CHICAGO – The 2024 Chicago Bears season has (finally) come to an end.
What started as one of the most anticipated seasons in franchise history turned into one of disappointment and turmoil, culminated by the firing of Head Coach Matt Eberflus on Nov. 29 and chants of “Sell the team!” breaking out in the Soldier Field concourse after an embarrassing 6-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Dec. 26.
Prior to the 2024 season kicking off, the Bears made a myriad of high-caliber offseason moves in hopes of putting together a competitive on-field product: drafting quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick, drafting wide receiver Rome Odunze at No. 9 overall, trading for veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen, signing wide receiver DJ Moore to a franchise record-breaking contract extension and signing running back D’Andre Swift.
The Bears were thrust even more into the spotlight after appearing on HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” a reality sports documentary television series produced by HBO and NFL Films that follows an NFL team through the summer months during NFL Training Camp prior to the regular season.
With all eyes on the Bears the 2024, the team finished with a 5-12 record. Not only that, but the Bears also failed the buck the losing trend most teams face after appearing on “Hard Knocks.”
The “Hard Knocks curse” is a term colloquially used among NFL fans to describe a team’s poor play immediately after appearing on the program.
However, several media publications have dismissed the notion of the so-called curse.
Due to the unprecedented access HBO is given into an NFL team’s facilities, its players, coaches, etc., “Hard Knocks” has become widely scrutinized around the NFL as a distraction to the participating team during training camp.
Because of a lingering apathy regarding the documentary, the NFL actually has criteria in place to force a team into participating. That criteria is as follows:
- The team does not have a new head coach.
- The team has not made the playoffs in the last two seasons.
- The team has not been featured on “Hard Knocks” in the past 10 years.
Only three teams qualified in 2024 based on the above criteria: the Bears, New Orleans Saints and Denver Broncos.
The Bears were ultimately chosen not only for their qualifications based on criteria, but because the team carried with it one of the most intriguing storylines coming into the season due to the previously mentioned moves the front office made in the offseason.
Here’s a look at each NFL team’s season-by-season result after being showcased on “Hard Knocks.”
- 2001 – Baltimore Ravens (10-6 record, second in AFC Central)
- 2002 – Dallas Cowboys (5-11 record, last in NFC East)
- 2007 – Kansas City Chiefs (4-12 record, third in AFC West)
- 2008 – Dallas Cowboys (9-7 record, third in NFC East)
- 2009 – Cincinnati Bengals (10-6 record, first in AFC North)
- 2010 – New York Jets (11-5 record, second in AFC East)
- 2012 – Miami Dolphins (7-9 record, second in AFC East)
- 2013 – Cincinnati Bengals (11-5 record, first in AFC North)
- 2014 – Atlanta Falcons (6-10 record, third in NFC South)
- 2015 – Houston Texans (9-7 record, first in AFC South)
- 2016 – Los Angeles Rams (4-12 record, third in NFC West)
- 2017 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-11 record, last in NFC South)
- 2018 – Cleveland Browns (7-8-1 record, third in AFC North)
- 2019 – Oakland Raiders (7-9 record, second in AFC West)
- 2020 – Los Angeles Rams (10-6 record, second in NFC West)
- 2020 – Los Angeles Chargers (7-9 record, third in AFC West)
- 2021 – Dallas Cowboys (12-5 record, first in NFC East)
- 2021 – Indianapolis Colts (9-8 record, second in AFC South)
- *The 2021 Colts were the first team the series followed during the regular season on “Hard Knocks In Season.”
- 2022 – Detroit Lions (9-8 record, second in NFC North)
- 2022 – Arizona Cardinals (4-13 record, last in NFC West)
- *The 2022 Cardinals were the second team to be featured on “Hard Knocks In Season.”
- 2023 – New York Jets (7-10 record, third in AFC East)
- 2023 – Miami Dolphins (11-6 record, second in AFC East)
- *The 2023 Dolphins were the third team to be featured on “Hard Knocks In Season.”
- 2024 – New York Giants (3-14 record, last in NFC East)
- *The 2024 Giants were the first team the series followed during the NFL offseason. “Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants” showcased the Giants navigating free agency and the NFL Draft.
- 2024 – Chicago Bears (5-12 record, last in NFC North)
Of all teams featured on “Hard Knocks,” only eight have made the playoffs: the 2001 Ravens, 2009 Bengals, 2010 Jets, 2013 Bengals, 2015 Texans, 2020 Rams, 2021 Cowboys and 2023 Dolphins.
The 2021 Cowboys won the most regular season games after appearing on “Hard Knocks,” as they finished with a 12-5 record, but lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Round.
The “Hard Knocks” team that went the deepest in the playoffs was the 2010 Jets, who made it to the AFC Championship Game but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Regardless if you believe in curses or lean more so on the side of logic, it’s suffice to say a “Hard Knocks” team’s ensuing season has a good chance of being a disappointing campaign. The Bears kept that trend alive in 2024.