While every other team in the NFC North owns a .500 record or better, the Chicago Bears find themselves firmly in the division basement this year after four weeks of action. That shouldn’t be a surprise considering this franchise has finished last each of the past three seasons. Dating back to the start of the 2014 NFL season, the club owns a dismal 15-37 record. This is also a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2010 when then-head coach Lovie Smith got the Bears to within one victory of Super Bowl XLV. Chicago lost the NFC title game at home that year to the Green Bay Packers.

The big news on Monday is that John Fox’s club will be making a change behind center. After four games and a lot of sloppy football, Mike Glennon is being benched in favor of rookie Mitchell Trubisky. And the second overall pick in April’s draft would be wise to lean on the team’s best offensive player these days.

Solid play in a losing effort

In Thursday night’s 35-14 loss to the Packers at Lambeau Field, the Chicago Bears out-gained Mike McCarthy’s team on the evening in total yards. But Glennon coughed up the football four more times (2 interceptions, 2 fumbles) in the 21-point setback. In four games this season, he has completed 66.4 percent of his throws for 833 yards and four touchdowns.

But he’s committed eight of the club’s 10 turnovers, throwing five interceptions and losing three of his five fumbles. Glennon was sacked eight times in four games and the Chicago offense did manage to reach the end zone eight times. The production would be even greater if not for the mistakes, hence the move to Trubisky. And with a rookie at the helm, look for an even bigger role for second-year running back Jordan Howard.

What’s next?

It may still surprise some to know that the second-leading rusher in the NFL in 2016 was also a rookie. The league leader in yards gained on the ground last season was Dallas Cowboys’ running back Ezikiel Elliott, the fourth overall pick in the draft that year. But a mere 146 selections later, the Chicago Bears used a fifth-round choice on Indiana’s Jordan Howard.

He would play in 15 games and make 13 starts, finishing second in the league with 1,313 yards rushing. This season, he’s run for 252 yards and all four of the team’s touchdowns on the ground. Dating back to last season, he has amassed 303 carries for 1,498 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in his last 17 outings, running for 100-plus yards in eight of those contests.

If Trubisky and the Bears are to make a smooth transition next Monday night against the Minnesota Vikings, getting the ball to the underrated Howard is a must. And perhaps the Bears’ 2017 season is salvageable after all.
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