Bears news: Game flexed to late afternoon, history vs. Marcus Mariota, playoff odds

When bears come out of hibernation, the first thing they typically do is go looking for food. Bears are used to eating, and months of fasting during hibernation understandably makes them very hungry.

The same is true of the Chicago Bears, who recently came out of their own period of hibernation, i.e. the bye week. Just as bears up their caloric intake before hibernating, the Bears were feasting before taking the week off, having won three straight games by a combined score of 95-44.

This is the first time in the Matt Eberflus era, and the first time since late 2020 in fact, that the Bears have put together a three-game winning streak. This could be bad news for the Washington Commanders, who will host this hungry Bears team this coming Sunday. The Commanders have been on a bit of a roll themselves though, and after joining in the league-wide bullying of the Carolina Panthers with a 40-7 noogie on Sunday, they now sit at 5-2, a half-game ahead of the Bears and a half-game ahead of the Eagles for first place in the NFC East.

The Commanders and Bears aren't the only NFC teams that are on a roll. The entire NFC North continues to collectively dominate the rest of the NFL, and the only reason that a North team actually lost a game for the first time in four weeks is that the Lions and Vikings had to play each other. Elsewhere, the Packers beat the previously 5-1 Texans on a last-second field goal to put both teams at 5-2.

As the Bears get ready to travel to our nation's capital (well, technically Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland), let's catch up on the news of the week.

Bears-Commanders game flexed to late afternoon

I'm sure the NFL schedule-makers considered the possibility that football fans would be interested in seeing a showdown between the top two players in the draft when they concocted the slate for this year, but they couldn't have foreseen that two teams that combined to go 11-23 last season would be meeting in a game with major playoff implications for both.

That's why Bears-Commanders occupied the 1 p.m. ET slot on the schedule, but now that they're a combined 9-4 with two quarterbacks in Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels that are already playing like stars, the game has been moved to 4:25 p.m. ET.

Bears fans are fiercely protective of their team, whether they're good, or more often than not, when they aren't. I'm sure Commanders fans are the same way. So while we've all watched bad Bears teams that mostly were relegated to 1 o'clock starts as they stumbled toward another dismal record, it feels kind of nice to be recognized as a team that a nationwide audience would want to watch.

Jim Nantz and Tony Romo will be on the call for the game, with Tracy Wolfson on the sidelines. Unfortunately for CBS and the rest of the football-watching populace though, we might not be getting the star-studded rookie showdown after all. Jayden Daniels left last week's game in the first quarter with a rib injury, and is considered week-to-week, though Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said Monday, "We're hopeful he can play, but we'll also make sure to take every precautionary step and do it smartly for the player and the man."

As a Bears fan, I just want to win, so missing Daniels, who has inserted himself into the MVP conversation with his electric play, would certainly seem to help the Bears' chances. As a football fan though, this was such an enticing matchup, one that could become a real rivalry over the next decade. It would be a shame to miss it.

I'm confident in the Bears either way because of how well they've played of late, but we'll have to wait until later in the week to see if Daniels is able to give it a go.

Bears history versus Marcus Mariota

In the event that Daniels isn't healthy enough to play, the Commanders will be led by veteran Marcus Mariota. Getting to face a backup quarterback is typically a recipe for success, but Mariota, who like Daniels was the second overall pick in the draft, is not your typical clipboard-carrying slouch. In fact, he's had success against the Bears before.

Mariota has been the starting quarterback twice against the Bears, and both times he's emerged victorious. He went into Soldier Field and beat the Bears 27-21 as a member of the Titans in 2016, his sophomore season, and he won 27-24 at home as the Falcons starting quarterback in 2022.

Mariota didn't torch the Bears, but he played well in both previous meetings. In 2016 he threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns while running for another 46 yards on four carries, and in 2022 he threw for 131 yards and a touchdown while also contributing 25 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Most importantly, Mariota didn't turn the ball over a single time in either game, which is something the Bears' opportunistic defense will hope to change if they meet on Sunday. Chicago has forced 13 turnovers this season while only turning it over seven times themselves, including a 7:1 ratio in the last three games.

It should be noted that Mariota did have the luxury of facing bad Bears teams in both previous meetings. Following each loss, the Bears fell to 2-9 in 2016 and 3-8 in 2022, a far cry from the 4-2 record they currently possess.

Mariota did his part in blowing out the Panthers on Sunday, throwing for 205 yards while completing over 78% of his passes. He also threw for two touchdowns and didn't turn the ball over at all. Not only that, he recovered someone else's fumble.

This Bears defense is much better than those they fielded in their two previous meetings with Mariota, and light years beyond the little resistance the Panthers offered last week, especially if Jaquan Brisker and Tyrique Stevenson are back in the lineup after missing Week 6.

Until they hear otherwise, the Bears will need to prepare for the multidimensional talents of Daniels, but even if the rookie isn't able to play, Mariota will still present a real challenge. This game is going to be a good one.

Despite 4-2 record, Bears are still underdogs to make the playoffs

As of Tuesday morning, the FanDuel had the Bears at +184 odds to make the playoffs and -230 odds to fall short. This is pretty incredible, because at the beginning of the season, Chicago's odds of making the postseason were +104. At 4-2, they've gotten off to a great start. What gives?

The answer is that nobody could have foreseen how strong the NFC North was going to be. The division is far and away the best in the league, and its combined record of 19-6 and point differential of +211 are both the best in NFL history through seven weeks. To give some perspective, the next best division by record is the AFC West, which is 15-11 thanks mostly to the 6-0 Chiefs. The second-best point differential belongs to the AFC North, which is only +25 combined.

To add to the absurdity, the Bears are currently in last place in the division, but are just one game out of first. Their 4-2 record would be good enough to lead the NFC South and NFC West. With how strong the Lions, Vikings and Packers have looked, the Bears could conceivably win 11 games and still not finish ahead of any of them.

No division has ever sent every team to the playoffs before, but if it's going to happen, this could be the year. With seven NFC playoff spots available and four divisions, that would mean that the North would need to take every Wild Card spot, which is going to be a tall order since the schedule is backloaded with division games, meaning all four teams will be beating each other up while the rest of the NFC fattens up against weaker divisional opponents.

To make the playoffs for the first time since 2020, the Bears will need to hold their own against the division while taking care of business out of it. Splitting the division games while going 3-2 against the Commanders, Cardinals, Patriots, 49ers and Seahawks would get the Bears to 10-7. Would that be enough to get in? Possibly, but the Bears can't look that far ahead right now. Going into Washington and getting the first road win of the season would be a great start.