Chicago Bears Q&A: How long will a rebuild take to become a playoff contender? Why didn’t the NFL flex Bears-Packers out of the Sunday night slot? How is the secondary faring?

Pinning the whole thing on Fields isn’t fair and isn’t an accurate way of describing the situation, but when you’re talking about the roster and the Bears’ ability to contend for a playoff spot, he’s absolutely the most critical piece of the puzzle. His rookie season has been up and down, and the Bears desperately need to be better offensively in 2022 if they want to win. While they’re doing that, they have to pay attention to a defense that is a shadow of what it was when Matt Nagy came on board in 2018. There’s a lot of work to do, and while I wish I could provide a more definitive answer, too many unknowns cloud the future. In a best-case scenario, the Bears are a threat in 2023 with young players in place who give them a chance to grow and improve. With a shortage of draft capital in 2022, that will be challenging.