With a Chicago Bears Week 1 game scheduled against the 49ers, a lot of eyes will be on the battle between young QBs Justin Fields and Trey Lance. It will be interesting to see which among the two can get ahead at the start of the new season. Ahead of this Bears-49ers game, we’ll be making our Chicago Bears Week 1 predictions.
The Chicago Bears will open the 2022 NFL season at Soldier Field against the 49ers, with Chicago hoping to upset San Francisco and open the season with a bang.
The Bears and 49ers will meet for the second consecutive season — and again in Chicago. However, their perceptions in the national media are shifting in opposing ways. The Bears, sadly, are expected to be among the worst teams in the NFL, while the 49ers have hope thanks to a stacked roster.
If the Bears can open the season with a win over the 49ers, that would be a tremendous shocker. It might also cement Justin Fields as a QB to watch and set the tone for a 2022 campaign that might exceed expectations. Let's now dive into our Bears Week 1 predictions.
All the negativity seems like it’s focused on Justin Fields. Meanwhile, Zach Wilson may have lost his job to Joe Flacco and 49ers players didn’t vote for Trey Lance to be a captain. #Bears pic.twitter.com/NhjF7fknl9
— Bryan Perez (@BryanPerezNFL) September 8, 2022
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4. David Montgomery puts up a rushing TD
David Montgomery ran for 849 yards on 225 runs (65.3 rushing yards per game) with seven touchdowns last season. Montgomery also averaged 23.2 receiving yards per game on 42 receptions for 301 yards. In 2021, he ranked 55th in the NFL with 3.8 running yards per attempt. His seven rushing touchdowns ranked 15th overall.
Montgomery may not be a top 10 RB, but he can definitely hang with them on a good day. Their matchup against the 49ers could be one of those days. Remember, too, that he is entering a contract season. He would do well to make a very good impression right off the bat in Week 1.
3. Roquan Smith sees the field
Roquan Smith, the Bears' linebacker who ended his holdout at training camp, has had quite an eventful summer. He sat out the whole preseason, including the season finale, due to tightness. Smith will now participate in his first NFL game since the season finale in January of last year. He will also play the critical position of weak-side linebacker in Matt Eberflus' defense. To help restrict San Francisco's offensive, the Bears will need a dominant Smith. Nobody is sure if he can be that kind of presence on the field, but at least he'll show up and play.
2. Justin Fields outplays Trey Lance
The meeting of two quarterbacks picked in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft is without a doubt the most intriguing storyline surrounding this clash. The Bears picked Justin Fields at No. 11, while the 49ers chose Trey Lance at No. 3, ahead of Pro Bowlers like Kyle Pitts, Ja'Marr Chase, and Mac Jones.
Remember that many regarded Fields as the second-best quarterback in that draft class. San Francisco passed on him in favor of Lance, which some viewed as a bit of a slight on Fields. Now he has an opportunity to remind the 49ers about what they could have had.
We've already had one season of seeing Fields. Recall that he concluded his final four full games in 2021 as a top-12 fantasy quarterback. In that span, he actually averaged 21.7 fantasy points per game. He also averaged 56 running yards per match in the last six games of the season. During his debut season, Fields averaged 35 rushing yards per game. The last three rookie quarterbacks to do so were Cam Newton, Josh Allen, and Robert Griffin III. That's not bad company at all.
Expect Fields to maximize his ground game in this matchup and eventually outplay the guy drafted eight picks ahead of him last year.
1. Bears pull off the monumental upset
The Bears will play the 49ers for the fourth time in the last six years. Chicago, however, has lost two of the past three meetings against San Francisco dating back to 2017. We'll see if the Bears can even the score in 2022.
In their 2021 meeting, the Bears actually gave the 49ers all they could at Soldier Field. Chicago even trailed by just a single point, 23-22, during the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, a defensive breakdown allowed San Francisco to win 33-22. No doubt, the squad wants to exorcise some demons from that heartbreaking defeat.
Expect the Chicago Bears to play smarter this season. They'll also be full of enthusiasm and hunger. The Bears' defense may have difficulty stopping the run, but if Roquan Smith can have a big game, anything can happen. Justin Fields may have to settle for short, fast throws, but his legs make him a legitimate dual-threat QB. The truth is the Bears should not be pushovers in this matchup. They might even pull the rug from under the 49ers and spring a huge upset to quiet some of the haters.
Nonetheless, how do you feel about our Bears Week 1 predictions?
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