4 Bold Predictions for the Chicago Bears in 2024

We are just days away from the Chicago Bears kicking off their 2024 season at home against the Tennessee Titans. An exciting offseason that included the Bears drafting a quarterback at first overall for the first time in the team’s 105-year history has finally concluded. Now all the hype that has accompanied the Bears this summer will be put to the test.

Before that test begins, let’s throw out some bold predictions for the Bears.

1. The Bears will win the division for the first time since 2018

This one feels bold yet entirely realistic, but I’ll include it anyway to kick off this list. Yes, the Bears have finished last in the division for the past two years. But the past is the past, and the 2024 Bears are not the Bears of last season. In a division that feels like it could send three teams to the playoffs, it’s anyone’s guess who will end up on top.

Why not Chicago? If Caleb Williams is the real deal, then I think Chicago will quickly become the betting favorite to win the NFC North.

2. Caleb Williams will finish second in MVP voting

Speaking of Caleb Williams, I foresee a historic rookie season for him. Given his tremendous talent, the flashes he’s already shown this preseason, and the unprecedented amount of help he has around him, I think he has a very good shot of ending Chicago’s 105-year draught without a 4,000-yard or 30-touchdown passer.

Maybe another player would look more “deserving” based on the stats. But if Williams’ rookie year is anything like CJ Stroud’s or Justin Herbert’s, given what that would mean for one of the league’s flagship franchises, I think Williams would lock up the emotional side of the voting process and finish as the MVP runner-up.

3. Austin Booker wins Defensive Rookie of the Year

In this year’s draft class, it feels like almost any defender could become the rookie of the year, so why not Booker? Scouts and analysts loved his intangibles and thought he just needed a couple of seasons of polishing his technique to become an effective starter, but what if he doesn’t need as much polishing as we thought?

Booker played like a man possessed this preseason, flashing sky-high upside. Sure, it was mostly against backups, but he still looked better than many expected. With Pro Bowler Montez Sweat to mentor him through his rookie year, and with the lack of proven talent above him in the depth chart, I think Booker could hit double-digit sacks straight away and be in the pole position for Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.

4. The Bears reach the Super Bowl

Time for the boldest of bold takes, one which Fox Sports 1’s Nick Wright shares. Let’s face it: there is no Patrick Mahomes in the NFC to gatekeep the Super Bowl. In the NFC, it feels like any talented team that gets hot at the right time could become the team to represent the conference on the NFL’s biggest stage. Why not the Chicago Bears?

The teams that stand in their way are very good teams with solid coaching and quarterbacking, but they’re not world-beaters. If the previous three predictions come true and the Bears are the division champs with the defensive rookie of the year and a quarterback who finished second in MVP voting, then there’s not one team in the NFC that would be a lock to beat them. I think in that scenario, Chicago would be the betting favorite.

Can Caleb Williams be the first rookie quarterback to guide his team to the Super Bowl? Crazier things have happened.