The 2022 NFL regular season went about as well as it could have for the Chicago Bears – they were terrible with only three wins, but it was “planned terrible” and it earned the franchise the No. 1 pick in the draft for the first time in several decades, but the team traded it away because it believes in QB Justin Fields. Let’s break down the 2023 Chicago Bears.

A Closer Look at the Chicago Bears 2023 NFL Season

• NFL Week 1: vs. Green Bay Packers — 4:25 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 2: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — 1:00 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 3: at Kansas City Chiefs — 4:25 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 4: vs. Denver Broncos — 1:00 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 5: at Washington Commanders — 8:15 p.m. ET (Prime Video)
• NFL Week 6: vs. Minnesota Vikings — 1:00 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 7: vs. Las Vegas Raiders — 1:00 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 8: at Los Angeles Chargers — 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)
• NFL Week 9: at New Orleans Saints — 1:00 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 10: vs. Carolina Panthers — 8:15 p.m. ET (Prime Video)
• NFL Week 11: at Detroit Lions — 1:00 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 12: at Minnesota Vikings — 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN)
• NFL Week 13: BYE
• NFL Week 14: vs. Detroit Lions — 1:00 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 15: at Cleveland Browns — TBD (TBD)
• NFL Week 16: vs. Arizona Cardinals — 4:25 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 17: vs. Atlanta Falcons — 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 18: at Green Bay Packers — TBD (TBD)

Updates since the draft

Everyone will remember that Chicago had the top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft but traded it to Carolina, so the Panthers could take QB Bryce Young. The Bears could have taken Young and traded Fields. Now those two will be linked as professionals forever. If Fields is a bust, this current Bears coaching and front office regime also will be gone in a few years.

Head coach Matt Eberflus has said Fields has made progression as a passer this offseason and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said he would not encourage Justin Fields to be a “robotic” pocket passer. Getsy said that he was not interested in limiting Fields’ rushing after the Bears quarterback in 2022 ran for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns in 15 games. Getsy said he has worked with Fields this offseason on “refining” his game and improving his decision making. Eberflus noted that the team has “got to improve in the passing game” and that he feels good about the direction things are heading in early on.

Chicago had the league’s worst passing attack in 2022, averaging 130.5 yards per game. Now, the Bears have upgraded their receiving corps. In addition to DJ Moore, one of the pieces back from Carolina, they’ve also added rookie Tyler Scott and tight end Robert Tonyan.

Moore gives Fields a legitimate No. 1 deep receiver that he’s lacked. He tied for eighth on receptions of 20 yards or more last season. During two seasons as a Heisman Trophy finalist (2019-20) at Ohio State, Fields threw 18 touchdowns and zero interceptions on throws at least 30 yards down field. In the NFL, on passes 20-plus yards downfield, Fields’ completion percentage dipped from 43% as a rookie to 34% in 2022.

Where Fields did see improvement with his deep ball was on his touchdown-to-interception ratio. After being 0-4 in that area as a rookie, Fields threw four touchdown passes of at least 20 yards against three interceptions on such plays this season.

“Just taking shots, just taking chances,” Fields said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s complete or incomplete now, of course. Just trying to get on the same page. Talk, communicate with [Moore] and hopefully we’re seeing the same thing when it comes to where the leverage of the corner is and just different details and stuff like that.”

Chicago said goodbye to top running back David Montgomery as he signed with the division rival Lions. Chicago will use a combination of free agent D’Onta Foreman, Khalil Herbert and rookie Roschon Johnson. One season after the Bears averaged 177.3 rushing yards per game – a byproduct of a struggling passing game – there will be a new RB1. The early outlook pegged Herbert as the strongest candidate for the job after a standout second season when he led all NFL rushers at 5.7 yards per carry.

Stats from Last Season

Chicago’s rushing offense was bolstered by contributions from quarterback Justin Fields, who finished 60 yards shy of setting the single-season QB rushing record (1,143 yards) in his second season. Montgomery was the Bears’ second-leading rusher (801 yards), followed by Herbert (731 yards), who said he’s added five pounds this offseason after playing at 212 pounds in 2022.

The defense was one of the worst in franchise history last year and probably will be again even with the team spending some money on that side of the ball in free agency. Since 2010, only six teams had fewer sacks in a season than the 20 the Bears logged last year. Barely half — 10½ — came from defensive linemen. The Bears blitzed more than they would have liked last year. They hope to do so less often.

“You’d like to generate [the pass rush] from the front four,” Eberflus said. “That way you can have all seven in coverage and you can do more variation with your coverage that way and not open holes for the offense.”

How is their 2023-24 NFL schedule?

Chicago’s schedule ranks as the 10th toughest next season in the league as its opponents combined to have a winning percentage of .497 last year. The Bears are actually 2-point home favorites for Week 1 vs. Green Bay now that Aaron Rodgers is gone. It will mark the first game that Green Bay won’t have Brett Favre or Rodgers on their roster since the 1991 season finale. The Bears are 17-15-2 all-time in season openers vs. the Packers. Chicago will play five games against 2022 playoff teams: two versus the Vikings and one apiece versus the Chargers, Chiefs and Buccaneers.

Maybe the Bears can win as many as four home games but it’s hard to see more than three on the road.

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READ MORE: Chicago Bears 2023 NFL Season Betting Guide