With the Bears set to play their first game in Las Vegas, there's no better time to have a little bit of fun predicting outcomes from the game.
One of the new features introduced this season in the Chicago Bears Official App brought to you by Verizon is a game that can be played during all 17 Bears contests this year.
In “Risk It” brought to you by BetRivers, fans are given a bankroll of 500 points and may wager them on a series of predictions. Different multipliers are included based on the likelihood of the outcome. The fan with the highest score each week wins a customized Bears jersey plus $250 in free bets at il.BetRivers.com.
Here are this week's questions and some information to help you make your selections:
(1) Will Bears start the game on offense or defense?
- Offense (3x multiplier)
- Defense (2.5x multiplier)
The Bears have won the coin toss 29 times in four seasons with Matt Nagy as coach and last Sunday against the Lions marked only the second time they opted to receive the opening kickoff and not defer until the second half. Although they marched 75 yards for a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead they would not relinquish, it remains to be seen whether the Bears would make the same decision again this Sunday in a hostile environment against a 3-1 team. The Raiders, meanwhile, have won the coin toss twice this season and deferred until the second half on both occasions.
(2) Which of these will happen first?
- Bears TD (3x multiplier)
- Bears force takeaway (4.5x multiplier)
- Bears generate sack (3.5 x multiplier)
- Bears FG (2x multiplier)
If you're a fan of probabilities, there's an easy answer to this question. The Bears have recorded 15 sacks, more than double any of the other three categories: Touchdowns (7), takeaways (6) and field goals (5). The Raiders, meanwhile, rank 20th in the NFL in sacks allowed per pass play, and they have committed only three turnovers in their first four games.
(3) Player with first tackle-for-loss or sack:
- Khalil Mack (3x multiplier)
- Bilal Nichols (5x multiplier)
- Robert Quinn (2.5x multiplier)
- Roquan Smith (4x multiplier)
- Other (6x multiplier)
One of the Bears' two starting outside linebackers would seem like the most logical choice: Quinn leads the defense with 4.5 sacks and has 3.0 tackles-for-loss, while Mack has posted 4.0 sacks and a team-leading 4.0 tackles-for-loss. Smith has 2.0 in each category, while Nichols has 1.0 of each. A better play than Smith or Quinn might be "other," given that includes players such as Mario Edwards Jr. (1.5 sacks, 1.0 tackles-for-loss), Trevis Gipson (1.0, 2) and Akiem Hicks (0.5, 1), though Hicks is dealing with a groin injury.
(4) Player with most receiving yards in the game:
- Cole Kmet (4.5x multiplier)
- Darnell Mooney (2.5x multiplier)
- Allen Robinson II (3x multiplier)
- Damien Williams (6x multiplier)
- Other (8x multiplier)
There's a reason that Mooney has the lowest odds; he entered his second season primed to have a breakout year and it seems that he's well on his way to accomplishing that. Plus, Mooney seems to have already formed a bond with rookie quarterback Justin Fields; that was evident last Sunday when they connected on five passes for 125 yards, including a 64-yard bomb, in a 24-14 win over the Lions. If you're looking for an enticing longshot, it could be Williams. The veteran running back, who is expected to start in place of the injured David Montgomery, is an excellent receiver out of the backfield. Williams caught at least 20 passes for 142 yards in each of his first six NFL seasons as a backup with the Dolphins (2014-17) and Chiefs (2018-19).
(5) Bears longest play from scrimmage in game:
- 50+ yards (6x multiplier)
- 40-49 yards (4x multiplier)
- 30-39 yards (3x multiplier)
- 29 yards or less (2x multiplier)
The Bears had only one play longer than 21 yards in their first three games: Montgomery's 41-yard run on the second play from scrimmage in the season opener against the Rams. But Fields incorporated the long pass into the offense last Sunday against the Lions, completing passes of 64 and 32 yards to Mooney and 28 and 27 yards to Robinson. Fields no doubt will continue to look downfield against the Raiders, so another play of 50-plus yards is certainly possible, if not probable.
