Coming off a week 5 win against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Chicago Bears are currently sitting at second place in the NFC North behind the Packers. The Monsters of the Midway have a 4-1 record with their only loss coming at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts.

Despite being 4-1, the Bears are still considered to be one of the weaker teams in the NFL according to most analysts. Although all of their wins have not been blowouts or even good games, the Bears have found ways to win. Whether it is the defense coming up with a stop or the offense getting into a groove late in the fourth, the Bears are adding tallies in the win column.

After beating the Bucs, the Bears were almost certain to at least gain some respect from those around the league yet, they are still waiting to get it. Last year, the Green Bay Packers were in a very similar situation to where the Bears are right now; winning games by just a couple of points. The Packers, who are a great team year in and year out, were not being called a bad team and the analysts were not saying that all of their wins are “lucky”. Instead, they were being told that great teams find a way to win, and that is the same case with the Bears.

The Bears started out slow against the Lions in week one, but they managed to escape Detroit with a win. They found a way to win, something that great teams do. In week two, they outplayed the Giants on all parts of the field which was not reflected on the scoreboard. A week later in Atlanta, the offense, led by Nick Foles staged a remarkable fourth-quarter comeback against the Falcons and capped it off with a game-ending interception. Again, the Bears found a way to win.

After losing to the best defense in the league against the Indianapolis Colts (by only a touchdown), the Bears took down the GOAT and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after another fourth-quarter comeback. The Bears defense held them to 19 points and just six points in the second half. Again, they made plays when they had to and found a way to win.

4-1 is something that Bears fans should be excited about and they should anticipate even more wins as they have not even come close to playing their best football. The Bears have a Super Bowl MVP in Nick Foles who has now taken down Brady twice without suffering a loss as well as a top receiver in the league with Allen Robinson. The offense looks like it is finally getting into its groove and once the run game develops, the Bears offense could be a force to reckon with in the future.

On the other side of the football, the Bears again have one of the best defenses in the league. With edge rushers like Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn off both sides and Akiem Hicks up the center, the Bears are putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks seemingly every drop back. The stellar defensive line mixed with a good secondary which features Pro-Bowlers Kyle Fuller, Tashaun Gipson, and Eddie Jackson. Rookie Jalen Johnson has also shown promise as he has become the Bears’ second corner. 

The moral of the story is that the Bears are winning football games and they haven’t even been playing their best football yet. The Bears deserve a little more respect for being 4-1 and taking down some of the top quarterbacks in the league. They continue to find ways to win and once the offense starts playing up to their full potential, these wins will start to become stress-free.