In the Chicago Bears Week 3 game, the team welcomes the Houston Texans to the Windy City. Neither squad has been great this season, but both have had moments in Week 1, with Chicago winning and Houston earning a tie. As these two rebuilding sides prepare to square off at 1:00 pm ET on Sunday, let’s make some bold Chicago Bears Week 3 predictions.
Unlike most NFL teams, we really only have one Bears game worth of information to go on. The Week 1 win over the San Francisco 49ers barely counts as an NFL contest. It was more like a pickup football game played at a water park. However, there are some interesting takeaways from the team’s 27-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
As for the Texans, a draw in Week 1 and a one-score loss on the road in Week 2 could be cause for optimism. But those two games seem to be more about the opponent’s struggles than anything Houston is doing.
It won’t be a game for the ages (or even on Red Zone that much) but the Bears-Texans game is happening, so here are some bold Bears Week 3 predictions.
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4. David Montgomery continues to be a bright spot
Between the Bears offensive line’s suspect pass protection, Justin Fields' inexperience, and a lack of dynamic pass-catchers, the Chicago passing game is nothing to write home about at the beginning of 2022.
However, veteran running back David Montgomery and the running game has been a bright spot for the Bears offense so far this season.
Heading into the Week 3 Bears-Texans game, Montgomery is eighth in the NFL with 32 rushing attempts and ninth in yards with 148. Khalil Herbert has been a perfect lighting to Montgomery’s thunder, as well, racking up 83 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries (6.4 yards per attempt).
Why do people underestimate David Montgomery? #dabears
— Adam Rank (@adamrank) September 20, 2022
The Texans run defense isn’t good.
In Week, Jonathan Taylor went for 161 yards against the unit, and in Week 2, Denver’s Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon combined for 122 yards.
If the Bears have any chance of winning vs. the Texans, this Week 3 Bears prediction of Montgomery going over 100 yards has to come true.
3. The Bears D is the story of the game
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before Bears fans, but in order to win in Week 3 (or at all this season) the Bears defense will have to carry the team to victory. It’s a story as old as football and as true in 2022 as it was in 1922. The Bears D will determine if Chicago wins this game.
The 2022 Monsters of the Midway have five sacks through two games, have forced three turnovers, and star linebacker Roquan Smith is in the top 15 of the entire league with 20 tackles.
On the flip side, the Texans have allowed six sacks but only turned the ball over once in two games. All this adds up to a Bears-Texans tilt that is dominated by the Bears D, which is exactly what Matt Eberflus needs to happen to get win No. 2.
2. Justin Fields hears a few boos from the Soldier Field faithful
Taking second-year QB Justin Field’s performance alone, the 2022 season has been a mixed bag so far. He did enough to get a win in a wet and wild in Week 1, but after staking Chicago to a 7-3 lead in Week 2, got outscored 24-3 the rest of the way by Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.
In that second game, Fields was an anemic 7-of-11 for 70 yards with three sacks, an interception, and no touchdowns. That brings his season passing totals to 15-of-28 for 191 yards with two picks and two TDs.
That’s a pretty weak stat line for one game, let alone two.
And, of course, you can’t just focus on Fields’ performance on the field. He also made some snide comments after the game last week about losing mattering more to him and his teammates than Bears fans.
He’s since cleaned up the meaning behind his words, but the initial statement likely isn’t sitting well with some long-suffering Bears fans.
.@justnfields: "I respect every fan that we have. I'm glad that we have fans. I would never disrespect anybody on what they do or what they love to do." pic.twitter.com/hpzFVoo6yT
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 21, 2022
When Justin Fields struggles in Week 3 — and he will struggle at times — the Soldier Field crowd might now be as forgiving as they usually are. That’s why this bold Bears Week 3 prediction is that the young QB hears a few boo birds out at home on Sunday.
1. Bears 13, Texans 12
This Bears-Texans game is, frankly, probably the worst game on the Week 3 NFL schedule. Nonetheless, it matters to fans in Chicago and Houston and may end up determining the team that has the valuable No. 1 pick in the QB-heavy 2023 NFL Draft.
There might not be a lot of winnable games on the Bears' schedule this season, but this contest is one of them. And Matt Eberfuls’ squad has enough juice to take advantage of that.
The final bold Bears Week 3 prediction is that the Bears win a field goal fest, and Justin Fields gets them in position for the winning kick to turn the boos to cheers in the end.
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