The Chicago Bears are back on the field with their 2014 season, starting off with a 3-4 record. The Bears, who narrowly missed the playoffs last year, are back for redemption and ready to claim the prize that has eluded them since 1985; winning the Super Bowl. Mark Trestman, now entering his second year as Bears head coach, is keeping the Bears on track and ready for the next game.

However, players including Devin Hester, Josh McCown, Julius Peppers, Earl Bennett, and Major Wright were let go over the off-season. As for the Bears that are still there, quarterback Jay Cutler, who was signed to a seven year contract extension during the offseason, has led the Bears through their season with some great plays that have proved critical, both good and bad.

Last year, by this point in the season, the Bears were 4-3. Before going into the Bye Week, they lost two more, going in at 3-4. After the two-week break, the Bears started up again with a stunning win against division rival Green Bay, during which star quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ collarbone was broken. The Bears lost another game and won another game after the victory in Green Bay. They then lost two consecutive games, won two consecutive games, but then lost their final two games. The final one was at Soldier Field against the Packers in a winner-take-all game for the Division title, with Aaron Rodgers able to play after healing from his injury, ending the Bears’ playoff dreams. The Bears’ final record for the season was 8-8. The Bears were 16th in the league for points per game, scoring an average of 20. Their offense was fourth in the league with an average of 427 yard per game, with their passing fourth in the league as well with 341 yards per game. Their rushing was less than stellar with a 22nd-place finish with 86 yards per game and finished fourteenth in the league in terms of defense. The Bears hoped to change their defense over the offseason so they wouldn’t go through it again. Last season, I definitely thought that we could’ve won some of the games we lost and never have it come down to the last game for the division. After all, the Packers have proven to be superior to us in almost every way.

This season, the Bears started off with a stunning loss in overtime to Buffalo in the season opener at Soldier Field. However, the Bears redeemed themselves by winning a come-from-behind victory against San Francisco on the opening night of their new stadium, but the Bears suffered a massive blow when cornerback Charles “Peanut” Tillman injured his tricep, knocking him out for the season. They then beat the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium, but suffered a massive loss against their division rivals, the Green Bay Packers, at home. During a road game in Carolina, the Bears led the Panthers 21-14 at the half, but ended up losing the game 31-24, putting them even further behind in the division. They then went to Atlanta and defeated former-Bear Devin Hester and his new team but lost to Miami at Soldier Field. The Bears remain winless at home. A road game in New England is next with the Bye Week following after. Like last year, they will come out of the Bye Week in Green Bay before playing Minnesota and Tampa Bay at home. After a road game in Detroit, they will play three consecutive home games against Dallas, New Orleans, and Detroit before ending the season in Minnesota.

Overall, I believe that the Bears have a good offense, like usual. However, Jay Cutler isn’t helping the Bears with the interceptions he’s thrown so far. The interceptions usually start drives that result in touchdowns. And our offense isn’t the best at stopping the other team’s defense when they have the ball. The defense has proven themselves to be better than last year. Based on performances from the past few seasons, I predict that the Bears will be in the playoff push all the way to Week 17. But they won’t be if the Bears don’t get their act together and start winning. Also based on past performances, the teams of the NFC North Division will also be in it until Week 17. It will be very difficult to win the division by a long-shot. This is a prediction that is being supported by the records and stats for the season. If the Bears are able to beat the odds and make it to the playoffs, then the Bears will go far and possibly get to the Super Bowl as long as they don’t face a good team that has proven in the regular season to be a tough opponent.