Bears playing catch-up after a slow start

The 2022/23 National Football League season had been billed as an important one for the Chicago Bears, with followers of the club hoping to see their side hold their own during the regular season before going on to mix it with the best in the new year. The Bears are rarely expected to make a serious challenge to win the Super Bowl – despite doing just that once before, but the team’s only success came almost 40 years ago. 

That wait is too long in the minds of everyone with a passion for Chicago football, but is it about to change? Is this the season when the head coach Matt Eberflus finally takes his team in the long run to the deciding match? It’s possible, and fans know they must continue to be optimistic and support the team, but the current crop of players looks to be some way off that magical team of 1985. 

There’s a lot of football still to be played, and the leading names from Illinois sports betting aren’t about to get carried away. With the season just two games old, fans won’t be reaching for the panic button anytime soon either, but there hasn’t been too much by way of encouragement. It has been a slower-than-expected start, with the Bears already playing catch-up. 

Can they turn it around? Our team of football fanatics and sports betting experts bring you up to speed on what’s happening at Soldier Field as well as how traders working at the leading betting apps have responded. If it’s worth knowing and relates to the Chicago Bears’ season, you’ll find it covered below.

Slow start
There was an air of enthusiasm amongst the supporters ahead of week one, and the Bears had a great chance to get off to a winning start and set out their stall for the season ahead. Chicago wanted to prove to their doubters that they have the squad depth, character and belief to make a dent in this season. Did they live up to expectations, giving supporters something to get excited about?

Week one ended with a home-field victory over the visiting San Francisco 49ers, with the final scoreboard reading 19-10 in the home team’s favour. The bare result tells the story of an easy win, but that wasn’t the case. The Bears were pushed hard by the 49ers, made to work every minute of every quarter. The opener ended without a point scored before Philly went into half-time with a 7-0 lead. 

The pressure was on their opponents to respond, and they edged their way back in the third, winning 7-3. It was set up for a grandstand finish, with both teams knowing what they needed to do to get the result. Chicago stepped up and delivered, winning the final quarter 12-0 to claim the victory.

Improvements needed
It was a great start with the players’ battling qualities the most impressive aspect of the game, at least in the eyes of those with a passion for Chicago. They had the opportunity to go 2-0 for the season but came up short against the Green Bay Packers.

The team knew they were up against it at Lambeau Field and were aware that improvement on the first match was needed, but it never came. The Packers wiped the floor with the Bears, winning 27-10 thanks to a stunning second quarter when they fought back from 7-3 down by winning 21-0. That was a thrashing; one Chicago couldn’t come back from. All the great work from the previous game was undone, spoiled by a lack of concentration and several easily avoidable errors.

Bookies’ view
What do the bookies make for Chicago’s chances this year? Will they make it to the playoffs or go all the way and win the Super Bowl? Will they crash out of the running at the earliest opportunity, playing the entire season this year?

That remains to be seen, but we can get an idea of what to expect from the players by looking at the opinion of the biggest bookies. The current Super Bowl betting odds has Chicago as the 27th most likely winner. A tad harsh, to say the least. According to the bookies, Chicago has less chance of glory than the Washington Commanders, Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Giants. Time will tell.