Chicago Bears vs. San Francisco 49ers Prediction, Pick, Odds: Will Trey Lance Live Up to the Hype in Week 1?

Chicago Bears vs. San Francisco 49ers Prediction, Pick, Odds: Will Trey Lance Live Up to the Hype in Week 1?

The San Francisco 49ers will turn the page to a new chapter this season when they take on the Chicago Bears on the road.

The Niners made the playoffs last season, but despite that, the 49ers have elected to start second-year quarterback Trey Lance over the former starter, Jimmy Garropolo.

Meanwhile, the Bears will send Justin Fields back at quarterback for his second season. Fields has more experience despite both quarterbacks being drafted in the same draft class a year ago.

During that draft process, there was a lot of back and forth about who the better quarterback was. While this game won't specifically settle the debate, it'll be interesting to see which quarterback performs better in Week 1.

Here are our picks, predictions, and odds for Sunday's game between the San Francisco 49ers vs. Chicago Bears.

Bears vs. 49ers Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds

• Date: September 11, 2022
• Game Time: 1:00 pm ET
• Where to Watch: FOX

Click here for 49ers vs. Bears odds

Bears vs. 49ers Injury Report

49ers

Questionable: DL Arik Armstead (Knee), DL Hassan Ridgeway (Quadricep)

Out: CB Jason Verrett (Knee), DB, Jimmie Ward (Hamstring)

Bears

Questionable: RB Khalil Herbet (Undisclosed), WR Byron Pringle (Possible Suspension)

Out: WR N'Keal Harry (Ankle)

Chicago Bears vs. San Francisco 49ers Prediction

It's probably not fair to compare Justin Fields with Trey Lance. Lance is going to come into a much better situation in comparison to Fields.

Lance is taking over at quarterback for a team that already made the playoffs. He's got plenty of talent surrounding him, and that should help his case this season.

Meanwhile, Fields is starting year two with a Chicago Bears team that few analysts are high on.

Last year, oddly enough, the offense for the Bears outperformed their defense. That typically doesn't happen for Chicago. The run game between David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert probably isn't getting enough love. Plus, Justin Fields is capable of using his feet to make plays. The Bears no longer have Allen Robinson but still have Darnell Mooney, who was targeted in the top 10 for receivers last year. Fields love Mooney, and the Bears must find ways to get him involved in the offense as much as possible. He's short and small but super quick.

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The defense is a work in progress at this point. The Bears were horrible against the run last year and didn't always make tackles on the first try. Chicago's at their best when they're putting pressure on the quarterback in the passing game. But ultimately, a lot will need to be fixed for Chicago to be competitive on defense.

On the other hand, the 49ers love to run football. They should be able to run all over the Bears, who again, struggled to get many stops in the run game last season.

Lance will be under center, as mentioned earlier. He'll have Elijah Mitchell and Jeff Wilsn Jr. behind him. Plus, Deebo Samuel will get some looks at running back. He'll do his usual stuff for San Francisco after signing an extension.

The 49ers dominated using their offensive line in the run game. That should remain the case going into this season.

Therefore, I'm taking the 49ers at -7.

Chicago Bears vs. San Francisco 49ers Pick

• 49ers -7 (-110) (Bet $110 to Win $100)

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