Chicago Bears: The Indianapolis Colts are just as “unproven”

The Chicago Bears are underdogs against the Indianapolis Colts.

On Sunday, the Chicago Bears are scheduled to take on the Indianapolis Colts at Soldier Field. Although they are undefeated, they are still somehow underdogs despite the fact that the Colts are just as “unproven.”

It is nothing new for the Bears to lack respect nationally, and this year is no exception. Countless pundits have questioned whether the Bears are legitimate contenders. In fact, many, including ESPN’s Ryan Clark believe they are pretenders and have benefitted from a weak opening schedule.

While it’s true the Bears have benefitted from a relatively soft schedule (having played the Detroit Lions, New York Giants, and Atlanta Falcons) the Colts are hardly the more proven team this season.

Let’s take a look at how the Colts’ season has unfolded so far: They started the season taking on the Jacksonville Jaguars who, before the season, did their best to make their most talented players disappear. The mass exodus of talent this offseason sent a signal to the rest of the league that they were firmly in tank mode, and seemed to be the unquestioned leader in the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes. But they unexpectedly took down the Colts 27-20.

In Week 2 they took on the “powerhouse” Minnesota Vikings who currently sit at 0-3 and look like an unmitigated disaster. Things are getting pretty chippy in Minneapolis, and so a 28-11 victory does not seem all that impressive.

Finally, the Colts most recently took on another “juggernaut” who may be one of the few teams that are more dysfunctional than the Vikings. Of course, we are referring to the New York Jets who they admittedly handled 36-7. However, that certainly isn’t a statement game.

In fact, when you evaluate the Colts schedule, none of those games should be a reason to believe the Colts are a better team than the Bears, and certainly not good enough to be favored at Soldier Field.

If the Bears emerge on Sunday, it will be interesting to see if they start to earn some respect nationally. Some of that may largely depend on the play of Nick Foles. If he can competently guide the offense, it may turn some doubters into believers.