The Chicago Bears are back in action this weekend as they travel south to take on the Atlanta Falcons in their second consecutive road game, and hopefully the results go much better than last week's. The Bears (3-2) are coming off arguably their worst loss of the Ben Johnson era after falling to the Green Bay Packers 31-7 up at Lambeau Field.
The Packers flexed their muscles early with long, sustained scoring drives, while the Bears couldn't muster much of anything with Tyson Bagent at quarterback. Fortunately, they shouldn't need to rely on a backup quarterback this week. Caleb Williams practiced in full each day, and though he's officially listed as questionable, all signs point to him returning as the starter on Sunday.
The Bears will need
Williams to put up points against the Falcons, who have found a spark thanks to the return of quarterback Michael Penix over the last few weeks. With a dangerous rushing duo consisting of Bijan and Brian Robinson, Atlanta (2-3) suddenly looks like one of the more dangerous offenses in the league. They too are looking to rebound this week after falling to the Baltimore Ravens 30-23 in overtime.
With two explosive offenses meeting this weekend, there's a lot that can happen on the field. Here are our bold predictions for Bears at Falcons.
1. Colston Loveland catches his first touchdown
We're way past due for Colston Loveland's breakout game of the season, and the impending return of Williams makes this the ideal week for that to happen. For one reason or another, Loveland hasn't been the focal point of the passing offense like he was near the end of last year. Part of that has to do with the Bears needing to turn to backup quarterbacks and tweak the offense a bit. But with Williams returning, relying on sure-handed tight end like Loveland to get the passing game going makes all the sense in the world.
The Bears offense should be able to move the ball effectively with Williams, even with the Falcons defense having absurd pressure rates. And without their full complement of running backs, they will need to get creative in the red zone to score touchdowns. The Bears have just two red zone passing touchdowns all year, but they get their third with Loveland as Bears fans exhale now that their 2025 first-round pick finds the end zone.
2. Caleb Williams scores a rushing touchdown
Barring a surprise, Williams is set to see his first action in nearly a month since he suffered a hamstring strain in the Bears' Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. It's fair to wonder if he changes up his style to avoid re-injuring the same leg. Williams squashed that idea fairly quickly during his spirited press conference on Thursday. "I can move, I can run," he said to the media. "I'll take off."
With the Bears missing running back Kyle Monangai for a second straight week and seeing their woes they had with a normal potent rushing attack, don't be surprised to see Williams utilize his legs to make something happen. His rushing ability will even lead to his second rushing touchdown of the year, showing everyone he is fully back.
3. Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson combine for 200 rushing yards
Speaking of rushing attacks, the Falcons have one of the best in the league, led by arguably the best running back in football. Atlanta's offense is built around Bijan Robinson, who has exploded for a strong start through five games, while his backup Brian Robinson has done an excellent job in relief. Bijan leads the league in rushing yards with 580 and has five total touchdowns. Brian, meanwhile, has totaled 210 yards and has four scores of his own.
These two backs are extremely dangerous, and this is the best ground game the Bears have faced all year. To make matters worse, they're going to be without a few key run stuffers such as defensive ends Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo, as well as linebacker T.J. Edwards. With question marks all over the defense, this could be a massive day for the Robinsons. They are going to combine for at least 200 yards and control the clock on Sunday, putting even more pressure on Williams and the offense.
4. Shemar Turner gets 2 tackles for loss
Without Sweat or Odeyingbo on the defensive line, the Bears will be relying on Austin Booker and other reserve players to fill the void left by the missing starters. That includes second-year defensive lineman Shemar Turner, who is playing in his first game in nearly a year. Turner suffered a torn ACL last October and has been out ever since, rehabbing and recovering.
After weeks of practice while on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, Turner is set to see snaps on Sunday. He'll have the chance to show what's capable of coming off the edge after making a position change from defensive tackle. Turner's best ability is finishing plays with an aggressive play style. He will clean up a few messes when he's on the field, which will lead to a pair of tackles for loss.
5. Xavier Watts picks off Caleb Williams
Williams decided to have some fun on social media this week by changing his profile picture on Instagram to John Wick, another sign towards his return. But he may actually be facing his own boogeyman this weekend on the Falcons defense. Safety Xavier Watts, a 2025 third-round pick out of Notre Dame, almost single-handedly caused Williams' worst game as a USC Trojan in 2023.
Watts picked off Williams twice in the 48-20 route, which was the start of USC's slide that season towards mediocrity. Williams threw just five interceptions that last season, and two of them were to Watts. That was just over three years ago, and a lot has changed since then. But with Williams' multiweek layoff, there could be a little rust to start out. And Watts is having a phenomenal start to his career, totaling six interceptions in 22 career games. Unfortunately, I think he gets Williams again early in this game before the quarterback settles down.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 5 bold predictions for Bears vs. Falcons
