end of the season and only face a $2 million “dead money” cap hit.

The Effectiveness of John Fox

When the Bears were in a tailspin last year, head coach John Fox still had his team playing hard, and it appeared that no player quit on him (except for maybe ex-Bear Martellus Bennett). This year, however, the Bears are once again near the bottom of the barrel. Will Fox’s message still resonate with the players, or will the team start to tune him out and show some “quit” as the season winds down?

The Ability to Play Spoiler

When a team stinks and is not playing for the playoffs, what motivates them to win games (other than bonuses and endorsements)? Playing spoiler to other teams’ playoff hopes. The Bears put a wrench in the Packers’ hopes of a division title last Thanksgiving and the team could once again have an impact on the NFC playoff picture.

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The “Car Crash” Situation

When you see a car crash on the side of the road, you know it’s bad, but you just can’t look away, right? Well, consider the 2016 Chicago Bears season a car crash. It’s been bad and it very well could get worse. Will they win another game? Could John Fox join the list of coaches on the “hot seat?” And quite simply, what in the world could go wrong next?

Yes, it’s another playoff-less season for the Chicago Bears, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any reasons to still tune-in. So I implore you, Bears’ fans, to keep watching, and maybe the team will reward you in the future.

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