With much anticipation around the 2024 NFL schedule release, fans of the Chicago Bears are ready to see which days, specifically, they'll be able to watch Caleb Williams at Soldier Field this upcoming season.
How many prime time games will the Bears receive? You can bet that, if that number is higher than usual, it's thanks to Williams and the hype behind this year's no. 1 pick.
Williams has all the momentum behind him to become one of the league's top passers, but the Bears will already be facing some tough quarterbacks this coming season. How does this Bears defense come away victorious against those quarterbacks?
The Bears need to be more concerned with six specific quarterbacks above all the others in 2024
Quarterbacks the Bears shouldn't be too worried about:
Anthony Richardson (IND)
Jayden Daniels (WAS)
Drake Maye (NE)
J.J. McCarthy (MIN)
Trevor Lawrence (JAX)
Will Levis (TEN)
Bryce Young (CAR)
Geno Smith (SEA)
Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Brock Purdy has five career regular season losses in his first two seasons as a pro. In those five losses, Purdy has thrown at least one interception. In three of those five losses, Purdy threw mulitple interceptions, including a four-pick game against the Ravens late last year.
Also in those five losses, Purdy was sacked a total of eight times and threw three touchdowns, combined. The lesson to be learned here? Force Purdy into making mistakes, which he rarely does. He's phenomenal under pressure, meaning not only does the front four need to do some serious work, but the Bears' secondary has to be on their game and cannot afford any missteps. Purdy will make them pay.
How to beat Purdy: Create turnovers and put the clamps on in the red zone.
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
The Bears know Matthew Stafford well. And, if we know anything about Stafford, it's that he will go down swinging. He's one of those types that needs to be dragged off the field on a stretcher for him to come out of a game.
With that said, this isn't about hurting Stafford. But, the Bears need to make him uncomfortable. They have to hit him over and over again. The Rams will always have a chance to win games as long as Stafford is healthy and upright. It's when he's banged up that things start to unravel, and even then, Stafford will not go down without a fight.
How to beat Stafford: Make him uncomfortable, and do it repeatedly.