A fourth consecutive win didn’t change the minds of the 4% of our fans who aren’t buying what the Chicago Bears are selling. Last week’s confidence poll results checked in at 96% and we’re holding steady
there this week. Maybe last week’s 26 to 14, wire-to-wire win over the New Orleans Saints wasn’t impressive enough for them. The Bears jumped out to a 20 to 0 lead, then faltered a little midgame, before settling down and closing it out. They did what they were supposed to do and beat a team they were favored over.
The Bears are at the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, and our friends at FanDuel Sportsbook have the home team as a 7-point favorite, which is up a bit with quarterback Lamar Jackson trending towards playing. The game’s over/under point total is 49.5.
A win in Baltimore against the two-time MVP would be huge for the Bears and would be a signature W for head coach Ben Johnson.
But even if Jackson can’t go — he’s questionable with a hamstring injury — a fifth consecutive win for Chicago would be big for this franchise. That would equal their longest winning streak since 2018, when they also won five in a row.
The Ravens are much better than their one win would suggest. John Harbaugh is one of the best coaches in the NFL, and he always has his team ready to play. He’s one of the best all-time coming off a bye week at 13-4.
In our Reacts survey earlier this week, we also asked whether you think this is still the same old Bears, and 7% of our fans think so. They aren’t ready to move on from all the pain this franchise has given us over the years.
A few fans still expect the worst, even though Johnson’s Bears have done a decent job these last four weeks in breaking some old Bears’ habits.
I’ve still caught myself waiting for the bad to happen in some games this season, because so often during the last several years, that’s what the Bears did.
They couldn’t overcome a bad penalty.
They’d turn the ball over in the fourth quarter.
They’ve have a breakdown in coverage.
They’d miss a blitz pickup.
They’d doink a field goal.
Time and time again, they’d snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
If I’m being honest, I’m not expecting a win on Sunday in Baltimore, but I’m confident the team is heading in the right direction, and I’m confident Ben Johnson will have the Bears ready to compete.
SB Nation Reacts is a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year, we ask questions of the most plugged-in Bears fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
