Projecting Bears 2024 Starting Offense Stats
One of the most fun aspects of sports is predicting outcomes. Whether it's the outcomes of games or how players on your favorite team will perform during the season, predictions keep fans interested in the game.
Entering last season, Bears fans were predicting that Justin Fields would take a big step up in the passing game and throw for at least 3,000 yards with the " improved" receiving corps they had.
However, Fields didn't show the improvement fans hoped for, only throwing for 2,562 yards. Although it was disappointing to see Fields not reach 3,000 passing yards, it won't detour fans from making statistical predictions for this upcoming season.
This upcoming season, the Bears offense has the potential to be one of the best in the NFL, thanks to all the moves they made this offseason.
Not only did general manager Ryan Poles draft USC quarterback Caleb Williams and Washington wide receiver Rome Odense at No.1 and No. 9, respectively. He also added veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen, veteran tight end Gerald Everett, and veteran running back D'Andre Swift to complement D.J. Moore and Cole Kmet, who were with the team last season.
With all that firepower, what are realistic expectations for the Bears offense in 2024?
Caleb Williams - 3,550 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns, 10 interceptions
Predicting that Williams only throws for 3,550 yards with all the weapons at his disposal seems low, especially since most sportsbooks have Williams throwing for somewhere in the ballpark of 3,795 yards.
However, there is a good chance that the Bears will lean on the running game more than people expect them to, especially within the first month of the season. Williams may need some time to acclimate to the NFL style of play, which could impact his passing yards early in the year.
Although Williams may not throw for as many yards as sportsbooks predict, he should surpass the set line for touchdown passes. DraftKings has currently set the line for Williams touchdown passes at O/U 23.5.
Passing for 25 touchdowns shouldn't be hard, given the route-running ability and speed of the receivers that Willams will be throwing to possess. Willams should be able to throw some long touchdowns to add to his total, too.
One of the hardest quarterback stats to predict is interceptions because an interception may not always be the quarterback's fault. While fans would like to see Williams have as few interceptions as possible, he is bound to throw some as a rookie.
If Williams can get through his rookie season with 10 or fewer interceptions, Bears fans should consider that a positive. Achieving these predicted stats would already position Williams as one of the best quarterbacks in Bears history.