Keeping in mind that the Bears have so many new players and an entirely new coaching staff (and GM), they’ve come a long way in a short time. Despite the loss to the Packers, they were no more than one score out of reach for the majority of the game. One costly turnover (I know, I know) could have been the difference.

This is more or less what I was hoping for this season. The Chicago Bears look like a professional football team, win or lose. If that’s true, they’ll win more than 3 games as some speculated. I’m not holding out hope for a playoff berth (the first half is a real meat grinder, schedule-wise), but I don’t expect to be embarrassed to be a Bears fan another year.

It’s only week 1, so lots of opportunity for my hopes to be dashed, but a loss to the Packers this early is not a death knell. In fact, the Bears looked pretty good.