The Chicago Bears (3-7) will face off against the Atlanta Falcons (4-6) on Sunday, where the Bears are looking to break their three-game losing streak.
Chicago is coming off a 31-30 loss to the Detroit Lions (3-6), where quarterback Justin Fields had another record-setting performance. He rushed for 147 yards and accounted for four touchdowns. The Bears offense has been on a roll over the last month, and they have a chance to continue that against Atlanta.
Here are seven things to know ahead of the Bears’ Week 11 game against the Falcons.
1
The series
Chicago leads the all-time series against Atlanta, with a 15-13 record. The Bears have dominated in recent history, winning three of the last four meetings. These two teams last met on Sept. 27, 2020, when the Bears mounted a 30-26 comeback in Atlanta.
2
How they stack up
The Bears are averaging 21.7 points per game (20th in NFL) while the Falcons are averaging 23.2 (12th). Chicago has the best rushing attack in the league, averaging 201.7 yards on the ground. Atlanta is averaging 160.4 rushing yards per game, which ranks 4th. The Falcons are averaging 156.8 passing yards per game (30th) while the Bears have the worst passing game in the league averaging 128.1 passing yards per game.
Chicago is allowing 24.7 points per game (25th) while Atlanta is allowing 25 (27th). The Bears have the 10th-best passing defense allowing 203.4 passing yards per game. Meanwhile, the Falcons are allowing 280.1 yards through the air (32nd). Chicago’s run defense has struggled and is allowing 142 yards on the ground (30th). Atlanta’s defense is giving up 119.4 rushing yards per game (18th).
3
The return of Ryan Pace
The Bears will see plenty of familiar faces when they travel to Atlanta to face the Falcons. Chicago fired Pace in January, and they hired Ryan Poles soon after. During Pace’s seven-year tenure as GM, the Bears went 48-67 and failed to win a playoff game in two appearances. But, Pace did leave Chicago with one last parting gift — a superstar quarterback in Justin Fields.
Some other familiar faces the Bears will see on Sunday include Cordarrelle Patterson, Germain Ifedi, Nick Kwiatkoski and Damiere Byrd.
4
Justin Fields' homecoming
Sunday’s game will serve as a homecoming for quarterback Justin Fields, who grew up a Georgia native. Fields attended Harrison High School in Kennesaw, Ga., and committed to play football at the University of Georgia. He wound up transferring from Georgia to Ohio State University after his freshman year. The Falcons had a chance to draft Fields with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. Instead, they drafted tight end Kyle Pitts.
Fields has been on a tear over the last month, ever since the Bears catered the offense to fit his strengths, particularly with his mobility. Fields had another record-setting performance against the Lions, which included him rushing for another 147 yards and accounting for four touchdowns. Now, the Falcons will get a glimpse of what they missed out on in Fields.
5
Bears are averaging 31 points per game over the last month
The Bears offense has been a different unit since the mini-bye week. After averaging 15.5 points in the first six games, Chicago has averaged 31 points in the last month. They’ve scored 29-plus points in four consecutive games (33, 29, 32 and 30). Now, they’ll face a Falcons team allowing 25 points per game.
6
Falcons have the worst passing defense in NFL
The Bears have the top rushing offense in the NFL, averaging 201.7 yards per game. Fields has been a big part of that, rushing for an average 116.7 yards per game over the last month. The next step is to really open up the passing game, which is dead last in the league averaging 128.1 yards per game. Chicago will have a good chance to do that against the league’s worst pass defense. Atlanta is allowing an average 280.1 passing yards per game. So this might be the game where Fields has a breakout passing performance.
7
Betting odds
The Bears are betting underdogs for the eighth time this season. Chicago is a 3-point road underdog against the Falcons, per Tipico Sportsbook. The over/under for the game is set at 50.5.
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