The Chicago Bears started the year 3-1, but four straight losses put them in a miserable spot.
However, a win in Week 10 got them back to 4-5. While it's still not great, it's good enough to consider the Bears still in the playoff race. They can't really afford another loss at the moment though.
With that in mind, Chicago is going up against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 11. The Rams lost in Week 10 to drop to 5-4, but are still one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL on paper.
So can the Bears pull out a win in Week 11? If they are to do so, here are four reasons why.
Defense
The Chicago defense has been really good this year. It still has not lived up to the hype though, honestly.
The Bears are allowing 327.3 total yards per game. That's ninth in the NFL. Meanwhile, they are giving up 17.4 points per game. That's a number they were expecting more of, ranking fourth in the NFL.
So why even bring that up? Because this defense is that good.
This Chicago defense is so good, that ranking ninth in total yards and fourth in total points is worse than what was expected of them.
They looked really strong last week though. Chicago also has superstars like Khalil Mack. He's not having a bad year (5.5 sacks, four pass deflections and four forced fumbles). But he's also not having the ridiculous year most expected.
Could this be the week he churns out a massive performance and boosts those numbers? Even if he doesn't, there are a lot of people you should expect big games from at any moment.
The Bears' defense is just too good to not expect them to factor into any Chicago win.
Jared Goff
Jared Goff is a very solid quarterback. Pretending he is having anything other than a very bad year isn't right though.
Goff has had easily his worst year since his rookie season so far.
While the yards are still there (2,610 in nine games), that's the only real positive. Goff has completed just 60.3% of his passes for 11 touchdowns (he does have two more on the ground however).
Meanwhile, he has nine interceptions and nine more fumbles. Seriously, nine fumbles. Those numbers are just gross to be honest.
And now Goff is going up against the Bears, a team that has a proclivity for forcing fumbles.
Remember how I said Mack wasn't exactly having a year to his standards? He still has four forced fumbles on the year, and he'll be itching for a few more against Goff, who has proven he struggles with ball protection.
If Chicago gets Goff out of his rhythm and forces some turnovers, he's shown this year that he can produce some real stinkers.
David Montgomery
Chicago's running game has been, well, bad this year. At least for the most part. A big reason for that has been the growing pains of rookie David Montgomery.
He's starting to turn things around though.
The third-round draft pick has had three of his better games over the last three weeks. Those include carrying the ball 27 times for 135 yards in Week 8 against the New Orleans Saints. Both those numbers are career-highs.
The following week saw him run for just 40 yards, but he had two touchdowns for the first time in his career.
Week 10 saw him run the ball another 17 times for 60 more yards. While those numbers are not great, that's a 3.5 yards per carry average, which is better than all but two weeks he's had.
If Montgomery is starting to pull it together, that's major news for the Bears. A running game will take serious pressure off Mitchell Trubisky and the passing game. That could start in Week 11.
Momentum
It's tough to say if either team really has tons of momentum leaning in any direction.
The Bears had lost four straight games, but they pulled out a massively important NFC North divisional game in Week 10.
Meanwhile, the Rams lost in Week 10, but that's coming off two straight wins.
However, it's all about the outlook. The Rams had a chance to put together a three-game winning streak. and legitimize themselves as serious Super Bowl contenders. Instead, they dropped a game to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 11.
The Bears that are trending upwards at the moment. They got a win last week when they desperately needed one. Meanwhile, the Rams lost a game they should've won.
Could that play a factor in Week 11? Why not.
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