Bears’ fans are confident the franchise is heading in the right direction

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year, we ask questions of the most plugged-in Chicago Bears fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate.

More often than not, these confidence polls drastically move with every win and loss, which makes our first one for the 2022 Chicago Bears season such an interesting case study to see exactly how our fans are feeling. Right now, we’re riding high with a 90% confidence that the franchise is heading in the right direction, but how much of this is still the honeymoon over getting rid of Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy?

The true test will come the first time the Bears lose a game.

That first L could come as soon as Sunday when the Bears host the San Fransico 49ers, who are a seven-point favorite.

If the Bears lose while the young players on the team flash positively — and the confidence poll only dips slightly — then I’d say most of our voters understand the big picture surrounding this team. But a loss coupled with a massive drop in the confidence poll would make me question the expectations of our Reacts’ voters.

If I see progress from youngsters like Braxton Jones, Trevis Gipson, Jaquan Brisker, Kyler Gordon, and Darnell Mooney to name a few, but Justin Fields especially, then my outlook at the franchise will remain positive regardless of the win total.

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