The Bears’ 2015 season finished about where many people expected it to, with a record of 6-10 and a lot of room for improvement. The offense, under offensive coordinator Adam Gase, played a conservative style of football that limited quarterback Jay Cutler’s mistakes and helped his decision making in the pocket. On the other side of the ball, a thrown-together defensive roster coached by Vic Fangio was able to make strides towards competency despite the lack of star power.

Now it’s 2016, and with training camp well under way, it’s time to take a look at the changes made during the offseason by the Bears, and to predict the coming season game by game.

Offseason

The Bears had a fairly active offseason, gaining and losing players on both sides of the ball to the point that the roster now looks significantly different from this time last year. On the defensive side of the ball, General Manager Ryan Pace added several players who can immediately contribute to the team, and for a pretty good price on all of the deals involved. As someone who grew up watching lead Lovie Smith’s dominant defense and who listened to talk of the Monsters of the Midway, it’s hard not to get a little excited seeing the defense come together on paper. I believe that Danny Trevathan and Pernell McPhee, along with first round draft pick Leonard Floyd, can and will be the heart of this defense for years, and the other pieces in place on that side of the ball will make the Bears defense a tougher opponent than what they’ve been the past few years.

On the offensive side of the ball, the losses there could potentially outweigh the gains, and the effects will certainly be felt early on. Offensive Coordinator Adam Gase left for a head coaching gig with the Dolphins, which means that once again Jay Cutler has a new coordinator. Luckily the Bears promoted quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains to offensive coordinator, so there will be some continuity with the scheme for Jay. That being said, Jay and Gase had a good rapport, so something may be lost in the transition. Martellus Bennett was traded to the New England Patriots, which gives them a pretty potent combo at TE if Bennett can focus on not dropping the ball and actually giving some effort every once in a while. Matt Forte and Matt Slauson were let go into free agency, decisions that are still being questioned today. Forte was signed by the New York Jets, and Slauson will be the starting center for the San Diego Chargers. Both of those players had a veteran presence that will be hard to replace, and Slauson’s absence will be even more felt now that Hroniss Grasu is out for the season with a right ACL tear. The Bears have tried to add depth at offensive line during the offseason, both through the draft and free agency. However, two of those depth line signings have retired since signing their deals, which leaves the team in a dangerous position right now up front. Another injury to a starter could leave an already shaky line in a decidedly bad position. The good news is that Cody Whitehair seems to be progressing well, and some of the other new Bears are coming into their own, including 7th round Western Michigan wide receiver Daniel Braverman. Overall, the offense is a bigger question mark than the defense in my opinion, and it’ll take the preseason to even guess how they will fare.

Game Predictions

Week 1: @ Houston Texans (0-0)

This is going to be a tough week one for the Bears, facing a strong Texans front seven and a revamped offense led by Brock Osweiler. I think this will be a close game, but the home-field advantage on week 1 gives the edge to the Texans. Chalk this up as a Bears loss to start the season.

Week 2: vs. Philadelphia Eagles (0-1)

The Bears home opener is on a Monday night, and is against a team that is currently perceived to be in a bit of a tailspin. While the game won’t be a blowout, I think this will be a comfortable win at home to even out the record. Chicago gets their first win and improves to .500.

Week 3: @ Dallas Cowboys (1-1)

This game to me depends entirely on the health of Tony Romo. If Romo is healthy, then the Cowboys will win a close game. If Romo isn’t healthy, then the Bears will win this one. As it stands, Romo is healthy, so I’ll give this one to the Cowboys in a hard fought battle of QB’s with undeserved reputations.

Week 4: vs. Detroit Lions (1-2)

The Lions aren’t going to sweep the Bears again this year. They shouldn’t have swept last year, but thanks to Golden “Everything I touch is a catch regardless of who ends up with the ball” Tate and a crucial uncalled holding penalty, the Lions escaped in Ford Field. Now that they’ve driven another great away in Megatron, the Lions have nobody that will be able to consistently draw secondary attention. Bears win easily at home.

Week 5: @ Indianapolis Colts (2-2)

Sorry Colts fans, but I just don’t see a juggernaut team this year. The defense is suspect, particularly the pass rush, which is nonexistent in my opinion. The offensive line has the potential to be decent, but they are far from a sure thing. The biggest unknown in this is Andrew Luck, who could ball out this year with the formidable weapons at his disposal, or he could regress to the level he was playing at last year. For this game in particular, the Colts are coming off of a long London trip. It’ll be a good game, but the Bears will take advantage of the trip to pull out the win, beating the Colts for the 3rd straight time.

