The Chicago Bears will host the Denver Broncos on Sunday At Soldier Field in a matchup that will feature two of the NFL’s four winless teams. Chicago hasn’t played good football on either offense or defense to begin the 2023 season, as there are growing calls for starting quarterback Justin Fields to be benched and head coach Matt Eberflus to be fired. Despite having nothing going right for them right now, the Bears have history on their side heading into their fourth game of the year, as former teams have earned their first win after losing the first three games of the season.
Past Bears Teams Have Gotten Their First Win In Their Fourth Game Of The Year
Chicago is in a desperate position for a victory, as Denver will be the easiest opponent the Bears will have over their next four games. Since 2003, there have been three seasons in which the Bears have started the year with an 0-3 record and recorded a win in their fourth game of the schedule. The three teams include the 2003, 2015, and 2016 Bears’ teams.
The 2023 Bears have had an eerily similar start to the season that the 2003 Bears had. In 2003, Chicago got off to an 0-3 start that featured a 49-7 season-opening loss to the 49ers, a close-fought 24-13 game against the Vikings, and then a 38-23 blowout to the Packers on Monday Night Football, which also served as the first game at the newly renovated Soldier Field.
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In a Week 5 matchup against the reigning AFC Champion Oakland Raiders, Chicago overcame a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit with the help of quarterback Kordell Stewart and running back Anthony Thomas. Thomas rushed over 123 yards while Steward connected on several clutch throws to set up kicker Paul Edinger, who kicked a game-winning field goal, giving the Bears a 24-21 win.
Twelve years later, in 2015, It was DeJa’Vu as the Bears again started the season with a 0-3 record, only to face the Raiders at home again. The 2015 Week 4 matchup was a back-and-forth affair, with multiple lead changes throughout the game. With the Bears trailing 20-19, quarterback Jay Cutler led the offense on a two-minute drive to set up a game-winning field goal by Robbie Gould, giving Chicago a 22-20 victory. The win snapped an eight-game losing streak that dated back to 2014, while the win game the 2015 momentum too as they would be victorious in their next contest.
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One year later, in 2016, Chicago again was mired in an 0-3 start to begin the season. In Week 4, they would host the Detroit Lions at home. The Bears would win the contest by a 17-13 score as their offense recorded over 400 total yards, including a 100-yard rushing day by rookie running back Jordan Howard and a 300-yard passing effort by quarterback Brian Hoyer. Chicago’s defense held Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford in check as they sacked and intercepted him twice.
The 2023 Bears Need A Win In The Worst Way
There is no excitement heading into this Week 4 game between the winless Bears and Broncos, as both teams lost by 31 points or more in Week 3. Despite giving up 70 points and losing by 50 to the Miami Dolphins, Denver is still favored to beat Chicago on Sunday. A Week 4 loss for the Bears would likely mean a Week 5 loss to the Washington Commanders, as Chicago will only have three days to prepare before playing on Thursday Night Football.
Chicago’s struggles have been made worse by the fact that most of the country has seen their blowout losses, as two of their three games this season have been the lead late-afternoon game for Fox. In their 41-10 loss to the Chiefs, over 24 million views tuned in to see the game, and that was before the network transferred most of the audience to the Cowboys Cardinals game in the third quarter. This week, many CBS TV affiliates that were assigned to air this week’s Bears game asked to televise the Dolphins matchup, fearing a massive ratings loss.
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With another loss, the Bears’ current losing streak would grow to 14 games dating back to last October, making it a full calendar year since the team won at home. Fields needs to provide a competent performance following a 99-yard passing day game against the Chiefs. If Chicago’s losing streak continues past Washington, Eberflus will likely be fired, and his starting quarterback is benched before the team’s next home against the Minnesota Vikings on October 15th.
