Predicting the Chicago Bears record through the first quarter of the season
Chicago Bears @ Atlanta Falcons
Here is the game that many believe the Chicago Bears have no chance of winning. Honestly, I am not all that concerned. Matt Ryan is a very talented quarterback and the team has some impressive weapons in Julio Jones (top-5 receiver) and Calvin Ridley. Is that enough to overcome such an awful offensive line though?
In 2019, the Falcons gave up 50 sacks. The team did not add anyone of great importance to the position outside of drafting Matt Hennessy in the third round this year. With the Bears front seven, I think the defense keeps the team in this game — even facing off against free-agent addition Todd Gurley. Gurley will be an upgrade over Freeman if he is healthy for the game, but the question will be, how well can the Bears offense play against the Falcons defense?
Last year, the Falcons found themselves ranked 17th in defensive DVOA. Broken down, the team was 21st against the pass and 13th versus the run. The matchup is not great for the Chicago Bears, but the game s definitely winnable. A confident Mitch Trubisky keeps this very close and I could see the game going either way.