Revisiting our Bears bold predictions for the 2024 season

The regular season is coming to a close for the 2024 Chicago Bears, and what a season it was. Expectations were high for this team after what was considered a very successful offseason that saw them draft quarterback Caleb Williams No. 1 overall, surrounded by arguably the best supporting cast on paper for a top draft pick. Things looked promising early, but we all know how the season went sideways and never recovered.

The Bears will finish the year with double-digit losses for the fourth season and are on the verge of an 11-game losing streak depending on the outcome against the Green Bay Packers. It's something no one saw coming, even from those who weren't buying into the Bears hype last offseason. I sure did, though.

In August, I made 10 bold predictions for the 2024 season, and it's time to face the music. Where was I right? Where was I horribly, horribly wrong? I'm doing something a certain former Bears head coach should have done a long time ago, which is take accountability for my work. Here were my bold predictions for the 2024 Bears season and how they turned out.

1. Caleb Williams breaks nearly every Bears rookie passing record

Verdict: Nailed it

We had to start out easy, and thankfully, Williams delivered. Even though the Bears rookie quarterback wasn't sensational, he cleared every team rookie record with ease. He's set to throw for 3,500 yards, nearly 1,200 more than Mitchell Trubisky, who set the record in 2017. He broke Charlie O'Rourke's passing touchdown record of 11 in late November as well.

By rookie standards, Williams has had a fine season statistically. He needs to work on his downfield accuracy and getting the ball out quicker heading into Year 2, but he's clearly the best rookie passer in team history.

2. D'Andre Swift totals 1,500 yards from scrimmage

Verdict: Close, but no cigar

This prediction looked dead in the water for the first three weeks of the season. D'Andre Swift was a net negative on the field, totaling just 114 yards from scrimmage and averaging 1.8 yards per carry. Then, something clicked, and Swift began running wild while also becoming a focal point in the passing game. He averaged 133 yards from scrimmage per game in Weeks 4-8.

Swift has slowed down since and has settled into between 60 and 80 yards from scrimmage in the second half of the season. He has his moments of brilliance but also still looks lost at times when trying to hit the hole. Currently, he's at 1,280 yards from scrimmage, which is a career high, and he should finish somewhere around 1,350. Unfortunately, he'll finish just short of the bold prediction of 1,500. Not the worst prediction, but Swift didn't meet expectations after signing his three-year, $24 million deal last offseason.

3. Rome Odunze leads the team in receiving TDs

Verdict: Out of bounds

The Bears made a splash with the No. 9 overall pick when the drafted Rome Odunze as a young weapon for Williams. Odunze has had a fine season, totaling 52 receptions for 716 yards, but I believed he would be at his best when the team was in the red zone. As a big-bodied target who totaled 13 touchdowns during his final year in college, my expectation was for Odunze to lead the team in receiving touchdowns. Like Odunze in the preseason, I was out of bounds.

Odunze has three touchdowns on the year, which is fourth on the team, and he's very unlikely to catch up to the leader. That would be veteran Keenan Allen, who has hauled in seven touchdowns this year, one behind his career high. Allen has been Williams' top target in quite a few games this year, along with Moore, with Odunze behind them. I thought the rookie connection would blossom in the second half of the season, but perhaps that will happen in Year 2.

Odunze has three touchdowns on the year, which is fourth on the team, and he's very unlikely to catch up to the leader. That would be veteran Keenan Allen, who has hauled in seven touchdowns this year, one behind his career high. Allen has been Williams' top target in quite a few games this year, along with Moore, with Odunze behind them. I thought the rookie connection would blossom in the second half of the season, but perhaps that will happen in Year 2.

4. The Bears offensive line surrenders fewer than 35 sacks

Verdict: What did I do?

Was this prediction the ultimate jinx? I'm so sorry, Bears fans. This seemed like something that was so attainable, considering 35 sacks isn't exactly a low total for the season. Heading into the regular season, the offensive line seemed serviceable. Darnell Wright was coming into Year 2 with high expectations; either Nate Davis or Ryan Bates looked to be good enough at right guard, and Braxton Jones was healthy at left tackle. Instead, the Bears have allowed a league-high 67 sacks, and that number could eclipse 70 when Week 18 ends, which would be double the amount I predicted.

Injuries, poor play, lack of communication, and Williams holding onto the ball all factored into the numerous sacks. It was the perfect storm, and I grossly overestimated everyone's ability to avoid these mistakes. It was evident from Week 2 when the Bears surrendered seven sacks against the Houston Texans. This has to be a primary focus for the new coaching staff in the offseason.

