The Chicago Bears have a lot of questions to answer this season, and none of them are simple. It appears Andy Dalton will have the keys to the kingdom starting week one, but it will entertain Bears’ fans to see how long he holds onto them. It is no secret that Chicagoans want to see Justin Fields do his
thing, but Head Coach Matt Nagy has other plans.

This brings up another question. Fans know Justin Fields is ready for the Bears, but is the rest of the team ready for him? Chicago’s offensive line is severely depleted, leaving rushers to treat young Fields as their personal punching bag. The rest of the offense, however, is solid. David Montgomery is starting to prove himself as a solid back, and the addition of former Kansas City Chief Damien Williams provides some much-needed veteran depth. Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney will pair nicely with veteran additions in Marquise Goodwin and Breshad Perriman.

The tight end group will continue to grow stronger with Cole Kmet maturing under the guidance of Jimmy Graham. For the first time in recent memory, the Chicago Bears defense, or “The Monsters of the Midway,” do not seem to be so scary. The defensive line is still star-studded, backed by Khalil Mack and Aikem Hicks, but the question marks start to appear behind them. As of the first week of September, the Bears’ secondary is extremely inexperienced except veteran Artie Burns. Roquan Smith is going to be one of the elite linebackers in the game very soon, but his supporting cast is not very exciting.

The Bears’ division is not exceptionally difficult, but their schedule outside of the NFC North is as tough as it gets. Chicago hits the road to play the Rams, Browns, Buccaneers, Seahawks, and Raiders. Baltimore comes to town right before Thanksgiving, and they also have to deal with Kyler Murray and Co. At Soldier Field.

Record Prediction: 8-9