Bears Blitz

Published by Kristopher Knox on September 21, 2015
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

We’re only two weeks into the 2015 season, but the Chicago Bears are already in trouble. 

There was a lot of promise and hope surrounding the organization before the season. New head coach John Fox was implementing a culture change. New offensive coordinator Adam Gase was bringing balance to an offense that was too pass-oriented under former head coach Marc Trestman.

Former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was restoring respectability to the once-mighty Chicago defense—a unit that was more of a punchline than a power over the last couple of seasons. 

During the preseason, it appeared things were coming together with relative ease and the Bears would once again be relevant in the rugged NFC North. Chicago made the ground game a point of emphasis, averaging 134.2 yards per game—which ranked fifth in the league. The offense was rated sixth overall and the defense was rated fifth overall by Pro Football Focus.

The latter unit, which had undergone a drastic change to a 3-4 base, held opponents to just 263 yards per game—eighth in the NFL. The butter-like Bears had surrendered 377.1 yards per game in 2014—third most in the NFL—and allowed 27.6 points per game.

Only the Oakland Raiders allowed more points last season.

Yes, there was hope during the offseason that change had arrived in Chicago. That hope appeared justified after a month of exhibition games. And with a competitive loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 1, the Bears had the look of a team on the rise.

After Sunday’s 48-23 disaster against the Arizona Cardinals, however, it seems more probable than not that Chicago will be selecting inside the top 10 of the draft for the second straight year.

The Bears looked overmatched on both sides of the ball against the Cardinals and lost starting quarterback Jay Cutler to a hamstring injury.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (h/t SportsCenter), Cutler will miss at least two weeks with the injury.

It’s another in a series of early-season injuries that have plagued the team. Chicago played without star receiver Alshon Jeffery on Sunday and has been without rookie first-round pick Kevin White since the beginning of training camp. 

The loss of Cutler is probably even more worrisome than Sunday’s blowout, though starting the season in an 0-2 hole is certainly a problem. With Cutler out, the Bears are going to be forced to rely on backup Jimmy Clausen.

Clausen has a career win-loss record of just 1-10. He floundered through much of Sunday’s game, finishing 14-of-23 for 121 yards with an interception and no touchdowns. Next week’s matchup against the Seattle Seahawks doesn’t seem much more promising. 

In fact, Chicago’s schedule looks like it is going to cause problems this season. In addition to its six games against talented NFC North opponents, the Bears also have to play the AFC West and NFC West. Those two divisions produced six teams with at least eight wins a season ago.

Having Clausen at quarterback for the next two weeks is an issue because the Week 4 matchup with the Oakland Raiders is one of the few games on the schedule that seems to favor Chicago. With Clausen, this may no longer be the case.

Clausen doesn’t have the arm talent that Culter does, and he isn’t likely to threaten defenses vertically the way Cutler can. Though Cutler does have his issues, he is a more consistent and reliable option. 

Clausen was rated just 79th overall among quarterbacks this preseason by Pro Football Focus. It rated only four quarterbacks lower in Week 2. 

Losing in Seattle appears almost guaranteed. A loss at home to the Raiders would set up the realistic possibility of going into the open week without a win. That type of start could destroy the collective psyche of a team like the Bears. After the latest loss, it seems that players are already growing frustrated.

Veteran linebacker Jared Allen said this after the Arizona game, per the team’s official website:

It’s frustrating. Two weeks in a row, coming out of the half, we had momentum – things going in the right direction. Then we just shoot ourselves in the foot. Penalties were a huge deal for us today. Eventually you have to make this decision that you’re tired of losing, you’re just not going to accept it. It’s frustrating, it’s disheartening and has to be corrected.

The reality is that wins are looking hard to come by for Chicago. ESPN Stats & Info even handicapped the Bears as the team most likely to wind up with the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft.

Having the top pick in the draft would give the Bears a shot to grab a future franchise quarterback, which means turning the page on Cutler could be on the horizon. For many fans, this would be a welcome development. 

Having the first overall pick in the draft, however, would also mean Chicago had a terrible season. The way things are unfolding, this seems like a near certainty.

So strap in, Bears fans; this is going to be a long season. 

Read more Chicago Bears news on BleacherReport.com