5. Austin Booker reaches double-digit sacks

Verdict: Big miss

Raise your hand if you bought into the Austin Booker hype in the preseason. The rookie defensive end was viewed as a project when the Bears traded back into the 2024 NFL Draft to select him, but he flashed enough during training camp and the preseason that it made me believe he could have a season like Mark Anderson in 2006. That's when the rookie spelled players like Adewale Ogunleye and Alex Brown on pass-rushing downs and totaled 12 sacks. Booker didn't quite get to that point. At all.

The rookie out of Kansas has just 1.5 sacks this season, playing in every game up to this point. Booker has shown flashes of excellence, but I should have tempered expectations on him. He needs to develop more, and perhaps he takes a big step in Year 2. I won't predict a double-digit sack season for him, but the arrow is still pointing up.

6. Gervon Dexter leads the team in tackles for loss

Verdict: Missed the tackle

One of the biggest breakout candidates heading into the season was defensive tackle Gervon Dexter. Entering his second season after a strong finish to his first, Dexter was viewed as one of the keys to the defense. If he could consistently be a disruptor in both the run and pass game, things would go well for the back half of the unit.

That proved to be the case early on and this seemed like an attainable goal. Dexter totaled three tackles for loss through the first four games, and he was getting to the quarterback, too. Unfortunately, Dexter wasn't as effective once Andrew Billings went down, and he dealt with his own injuries as well. Dexter has just one tackle for loss since his hot start and is tied for sixth on the team with four. Montez Sweat currently has the lead with 11.

Dexter still had a decent season, all things considered, and he took a big step from his rookie year. Still, there's no denying he wasn't as productive as the season wore on. That can be said about quite a few defensive players, though.

7. TJ Edwards totals at least 100 solo tackles

Verdict: Not even close

Like the prediction with Dexter, this one with TJ Edwards also looked very promising to start the year. The Bears linebacker was coming off a 2023 season where he notched 91 solo tackles. He picked up where he left off with 17 solo tackles in the first two weeks of the season. That put him on pace for 144 solo tackles, but of course, that wasn't sustainable.

Still, Edwards wasn't as involved as he was in previous seasons, and his tackle totals suffered. He leads the team in tackles with 125 combined and 77 solo, but he's nowhere near his 2023 numbers. Edwards took a step back this year when I believed he could have taken his game to the next level.

8. Tyrique Stevenson finishes top five in interceptions

Verdict: Needs a Hail Mary

Yet another prediction that looked promising to start the year, only to fall off a cliff as the season went along. Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was a candidate to take a big step in Year 2 after a promising rookie season. Playing alongside Pro Bowler Jaylon Johnson, the expectation was he would see plenty of targets and be able to snag a few interceptions.

That certainly was the case in Week 1 when he intercepted Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis for a pick six, but he's had just one pick since. Even worse, his play as a whole suffered greatly after the Hail Mary fiasco in Washington. He's far from being a top-five cornerback in terms of interceptions and would need a legendary game to reach that level. Even more concerning, though, is that Stevenson needs to get it right in the offseason and prove he's a capable starter after his disappointing season.

9. Ryan Poles makes another midseason trade

Verdict: It counts

A trade is a trade, no matter how small. Sure, general manager Ryan Poles didn't swing for the fences by surrendering another second-round pick like he had the previous two seasons, but he still made a move at the trade deadline. The Bears dealt running back Khalil Herbert to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for a seventh-round pick.

Herbert had been stashed on the bench behind Swift and Roschon Johnson, seemingly falling out of favor with the offense. The former Virginia Tech standout ran for at least 600 yards the past two seasons but has just 61 yards this year between both teams.

10. The Bears return to the postseason

Verdict: Maybe in an alternate universe

I like to think there's an alternate universe where the Bears properly defended the Hail Mary against Washington to move to 5-2. They don't unravel, find a way to stay in the playoff race, and are on the verge of ending the season with 11 wins to get into the postseason in a winner-take-all game against the Packers. I hope those fans are happy.

There were high hopes heading into the season, and it did seem like this was a budding playoff team back in October. It wasn't sustainable, though, as everything crumbled once that Hail Mary pass bounced into the hands of Noah Brown. The team hasn't won a game since that day, multiple coaches have been let go, and the proud culture that was talked about ad nauseam appeared to be a sham. It's going to be difficult for me to have high expectations going into next year, no matter what happens with the front office and the roster. The Bears don't deserve the benefit of the doubt anymore.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Revisiting our Bears bold predictions for the 2024 season