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The Chicago Bears thought they would be competitive in 2016, but the injury bug sent 19 players to the Injured Reserve during a season that ended as badly as could have been imagined... On Sunday versus the Minnesota Vikings, John Fox decided to turn to quarterback David Fales in the 4th quarter, signaling an end to the Matt Barkley era that never should have existed in the first place.
Barkley threw two more interceptions on Sunday, bringing his last three-game total to 10 (!), and the Bears were sent back to Chicago having gone 0-8 on the road this season.
It wasn’t all bad though— Rookie running back Jeremy Langford became the all-time leading rookie rusher in team history, passing Matt Forte in the 2nd quarter of Sunday’s loss.
FINAL STATS
- Matt Barkley: 10/14, 125 yds, 2 INT
- Jordan Howard: 23 rushes, 135 yds
- Cameron Meredith: 4 rec, 61 yds
- Alshon Jeffery: 1 rec, 10 yds
- Sam Bradford: 25/33, 250 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
- Jerick McKinnon: 16 rushes, 89 yds, 1 TD
- Kyle Rudolph: 11 rec, 117 yds, 1 TD
WHAT COMES NEXT?
We know the Bears will be evaluating the quarterback position in 2017, with Jay Cutler’s future being the focal point. For all of Cutler’s flaws, he is the only guy under contract beyond 2016, and his salary wouldn’t preclude them from keeping him on another year.
From a free agent perspective, the Bears don’t have a lot to choose from.
That means they will either go with Cutler again, try and draft next year’s starter, or pull of a trade with another NFL team.
From a coaching perspective, John Fox is expected to return in 2017, and for all intents and purposes, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has done a good job. The only question is whether offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains gets another year to develop as a play-caller. He was originally promoted from quarterbacks coach when Adam Gase left after last season, primarily due to his success in developing Cutler.
The 2016 season has now been laid to rest... What do you think about how things played out, and where the team goes from here?