The Chicago Bears recorded their best win-loss record (12-4) since 2006. Chicago also made it to the postseason for the first time in eight years.
We expect the Bears of 2019 to become Super Bowl contenders, and the expectations make sense.
Anything less than a Super Bowl win is unacceptable for head coach Matt Nagy and company.
Let's rattle off the reasons why they will win it all in 2019.
5. Matt Nagy
Matt Nagy's first year as Bears head coach was a resounding success. He helped Chicago bounce back from a dismal 5-11 (.304) win-loss record in 2017.
With Nagy at the helm, the team won an incredible 12 games last season. Nobody saw that coming.
Prior to that, the Bears weren't relevant for quite some time (seven straight years in the lottery, to be exact).
Nagy decided to implement the system he learned under Andy Reid with the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. The result: he's the most successful first-year head coach in Bears franchise history. Nagy also won the 2018 NFL Coach of the Year award.
We expect Nagy to build on his success this season.
4. Mitch Trubisky
A rejuvenated Mitchell Trubisky was just what the Chicago Bears needed in 2018. Trubisky, the second overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft, threw 24 touchdown passes last season. This is a far cry from the seven passing touchdowns he recorded the year before.
You can credit Trubisky's success to two things: Matt Nagy and the offensive line. Nagy worked closely with Alex Smith during his tenure with the Chiefs. The former knows how to make quarterbacks succeed. The Bears' offensive line was one of the better ones in the league.
Trubisky is not an elite quarterback. Not yet, anyway. However, we expect him to succeed in leading the offense in 2019.
When that happens, he can help Chicago win Super Bowl LIV in Miami.
3. Offensive Line
You win football games in the trenches. Chicago's offensive line was a key contributor to the team's resurgence in 2018.
According to Pro Football Focus' Michael Renner, “The Bears finished the season with the league's second-best pass blocking efficiency of any offensive line” last season.
Give offensive linemen Charles, Leno, Jr., Bobby Massie, and Cody Whitehair credit for Mitchell Trubisky's breakout season. They should also open up holes for Tarik Cohen and the running game.
If the Bears win the Super Bowl, Trubisky and Cohen should give this unit a huge pat on the back.
2. Khalil Mack and the Defense
Bears fans haven't been this excited about a Bears defense in a long time. Khail Mack is unarguably the anchor of the Bears' D.
Renner says Mack's 68 total pressures on 468 pass rushes helped defensive end Akiem Hicks wreak havoc from the interior. Mack also registered 12.5 sacks in his first year in The Windy City. No Bears pass rusher has had that many since Richard Dent in 1993, per Larry Mayer of the Bears' official website.
As a result, Mack earned First Team All-Pro honors and his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl nod. His presence on defense makes the Bears' defense click on all cylinders. They finished third in the NFL in team total defense last season.
Khalil Mack and the defensive unit should help the franchise win another Vince Lombardi Trophy.
1. Determination
Cody Parkey's missed game-winning field goal against the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2018 NFC Wild Card Game left a bad taste in the Bears' mouths.
Without question, that was one of the most painful moments in Bears playoff history.
One thing's for sure: the memory of that botched field goal try remains fresh on Chicago's minds. They will use that as motivation to come back stronger than ever.
Make no mistake about it: this fired-up team is set for another Super Bowl run in the 2019 NFL season.
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