The Chicago Bears will host the Denver Broncos, where Chicago is looking to break a 13-game losing streak that’s spanned nearly an entire calendar year.
It’s a battle of winless teams who are desperate for a win. The Bears are 3.5-point home underdogs against the Broncos in Week 4, according to BetMGM. The over/under is set at 46.
Buy Bears TicketsCan Chicago finally break that franchise-worst losing streak with a win over Denver? Our Bears Wire staff share their game picks for Sunday’s matchup.
Alyssa Barbieri (2-1): Broncos 27, Bears 20
Welcome to the Dumpster Fire Bowl (shoutout Ryan O’Leary). This game is shaping up to be ugly on so many levels. The fact that the Bears are home underdogs to a Broncos team that lost by 50 points last week says all you need to know about how bad Chicago is — although Denver is giving them a run for their money. Still, this is a winnable game for the Bears, against a winless Broncos team that just allowed 70 points to the Dolphins, and they’re reeling just like Chicago.
With that said, Denver is the better team. Even after last week’s disaster. It’s not even close. Russell Wilson has been solid through these first three games, and it’s clear he isn’t the problem. It’s the defense, which gives the Bears offense an opportunity to right the ship and find something to build on moving forward.
But Chicago is a mess right now, and there are no signs things are going to get better. On defense, they couldn’t stop a nosebleed last week. The defensive line can’t sack the quarterback to save their lives, the run defense remains suspect and most of their secondary is injured. And this is a Broncos offense that can score with some dynamic wideouts in Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton.
Denver should win this game, although I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bears snuck one out. I expect this to be a close, one-score game and not another blowout.
Brendan Sugrue (1-2): Bears 34, Broncos 34
Before the season began, I made the bold prediction that one Bears game would end in a tie and settled on their Week 4 matchup with the Denver Broncos as the prime target. Do you really think that after what these teams have shown over the past three weeks, I would back off that prediction? Not a chance. This game might as well be called the blunder bowl, seeing as both teams had disastrous outings in their previous games. And now they face off to determine (up to this point) who is the worst team in the NFL. The excitement simply cannot be contained.
Despite getting their doors blown off by the Miami Dolphins, Denver is the stronger team on paper. Russell Wilson has rebounded after last year, and their receivers have followed suit. Head coach Sean Payton has the offense working again, but it’s the defense that is of greater concern. Denver’s defense is so soft, the wind swirling inside Soldier Field might knock them over before a Bears player does. They’ve surrendered 105 points in their last two games, and it should have been more had Miami not taken mercy on them. If there’s a defense that the Bears can get right against, it’s this one.
Speaking of the Bears, absolutely nothing has gone right for them over the last week. They were pulverized last week, too, and would have had the worst outing of any team had it not been for Denver. Justin Fields and the offense continue to have issues gelling, and the defense is somehow worse than last year. There isn’t much hope for that unit against Denver, but it’s do or die for the offense, and this could be the week things start to click.
It won’t lead to a win, though, for either team. This game deserves to end in a tie and keep both organizations from reaching their first win for another week. Missed field goals, questionable playcalling, turnovers—it’s all on the table. Overtime will come and go, with fans leaving the game more confused and irritable than when they first got there.
Lucas Hunt (1-2): Broncos 21, Bears 10
Here we are, everyone. The game that absolutely no one has been waiting for. It’s must not-watch TV, and the worst event of the hour; it’s the unsightly Toilet Bowl. Bears vs. Broncos, in inglorious Week 4 action.
All jokes aside, the Bears finally come across an opponent they can actually defeat. Denver is winless up to this point, with the team collapsing in on itself as the exciting Dolphins offense routed them for 70 points in Week 3. The Broncos are, in many respects, in the same position as Chicago was coming into last week. The adversity they face is immense, and an extremely winnable game against the Bears could lift the crushing weight they must be under.
Coming into Week 4, the two teams share the almost comical goal of getting their first win of 2023. Who will suck less? Unfortunately, I believe the Broncos will do enough to shove the Bears aside for their first win of the season. What it comes down to is execution; Denver in the very least has an identity, while Chicago does not. The Broncos have a well-run franchise that has its players and coaches on the same page, resulting in respectable performances against other pro teams. The issue the Bears have isn’t just a lack of talent, or bad coaching; it’s dysfunction at a fundamental level.
That one difference alone will be enough for the Broncos to defeat the Bears 21-10, sending both the team and fanbase into an unprecedented abyss.
Ryan Fedrau (2-1): Broncos 27, Bears 21
Would I be surprised if the Bears won? No. Will they? No. Look, Denver is a bad football team, but Chicago is even worse – with no identity. On the flip side, the Bears have the ability to steal a win against a team that not many expected to start 0-3. After what we’ve seen from both teams, they’re both bad. But Chicago is a little bit worse, and until the Bears win a football game, I can’t confidently pick them to win a game.
Nate Atkins (1-1): Broncos 20, Bears 16
The air around the Bears is filled with its fair share of pessimism. Chicago has proven time and time again that they cannot be trusted. Even against a team with an 0-3 record like the Broncos, it’s hard to put faith in the Bears pulling it out.
Despite the Broncos surrendering more than 700 yards of offense it doesn’t mean the Bears are going to have an easy run this week. With the Bears injuries on defense, I’m expecting a big game from Russell Wilson.
