The Chicago Bears are sitting at 3-12 with just two games left on their 2022 slate, and the focus has been on the 2023 offseason for awhile now. With Chicago eliminated from postseason contention, there’s nothing at stake — unless you count a top-two draft pick.
Still, the 2022 season can be considered a success because the Bears found their franchise quarterback in Justin Fields, who has managed to succeed and impress despite a lack of a supporting cast.
Naturally, the concern in these final two games is making sure Fields ends his 2022 season healthy. So would the Bears consider shutting him down for the remainder of the season?
“Absolutely not,” Matt Eberflus said Monday. “We got to get better. We want to improve. We want to get our team. We want to see where we are. These last few games matter. They’re division opponents to us. Very important to our football team to see the competition, to see the guys compete against our division, and I think it’s important for each man, it’s important for each unit, it’s important for our football team.”
Chicago will face division rivals the Lions and Vikings to close out what’s been a dismal 2022 season. Eberflus believes it’s important for his team — and every player — to compete in these two games.
That won’t necessarily translate to wins, as Detroit is fighting for a playoff spot while Minnesota is jockeying for playoff seeding in the NFC. And while potentially ending the season on a 10-game losing streak isn’t something to celebrate, a top-two draft pick would be the perfect consolation prize. That, and a healthy Fields.
