The Chicago Bears in week one are just like a groundhog in early February. If they don’t get scared off by their shadow and secure a win to start the year, it usually means a good season is on the horizon.
They did just that against the San Francisco 49ers, winning 19-10 in an ugly game with even uglier weather conditions. The Bears came from behind with three unanswered touchdowns to upset the 49ers. The victory gave Chicago and head coach Matt Eberflus a 1-0 start on the season against a team many have considered to be a Super Bowl contender.
A win to start the season doesn’t guarantee the rest of the year will be successful. The good vibes may easily evaporate next week following the prime-time matchup against the Green Bay Packers and the Bears could find themselves in a skid. But more often than not, a victory in week one led to a good season, at least record-wise.
Since 2000 and not including this week’s victory, the Bears have started the season 1-0 just eight times. Clearly the Bears have trouble starting out on the right foot, but the good news is when they have won their opening game, they finished the rest of the season with a .500 record or better in every year but one.
If history is any indication, this opening victory for the Bears should mean good things for the rest of the season.
Since 2000, the Bears have had a .500 record or better in 7 of the 8 seasons in which they had a victory in week one.
— Brendan Sugrue (@BrendanSugrue) September 11, 2022
Below are the seasons the Bears started 1-0 along with their final record.
- 2002 (4-12)
- 2006 (13-3)*
- 2008 (9-7)
- 2010 (11-5)*
- 2011 (8-8)
- 2012 (10-6)
- 2013 (8-8)
- 2020 (8-8)*
*Made playoffs
The only Bears team to not finish with a .500 record or better was in 2002 when they played their home games at the University of Illinois while Soldier Field was being renovated. The rest of the years, the Bears wins have resulted in competitive seasons.
The only downside to this trend is the Bears have only made the postseason in three of those seasons. But for a team that many picked to finish near the bottom of the league, a record of 9-8 or 10-7 would be a welcome surprise, even if a playoff berth isn’t in the cards.
Momentum is real in the NFL, and Eberflus has his team playing hard right out of the gate. Perhaps they can string some victories together and find themselves in a favorable position as the season draws on. History is on their side and wouldn’t you know it, the Bears didn’t see their shadow on a cloudy and rainy day.
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