Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Bears enter the 2024 season with hope. Their trade last season with the Carolina Panthers is turning into one of the most lopsided trades in NFL history. It landed them Caleb Williams, who will lead a revamped offense. Their defense was strong last year, and they added a couple of pieces in the draft and free agency. The 2024 season is just around the corner. Here are three numbers to know entering the year.
Chicago Bears: 0
The number of 4,000-yard passers in team history
The Chicago Bears are the only team in NFL history to never have a 4,000-yard passer. Given the emphasis on the passing game in the past two decades, this feels almost impossible. However, the Bears have never been able to solve the position. The best passer since 1985 was likely Jay Cutler, and even he couldn’t surpass the 4,000-yard mark.
To put this into context, since 2008, 14 quarterbacks have surpassed 5,000 yards in a season, with Drew Brees doing it five times. You will hear about this streak often this season. Caleb Williams has a real chance to break this in his rookie season. There will be much pomp and circumstance if he does.
Chicago Bears: 86.4
Rushing yards allowed per game in 2023
It flew under the radar last year, but the Chicago Bears had the league’s number-one rushing defense in 2023. They only allowed 1,468 yards in total on the ground all year. In week 17, Aaron Jones was the only player to rush over 100 yards on this defense. They did this with a young defensive line, and now those players have another year under their belt.
Head coach Matt Eberflus is a defensive coach. If he is going to keep this job, the defense has to be elite. If they are able to repeat this type of defense in 2024, the Chicago Bears will be in great shape.
2
Number of teams Montez Sweat was the leader in sacks on
This is the wildest stat in the NFL from 2023. Montez Sweat was brought over at the trade deadline and already had 6.5 sacks with the Washington Commanders. He added another 6.0 during his time with the Chicago Bears. Sweat became the first player in NFL history to be the team sack leader on two different teams. The Bears now have him for a full season.
This stat seems good but also highlights the issues the Chicago Bears had in their pass rush. While many people love to dump on the Commanders, the Bears also let a player who only played half the year lead the team in sacks. In today’s NFL, you have to pressure the quarterback. Even the worst quarterbacks can carve up a defense given enough time to throw the football.
The Chicago Bears had many things go right last year. The foundation is set, and now they have to show that they can compete with the best teams in the league.
