Chicago Bears: New season, same problems

Instead of feeling like a new season, the 2017 Chicago Bears season has unfortunately seemed like an extension of last year’s 3-13 season.

The Chicago Bears started the 2017 season better than most expected, taking the defending NFC Champion Atlanta Falcons down to the wire. Unfortunately, the Bears could not finish the deal, despite having four shots at the end zone from the 5-yard line.

The 2017 season was supposed to be a fresh start for the Bears, but it looked quite similar to last season’s dysfunction. The Bears simply could not finish last year, going 1-6 in games decided by one possession. Sure, the Bears exceeded many expectations on Sunday, but they still lost.

Bears fans should be lamenting the fact that they lost, not that they kept the game competitive. Has the standard been lowered so much that being competitive in a game is considered a win? This is Year 3 for John Fox and Ryan Pace, and the team has nine combined victories. It’s time the Bears actually won close games, not lose them.

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Not being able to seal the deal is extremely frustrating, and it’s sometimes easier to handle a blowout loss than it is a game like the Bears played in Week 1.

If the Bears had won the six one-possession games they lost last season, they could have finished 9-7 and flirted with a playoff spot. If the Bears had closed Week 1 with a better performance, they could be sitting at 1-0, not 0-1 and in last place in the NFC North.

Besides the close losses, the Bears have already seen blown defensive coverages, average quarterback play, and numerous injuries. I know it’s early, but this season already seems like an extension of the 2016 season, not one that is supposed to be different and full of hope.

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Now, the 2017 Bears are a much better team than last year’s squad, and good things should be expected in the upcoming weeks. If the Bears finish 3-13 again this year, I’ll be shocked. But so far, this season has had several parallels to last year, and unfortunately, that’s not a good thing.