Bears dubbed NFL's most underrated team

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It's been a long time since the Chicago Bears were relevant. And while they haven't played a single snap of the 2018 season yet, it appears the team constructed by GM Ryan Pace is ready to compete for a playoff spot in December.

At least, that's what longtime NFL writer Mike Tanier thinks after suggesting the Bears are the league's most underrated team and this year's version of the Philadelphia Eagles:

The Bears' secret weapon this season will be offensive innovation. In a league that cannot wait to give Brian Schottenheimer and Norv Turner types seventh or eighth chances to prove they can produce 20th-ranked offenses, the Bears will gene-splice Doug Pederson brood mate Matt Nagy with Chip Kelly disciple Mark Helfrich to transform Mitchell Trubisky into Carson Wentz and out-Eagles the Eagles.

Expectations don't get much higher than that. The Eagles, in case you've forgotten, enjoyed a miraculous Super Bowl run last year thanks to second-year quarterback Carson Wentz and an offensive-minded head coach from the same coaching tree as Matt Nagy. Chicago could certainly enjoy a similar uptick in offensive production, but whether a more dynamic offense leads to an increase in wins is hard to predict.

The Bears play in a much more competitive division than the Eagles did last year, especially with the Cowboys' regression and the Giants downright awful season. Chicago will face three top-tier quarterbacks in the NFC North with two teams, the Packers and Vikings, potential Super Bowl contenders.

Are the Bears underrated? Yes, it seems they are. And yes, they should outplay expectations this year. However, fans should take a step back and realize it will take time -- maybe a season or two -- before the combination of Trubisky and Nagy are ready to take off.

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