The Chicago Bears have no shortage of bulletin-board material entering their Week 1 game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Despite Trey Lance making his first start since his one-game season at North Dakota State in 2020, the 49ers are big favorites at Soldier Field on Sunday. Not only do the oddsmakers in Las Vegas think San Francisco will win by a touchdown, but the experts picking the game are almost unanimous in their choice.
According to NFL Pick Watch, 95% of experts who’ve submitted their Week 1 selections have picked the 49ers to win the game. In fact, the Cincinnati Bengals are the only team with more confidence from experts than San Francisco. The Bengals have 98% of submitted picks in their favor over Mitch Trubisky and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Like the Bears, the Houston Texans received only 5% of selections by experts, who almost all picked the Indianapolis Colts to win in Week 1.
There’s a lot of confidence in San Francisco right now. Sure, they have one of the best defenses in the NFL and their coach, Kyle Shanahan, is one of the best offensive minds in the game. But he’ll be tested by a Bears defense that’ll do its part to rattle Lance throughout the game.
The Chicago Bears are scheduled to kick off their game against the San Francisco 49ers at 1 p.m. EST (12 p.m. CST) from Soldier Field on Sunday, Sept. 11. The game will be televised on FOX. Click here for all the ways to watch, listen to, and stream the Bears’ opener.