That includes the Chicago Bears.
I know, I know.
These are the same Bears fielding a rookie quarterback — Mitchell Trubisky — who is on just his 16th start between college and the NFL combined.
The same Bears fielding an injury-ravaged wide receiver unit that has produced only 45 catches in six games.
The same Bears that are 11-27 since John Fox became head coach in 2015.
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Yet these also are the same Bears that enter Sunday’s home game against Carolina just two games out of first place in a division with two teams (Green Bay and Minnesota) trying to navigate through uncertain futures at quarterback and a third (Detroit) that has lost three of its past four outings.
The same Bears that rank No. 3 in run offense and No. 6 in overall defense.
The same Bears that have gotten a spark from Trubisky replacing an ineffective Mike Glennon.
And the same Bears that enter the Panthers matchup with confidence after last Sunday’s 27-24 overtime win at Baltimore.
“From the outside, people probably look at us and think we’re not a good football team,” Chicago tight end Zach Miller told co-host Solomon Wilcots and me earlier this week on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
“In our building, we believe we’re a good team. We have just done things at inopportune times that haven’t put us in position to win.”
Whether it stemmed more from the early loss of his top two wideouts — Cam Meredith (knee) and Kevin White (shoulder) — or feeling the pressure of knowing that Trubisky was waiting in the wings, Glennon had become more of a liability for the Bears than asset at the time of his benching after committing eight turnovers in his first four starts. Glennon also was taking most of the heat for his teammates by not coming close to playing like a quarterback collecting an $18 million salary in 2017 as a free-agent addition from Tampa Bay.
But as Miller points out, Glennon wasn’t the only Bears player struggling as Chicago opened 1-3 for the third straight season since Fox was hired. The mistakes were putting too much stress on a defense still playing soundly despite injuries that have riddled the inside linebacker corps.
“When we turn the ball over as much as we had early on, have penalties that get you out of scoring range, all those things that we were doing. … We were really killing ourselves,” Miller said.
“We kind of just wanted to clean things up, stick together, and just go out and at least give ourselves a chance.”
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The Bears took advantage of one last Sunday against a Ravens squad having its own issues. Jordan Howard spearheaded a 234-yard rushing effort, which was the most ever surrendered by Baltimore in the franchise’s 22-season history.
“That’s something to say because that’s a heck of a defense and heck of a team,” Miller said. “[Howard] is our guy. He’s our anchor. To just be able to handoff the ball to him and trust him in key moments to make plays for us, you can’t say enough about him.”
Howard, whose 118 carries rank second in the NFC, is receiving some help on an offense that has run the football more than any other team this season (48.7-percent clip) besides Jacksonville (52.5) and Buffalo (50.6). Rookie backup Tarik Cohen has proven a multipurpose threat as a rusher, receiver, returner and passer.
Yes, passer. Cohen, who is 5-foot-6, became the shortest NFL player to throw a touchdown last Sunday since Wee Willie Smith in 1934. Miller was the recipient of that 21-yard score, giving him a team-high two TD catches among his 18 overall receptions for the season.
“I don’t even know if (Cohen) could see me because I couldn’t see him,” Miller said with a laugh. “That lollipopped in the back of the end zone where nobody else would get it. Perfect throw.
“When you get him on the football field, he’s electric. He really can do anything with the ball.”
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And of course, there’s the impact Trubisky is making. Although the Bears are limited in the passing game because of his inexperience, Trubisky’s mobility, arm strength and accuracy helps make amends. They also serve as a reminder of why Chicago moved up to make Trubisky the No. 2-overall selection in this year’s draft despite having only one season as a college starter at North Carolina.
“He can beat you with his arm and his legs,” Miller said. “He’s made a number of plays for us to extend plays. Nothing has been too big for him. He’s only going to get better in time as well.”
The same goes for Aaron Rodgers physically as his recovery process begins from Thursday’s surgical procedure. With no guarantees “A-Rod” returns this season, Chicago has a better chance of ending a playoff drought that dates to the 2010 campaign.
“You never want to see anybody go down, but especially a guy like Aaron Rodgers,” Miller said. “He’s good for the game. I enjoy watching him play football just because he’s that great at it.
“But as far as our division and where we’re at, it’s up for grabs. We haven’t started the way we want but we still have opportunities to move forward, stack some wins and get this thing going in our direction.”
A direction that might finally be heading up with arguably the NFL’s best player going down.
