The Chicago Bears (3-7) will battle the Atlanta Falcons (4-6) on Sunday, where Chicago is looking to snap a three-game losing streak.
The Bears are coming off a 31-30 loss to the Detroit Lions (3-6), where quarterback Justin Fields continued his dominance in another record-setting outing. But Chicago blew a 14-point lead, Cairo Santos missed an extra point and the offense couldn’t mount a fourth-quarter comeback.
After putting up 33, 29, 32 and 30 points against the Patriots, Cowboys, Dolphins and Lions, this Bears offense could top that when they face another struggling Falcons defense.
Will Chicago get back in the win column against Atlanta in Week 11? Our Bears Wire staff share their game picks for Sunday’s matchup.
Alyssa Barbieri (5-5): Bears 30, Falcons 27
The fun thing about having a quarterback like Justin Fields is that he gives the Bears a chance to win in every game, and it’s definitely a strange feeling for me. Considering the defense hasn’t been able to stop anybody, I expect this to be another close game down the stretch.
While the Falcons are coming into this thing fresh after a mini-bye week, this is a good opportunity for Chicago to finally pull out one of those elusive wins. These two teams are quite similar to each other — dominant run games and struggling defenses. But the Bears have something the Falcons don’t — Justin Fields, and he’s who I’m picking to ultimately be the difference in this game.
Chicago has to win one of these winnable games sooner or later, right? While the offense has been rolling over the last month, averaging 31 points per game, they haven’t been able to close it out late in games. That’s the next step for this offense. Unfortunately, the Bears don’t have a defense that’s shown an ability to stop anyone. Which means they’re going to be in a lot of close games down the stretch. The offense has had several opportunities to win or tie the game late in the fourth quarter, and I believe this is the week they finally are able to pull one out in the end.
Brendan Sugrue (3-7): Falcons 31, Bears 28
Here is your weekly disclaimer that I cannot seem to pick a Bears game correctly this year to save my life. With that being said, I’m leaning towards the Falcons this week. Atlanta is coming off long rest after their loss to the Carolina Panthers and they’ve been solid at home this year. They’re 3-2 and averaging 26.2 points per game inside Mercedes Benz Stadium.
The Bears continue to impress everyone on offense, but their defense has failed to answer the bell for three weeks in a row. That’s gotten them into trouble, especially late in games. They just can’t seem to close teams out the last three weeks, even though they’ve led or pulled within striking distance. With the Bears potentially missing guys like Teven Jenkins and Cole Kmet, it could be tougher sledding this week than in the past few weeks.
Meanwhile, Atlanta’s offense doesn’t scare anyone and they have actually been on a cold streak the last couple of weeks. But this Bears defense hasn’t been able to stop anyone for awhile and it could be a get-right game for Marcus Mariota and the Falcons offense.
Knowing my luck, I’ll be wrong but that means the Bears get a victory and that’s alright with me.
Ryan Fedrau (6-4): Bears 31, Falcons 27
The Bears have dropped their last three games, becoming the first team in NFL history to score 29-points in three straight games and still lose. That changes on Sunday, as I predict they will score 29-plus points again and win against Atlanta.
With how well Justin Fields has been playing, I’m confident the Bears will snap their three game losing streak on Sunday. It will come down to how well their defense plays. Atlanta doesn’t have a strong passing attack, which is different from the last few teams the Bears have played. That will be the difference maker and the reason why Chicago improves to 4-7.