Week 6: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-2)

Although this is a home game for the Bears, I’m honestly pretty high on the Jags this season. Bortles is growing into a great quarterback, and he has a few weapons to play with. The defense also improved markedly, so this could be a game that the Bears end up losing. A late game touchdown by Bortles will win it for Jacksonville.

Week 7: @ Green Bay Packers (3-3)

This is a Thursday game, so the Bears have a short week to prepare for this. It’s also at Lambeau. Now, don’t get me wrong, the Bears fan in me wants to say that Chicago will win like they did on Thanksgiving (best Thanksgiving ever), but I don’t see it this time around. Packers will take this one.

Week 8: vs. Minnesota Vikings (3-4)

Minnesota has one of the best defenses in the league, and a growing Teddy Bridgewater has an improved offensive line along with a solid receiver in rookie Laquon Treadwell. The Bears will put up a valiant effort at home, but the Vikings will end up winning in the end. This puts Chicago on a 3 game losing streak, and will definitely have fans questioning the effectiveness of the rebuild.

Week 9: Bye

This is the perfect time for a bye week, as this will allow the team to reload for a weaker part of the schedule. Coming off of a 3 game losing streak, and with confidence in the team potentially faltering, a bye week at this crucial junction will be perfect for Chicago to bounce back for the second half of the season

Week 10: @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5)

If there is a time for the Bears to turn this season around, it will be against a rising Tampa Bay and coming off of a bye week. While the Bucs have improved behind Jameis Winston and a roster that is developing more and more experience as a unit, the sudden release of Lovie Smith will end up doing more harm than good. Chicago makes like Winston at a Publix and steals one from right under the Bucs’ noses.

Week 11: @ New York Giants (4-5)

In my opinion, the Giants didn’t do enough to improve in the right areas. While Eli Apple will certainly help the secondary down the road, I can’t see the defense being a dominant force. The Bears will win this one as well, clawing their way back to .500 in a relatively high scoring contest.

Week 12: vs. Tennessee Titans (5-5)

The Titans aren’t there just yet. They have all of the tools to successfully rebuild in a couple of years, and with the weapons Mariota has he could be something special. But the defense won’t be able to keep up with most NFL teams this year, and Chicago will be no exception. Chicago is above .500 after a convincing win against the last team in the AFC South, breaking even against that division for the year.

Week 13: vs. San Francisco 49ers (6-5)

If anybody can help Colin Kaepernick return to his previous levels of play, it is Chip Kelly. The 7torm was built for a Kelly offense and the two could really complement each other well. However, the rest of that team is not built for long term success, and they need to hit the reset button on that franchise in order to even approach their success under the khaki colored Harbaugh regime. By this time, the Bears will have gelled as a unit and make quick work of San Francisco.

Week 14: @ Detroit Lions (7-5)

While Detroit will still have trouble this season, the Bears won’t sweep any of their division rivals. Something will happen at Ford Field, and the Lions will split the series with Chicago. Potentially next season a sweep could happen.

Week 15: vs. Green Bay Packers (7-6)

This is the Bears’ chance for revenge against the Packers, and a chance to win one at home against the Green and Gold for the first time in a while. It’s a chance the Bears won’t waste, as the edge out Green Bay to win at Soldier Field and split the series with the second of their divisional rivals. The Packers’ flaws on their rosters will have been exposed by now, and even Rodgers won’t be able to drag his team along to the same level of dominance.

Week 16: vs. Washington (8-6)

No Kirk, I don’t like that. Washington was able to barely beat the Bears last season, and the home team will be looking for some payback with an improved defense. A convincing win for Chicago, but not a blowout, and the Bears are still in the hunt for a playoff position at 9-6.

Week 17: @ Minnesota Vikings (9-6)

The Bears love ruining the opening of other teams’ stadiums, so if this game would’ve been in the beginning of the season, I may have given it to them. Unfortunately this is at the very end of the season, and the Vikings have plenty of time to get those boogeymen out of the way. Chicago will be swept by the Vikings, who claim the division title. This loss will leave Chicago on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff picture. They won’t be in control of their own destiny, and will need outside help to secure a Wild Card spot.

Final record: 9-7

Outlook: The Bears will obviously have improved over last season, winning games against tough opponents and not falling into trap games. This is consistent with Fox’s coaching career, and will set the Bears up in a position to make a playoff run in the next couple of years. The rebuild isn’t over yet, so there will still be growing pains, but we will see a much better Chicago Bears team in 2016.