The Chicago Bears are going on the road to face off against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17, and what should be one of the best games of the entire week. The Bears are in a great position this weekend to seal the deal in the NFC North with Jordan Love not playing for Green Bay, but it's not the Packers the Bears need to be thinking about.
They've got to take care of business.
This game is a possible playoff preview, but also an opportunity for the Bears to visualize what it will be like to play in the Super Bowl with Super Bowl LX being played in Santa Clara. Who is going to step up in this game? We're manifesting some scorching-hot predictions for this matchup, including a huge game from Caleb Williams.
Caleb Williams torches 49ers defense in bold Bears-49ers predictions
1. Caleb Williams accounts for 4 total touchdowns
Out of all the games they've played this year, the 49ers have only allowed 200 or more passing yards in seven games overall. That includes their most recent game against Philip Rivers and the Colts. And if Philip Rivers had a little bit more ability to move around, he might have had a lot more.
Robert Saleh does a great job of limiting opposing quarterbacks, normally, but Caleb Williams has been absolutely dialed in in the past couple of months. In his last eight games, he's got 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions. No quarterback has thrown fewer touchdowns in the last eight games.
The 49ers have been one of the worst teams in the NFL at limiting passing touchdowns all year. They rank 26th in the NFL, allowing 27 passing touchdowns entering this week. I am predicting Caleb Williams will go off in this game, accounting for four total touchdowns. Let's say he throws three and runs for one more.
2. Luther Burden Legacy Game
The Bears have drafted so many playmakers for Caleb Williams over the past couple of years, and Luther Burden has a chance to be this team's X-factor going into the postseason. He hasn't played since December 14, but before he went down with an ankle injury, he was starting to heat up.
He had four catches for 67 yards in the loss to Green Bay on December 7, then had six catches for 84 yards in the win against the Browns. The last game Burden played and had fewer than five targets? You have to go back to November 9 when the Bears beat the Giants.
With Rome Odunze still out, I don't think there's any question that Burden is going to be a massive part of the offensive gameplan against the 49ers. And this could be his "legacy" game. What does that mean? Maybe he has at least five catches for over 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
3. Bears clinch the NFC North and move into the #1 spot in the NFC
The reason this is a scorching-hot prediction is that the Bears need several things to go their way that are outside their control. They obviously have to take care of business against the 49ers, but they'll also (potentially) need some help from the Ravens and Panthers.
The Ravens are taking on the Packers at Lambeau Field this weekend, and the Packers won't have Jordan Love for that matchup. Malik Willis is getting the start, and as well as Willis has played when the Packers have needed him, we'll see what he can do against a Ravens team whose playoff odds vanish with a loss, but jump over 20 percent with a win.
The Panthers are taking on the Seahawks, currently the top seed in the NFC. They've pulled off some impressive wins this season, including a home victory over the Rams. Even if it feels like a long shot, the Panthers could make it happen against the Seahawks, and the Bears could end the weekend as NFC North champs and in control of the #1 seed in the NFC.
Read more: Ben Johnson got brutally honest about his relationship with Caleb Williams
A win against the 49ers will clinch the NFC North regardless, but the Bears may enter the game against the 49ers already division champs after Saturday night's Packers game.