The Chicago Bears completed a three-week gauntlet of games barely alive at 0-3, but the team finally has a decent chance of getting a win in a Week 4 game against the Denver Broncos.
Only the Denver and Chicago faithful will be turned into what definitively is the worst game of the early slate, while most of the NFL will be enjoying the play of good teams, like Miami and Buffalo.
Buy Bears TicketsAlas, it’s our fate to be eternally linked to such a dysfunctional football team, so we’ll give you everything you need to know about the game. To kick off our weekly breakdown, here are some key things to know ahead of Sunday’s Bears-Broncos matchup.
1
The game will be the 17th all-time matchup between the Bears and Broncos
The two teams will face off for only the 17th time in a series that dates back to the 1971 season. The two clubs have historically proven to be evenly matched, as the all-time record currently sits at an 8-8 deadlock. The Bears had the upper hand in games that were played past 2000, with Chicago having a 3-2 record in that span.
2
The Bears are 4-3 against the Broncos when playing at Soldier Field
Every football team’s motto is “defend your home turf,” and Chicago has repelled Denver while playing Soldier Field more often than not.
The Bears’ last win at home against the Broncos was in Week 12 of the 2007 season. It was a battle of present and future Chicago quarterbacks, as Rex Grossman led the Bears against Jay Cutler’s Broncos squad. Chicago got a tough 37-34 overtime win on the back of the Windy City Flyer himself, Devin Hester, who scored on both a punt and kick return while accumulating 232 total return yards.
3
The Bears won the most recent matchup back in 2019
The last time the two organizations competed against one another was back in 2019, where the Bears just edged out the Broncos, 16-14, in Week 2.
Chicago managed to withstand a Joe Flacco-led Denver offense that totaled nearly 400 yards of offense. Former Bears kicker Eddy Pineiro hit a clutch 53-yard field goal as time expired to defeat the Broncos. Quarterback Mitch Trubisky only managed to pass for 120 yards and the running back trio of David Montgomery, Cordarrelle Patterson and Tarik Cohen gained over 100 yards on the ground.
4
Chicago lost the Russell Wilson sweepstakes to Denver
The few months span where Bears fans really believed All-Pro quarterback Russell Wilson was destined to be a Bear was one to remember.
Wilson’s discontentment with the franchise that drafted him, the Seattle Seahawks, caused him to waive his no-trade clause for four teams: the Raiders, Saints, Cowboys and, to the shock of the Chicago faithful, the Bears. What proceeded was a whirlwind of rumors and speculation on who Wilson was leaning toward in the sweepstakes, with the occasional report spurning on the fire. One such report came from CBS, who detailed that Seahawks general manager John Schneider was not engaging in trade talks, and the Bears would move in a different direction if Schneider would not pick up the phone.
The following year, Denver broke through to the top brass in Seattle and a trade was made. Wilson was sent to the Rocky Mountains in a massive deal that involved two Denver first round picks, and Wilson has been with the Broncos since. Wilson coming to Chicago and considering how that would have changed the trajectory of the franchise is always an interesting “what if?” scenario to chew on.
5
The two teams have not won a game going into Week 4
The Bears may have finally caught a break in the schedule after going up against three tough teams to begin the season, as they’ll take on the winless Broncos in Week 4.
Denver has only looked worse as the season has progressed, allowing more big plays and being less productive on offense. It all culminated in the Broncos defense getting obliterated by the high-octane Dolphins in Week 3, with Miami running up over 700 yards of total offense and scoring 70 points. The game was over as soon as it began, and it somehow made Chicago’s 41-10 loss to the Chiefs less embarrassing.
So now, Sunday’s game will be the Super Bowl’s antithesis, the Toilet Bowl; two horrible teams battling for their first win. If the Bears have any chance of getting a win this season, it’ll be against the Broncos.
