The Chicago Bears were the underdog story entering Week 3. One dominant prime-time win later, the expectations have changed dramatically.
Chicago enters Sunday's Week 4 matchup against the New York Jets at 2-1 after stunning the previously undefeated Philadelphia Eagles, 27-7, on Monday Night Football. The Jets are 1-2 after falling 31-24 to the Detroit Lions last Sunday.
And while questions remain about whether Tyson Bagent or Case Keenum will start at quarterback with Caleb Williams sidelined, most experts aren't letting that uncertainty scare them away from Chicago.
The Bears are 3.5-point favorites in the latest line, and the expert predictions largely reflect it.
Here's how some experts are viewing Bears-Jets this weekend.
NFL.com gives Bears the edge
NFL.com's five-person panel isn't unanimous, but Chicago still comes out on top.
Brooke Cersosimo, Gennaro Filice and Dan Parr are picking the Bears. Jeremy Bergman and Bobby Kownack are taking the Jets.
Cersosimo and Parr both predict 24-20 Bears victories, while Filice has Chicago winning 27-20. Bergman predicts a 20-18 Jets win, and Kownack has New York pulling off a 28-27 upset.
NFL.com tally: Bears 3, Jets 2
Chicago Sun-Times unanimously picks the Bears
There's far less disagreement among the hometown experts.
All five members of the Chicago Sun-Times panel are picking the Bears.
Patrick Finley has Chicago winning 24-20. Jason Lieser predicts 27-16. Scoop Jackson has the Bears winning 31-18, Steve Greenberg predicts 24-20, and Jeff Agrest forecasts a 28-14 Chicago victory.
Sun-Times tally: Bears 5, Jets 0
CBS Sports is much more divided
CBS Sports isn't as confident in the Bears.
Its seven-expert against-the-spread panel has four analysts backing Chicago at -3.5 and three taking New York with the points.
Pete Prisco, Jared Dubin, Ryan Wilson and Jamey Eisenberg are siding with the Bears. John Breech, Tyler Sullivan and Dave Richard are taking the Jets against the spread.
CBS Sports tally: Bears 4, Jets 3
The Bears have gone from hunters to hunted
A week ago, Chicago entered Monday night with its third-string quarterback preparing to face an undefeated Philadelphia team. Then Keenum completed 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns, added another score on the ground, and helped the Bears win by 20 points.
Now Chicago is favored at home against a 1-2 team, and most of the predictions we surveyed expect the Bears to win.
Sure, the quarterback uncertainty remains. Williams is still dealing with his hamstring injury, and Johnson has kept his Week 4 decision between Bagent and Keenum private. But Chicago has demonstrated that its formula doesn't have to depend entirely on who's taking the snaps.
The Bears have held Minnesota and Philadelphia to a combined 16 points over the last two weeks. Their running game also enters Week 4 ranked No. 1 in the NFL. Those are sustainable ways to survive without your franchise quarterback.
The Bears showed they can pull off an upset when expectations are low. Now we'll find out whether they can handle a game they're supposed to win.
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