3. Special teams took a step in the right direction

While the Bears special teams weren’t perfect, the unit definitely made strides last season. They were led by kick returner/gunner extraordinaire Cordarrelle Patterson, who was named first-team All-Pro and voted to the Pro Bowl. In his first year in Chicago, Patterson finished second in the NFL with a 29.5-yard average on 28 kickoff returns, one of which was a 102-yard touchdown against the Saints. He also led the league with 825 kick-return yards.

Believe it or not, the Bears even got solid production out of rookie kicker Eddy Pineiro. Pineiro had his share of struggles, mainly in kicking in the cold and windy conditions of Soldier Field, but overall he was solid. Pineiro was 23-of-28 on the season (82.1%) on field goals, and went 27-of-29 on extra points. Punter Pat O’Donnell also had a decent season, averaging 44.8 yards per punt in a season where he punted often.

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