Last season, the Chicago Bears wowed the NFL world with a record seven fourth-quarter comebacks, which included some memorable throws from quarterback Caleb Williams as the Bears went 11-6, won the NFC North and won a wild-card playoff game in head coach Ben Johnson's first season.
In a recent article from ESPN, NFL analyst Ben Solak ranked all 32 teams in terms of their watchability based on last season’s performance. Not surprisingly given the number of close games they had, the Bears were ranked as the most watchable team in the NFL.
The most important factors in determining the watchability of an NFL team according to Solak are big plays, competitive games, star players and having a decent enough defense but not a great defense. He provided
the Bears as an example of a team whose defense made them more watchable because the defense was not atrocious but would allow a lot of points which led to shootouts.
There's no way you need me to explain this to you.
If you watched every Bears game last season, you saw an NFL-leading six comeback wins by quarterback Caleb Williams and Chicago's ludicrously explosive offense. Such games included a 58-yard Colston Loveland catch-and-run touchdown in a 47-42 barn burner against the Bengals, a 56-yard kickoff return with less than 50 seconds left to set up a last-second field goal winner against the Vikings and the fourth-and-goal fadeaway touchdown to Jahdae Walker to set up the 50-yard DJ Moore lightning bolt against the Packers. You also saw this throw and this throw and this throw. You were well rewarded for your attention.
This season's Bears might not produce as many wild swings, but they still figure to be the most explosive offense in football. Last season's takeaway-happy defense looks poised to give up plenty of yards and points, as well, which should lead to big scoreboards and more opportunities for fun offense. This one is not a hard sell.
Johnson prides himself on having an explosive offense that creates explosive plays that stick in peoples’ minds. Solak provided a few examples of these miraculous plays like the Loveland game-winning touchdown in the highest-scoring game in the NFL last season and the touchdown by rookie Jahdae Walker to help set up Chicago’s first win against the Green Bay Packers, as well as tight end Cole Kmet’s fourth-down touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round of the playoffs to send the game into overtime.
Chicago clearly had no shortage of big plays and competitive games. Williams has also emerged as a star in the NFL, which is why he is on the cover of Madden this season. Solak expresses concern about the Bears’ defense by saying they will give up a lot of yards and points, which they did last year. Chicago added some talent on the defensive line, including rookie Jordan van den Berg, but still have injury concerns in the secondary which could lead to the Bears giving up some points this season. Still, they have the potential to be a highly entertaining team to watch once again this year.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: ESPN analyst dubs Chicago Bears the most watchable team in NFL
