The Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos are both looking for their first win of the season Sunday at Soldier Field. They enter the game with 0-3 records and are coming off big losses in Week 3.
As kickoff approaches, here’s our snapshot look at the game.
Player in the spotlight
Justin Fields
Fields is obviously in the spotlight every week, and the scrutiny is going to continue to grow until he turns in a solid performance.
Last week, Fields drew attention ahead of the 41-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs when he talked about feeling “robotic” because of the amount of information from coaches he was trying to process and his perfectionism.
He didn’t make any waves with reporters this week, but the pressure is still on as he takes on a Broncos defense that gave up 70 points and 726 yards to the Miami Dolphins last week. If progress is going to be shown, shouldn’t it come Sunday against this defense?
From the outside, it seemed Bears coaches were unreasonably positive during the week about where the offense is given the fact Fields threw for just 99 yards and was the leading rusher with 47 yards against the Chiefs. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy talked about being “in the process of building something special.”
Said quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko: “We believe in the product we’re trying to put together. If we didn’t think we were close, we’d have a lot of other problems.”
Janocko went on to say Fields has shown growth every week, with some strides in footwork, decision-making and anticipation against the Chiefs.
“I do feel like there were things on tape he did that make you feel reassured that we are growing and we are getting closer,” Janocko said.
Will that produce different results Sunday?
Pressing question
Can a Bears defense without three secondary starters shut down the Broncos?
The Broncos might be 0-3, but they’re outscoring the Bears 23 to 15.7 points per game and outgaining them 340.7 to 250 in total yards per game.
Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson has completed 68 of 104 passes for 791 yards, six touchdowns, two interceptions, 10 sacks and a 99.5 passer rating. Wide receiver Courtland Sutton leads with 17 catches for 189 yards and two touchdowns, and rookie Marvin Mims has seven catches for 195 yards and a touchdown.
Wilson takes on a Bears secondary that will be missing three starters. Nickel Kyler Gordon is on injured reserve while recovering from hand surgery. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson (hamstring) and safety Eddie Jackson (foot) were declared out after not practicing all week.
With the Bears potentially set to start rookie cornerbacks Tyrique Stevenson and Terell Smith and second-year safeties Jaquan Brisker and Elijah Hicks, coach Matt Eberflus said it probably will be the youngest secondary he ever has started. Eberflus said Smith showed poise when he filled in for Stevenson and Johnson against the Chiefs.
“I’m excited to see Smitty and Tyrique in there full time,” Eberflus said. “It’s going to be a good challenge for those guys. They’ve got really good receivers. They’ve got really good speed at that position group.”
Keep an eye on …
The Bears offensive line
The Bears are expecting right guard Nate Davis to start for the first time since Week 1 after he sat out the last two games while grieving the death of a family member. Davis dressed in Week 3 but didn’t play.
Eberflus said Davis “had a good week of practice and we like where he is.”
“We just really communicated with him, and he communicated with us,” Eberflus said of helping Davis. “That’s just what we did, person to person. He used the resources in the building. I know it’s a difficult time.”
That means the Bears will be missing only two starters on the line — left tackle Braxton Jones (neck) and left guard Teven Jenkins (calf), who both are on injured reserve. Jenkins is eligible to come off IR next week, and Eberflus said the Bears are “excited where he is.”
The Bears are looking for a boost to their run game against a Broncos defense that gave up 350 yards on the ground in Week 3.
“That’s the biggest difference from what carried us at the beginning of last season was the explosive run opportunities that we created,” Getsy said. “We just really haven’t created those.”
Claypool speaks up
When Bears wide receiver Chase Claypool was asked Friday if he is being put in the best position to showcase what he can do, he paused for a few seconds and said, “No.”
Like the entire Bears offense, Claypool has had a rough start to the year, though he said he has refocused on his effort and blocking since his game against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1 drew scrutiny from inside and outside the Bears. He has four catches for 51 yards and a touchdown on 14 targets.
The follow-up, of course, was what coaches can do to better utilize him as the offense looks for a spark against the Broncos.
“I’ll let them decide that,” Claypool said. “I’m not going to give any pointers. That’s their job to decide, and I’ll just do what they tell me to do.”
Since the Bears acquired Claypool from the Pittsburgh Steelers in November, he hasn’t had a breakout performance, though he did catch his first touchdown with the Bears in Week 2. Asked about how joining the Bears has met his expectations, he said, “Sometimes the things around you either elevate you or you have to adapt to allow you to elevate with them. So I’ve just been adapting to the new system and my new role in the system and trying to make the most out of it.”
“Every situation has the ability to be ideal, and I think we’re just working toward that,” Claypool added. “I wouldn’t say it’s not an ideal place for me. Obviously there’s other places — you can say, ‘Oh, I want to be on the best offense with the highest passing yards.’ But that doesn’t happen in football. You just have to make do with what you’ve got.”
Injury report
Along with Johnson and Jackson, Bears cornerback Josh Blackwell won’t play because of a hamstring injury. He went on injured reserve Friday. Running back Travis Homer is questionable with an ankle injury.
For the Broncos, outside linebacker Frank Clark, inside linebacker Josey Jewell and defensive tackle Mike Purcell were ruled out. Safety Justin Simmons is questionable because of a hip injury.
Predictions
Brad Biggs (2-1)
If Alan Williams hadn’t left the Bears citing personal reasons, this would set up as a meeting between the league’s most embattled defensive coordinators. There are tons of questions for Broncos coach Sean Payton as to why he hired Vance Joseph as DC. Their defense has been putrid. Matt Eberflus will continue to take the brunt of criticism for the performance of his defense. It’s truly not the kind of game you want to handicap. When I hear a team entering Week 4 talk about needing to show fight, I’m fearful it will be in low supply.
Broncos 25, Bears 22
Colleen Kane (2-1)
The Broncos have come a lot closer to victory than the Bears have this season, with a one-point loss to the Las Vegas Raiders and a two-point loss to the Washington Commanders following a failed two-point conversion. Bears quarterback Justin Fields should have an opportunity to produce more than he has this season against a bad Broncos defense. If he doesn’t, the Bears should be in full-on crisis mode, if they aren’t already. But the Broncos have an opportunity against a banged-up Bears defense, and I think Russell Wilson pulls the Broncos to their first win.
Broncos 27, Bears 24
Dan Wiederer (2-1)
How could anyone possibly trust these Bears in this kind of “take care of business” moment? What is it they do well? Sure, the Broncos are 0-3 and coming off an embarrassing 70-20 loss in Miami. But when push comes to shove, who do you trust more to seize a bounce-back opportunity against a floundering opponent? Sean Payton and Russell Wilson or Matt Eberflus and Justin Fields? The Bears are at home. But at this point, that might not be an advantage. With a beat-up secondary and a struggling pass rush, this will be a difficult challenge.
Broncos 27, Bears 19