You might be hesitant to paint Chicago Bears Head Coach John Fox as an optimist based on his tone and how he conducts himself during press conferences. HOWEVER, hope springs eternal for the Bears head coach who still has some lofty goals on his mind:
#Bears coach John Fox: "winning the division is still our goal."
— Bob LeGere (@BobLeGere) November 1, 2017
Fox says #Bears still have goal to win the division and get into the playoffs.
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) November 1, 2017
No one has ever won a gold medal for clearing a low bar and no team has ever won a Super Bowl without winning the tournament that precedes it. To describe the Bears’ championship odds after eight weeks and a 3-5 record as “slim,” however, feels like an understatement.
According to FiveThirtyEight, Chicago’s Super Bowl odds sit at less than 1 percent as of today, while their chances of winning the division (2 percent) or just making the playoffs (3%) aren’t far behind (ahead?).
Fox isn’t wrong to have big dreams during the bye week. After all, he’s made a career of turning nothing into something. He’s coached multiple wins in which his quarterbacks have completed passes in the single digits, won the AFC West with an 8-win Denver Broncos team, and won a playoff game with Tim Tebow as his starting QB – on a Tebow game-winning touchdown pass in overtime, no less. Based on his history, I’ll excuse Fox for showing a faint sense of optimism and some public faith in his team.
For what it’s worth, Fox’s Bears are boasting a defense that has forced eight turnovers in the last three games and a rushing offense that ranks third in total rushing yards, fourth in yards per game, and ninth in yards per attempt. If quarterback Mitch Trubisky can pull the passing offense from the depths of the league’s bottom-feeders, the Bears could have a few more upsets up their sleeves in the second half.