Chicago Bears Starting Quarterback Week 1 Predictions, Odds & Picks

• Former Bengals / Cowboys QB Andy Dalton is in Chicago on a 1-year, $10 million deal
• Super Bowl MVP & journeyman Nick Foles is playing for his fifth NFL franchise in 2021
• Chicago has high hopes for the rookie they just drafted, former OSU star Justin Fields

The 2021 Chicago Bears have had an active offseason when it comes to re-filling the critical spot under center, that position now vacant after the front office let go of their prior franchise quarterback, the questionably effective former first-round pick Mitchell Trubisky.

Now the Bears must start either veteran quarterback Andy Dalton or journeyman backup Nick Foles, or else give the job to their newest arrival, former Ohio State superstar Justin Fields, who they managed to snag in the first round of the NFL Draft with the 11th overall pick.

The big question remains, though, as to which of these three talented players will get the starting nod on opening day, so here we go over the predictions, odds, and picks for each to give you the best chance of placing a winning bet.

Good luck!

Chicago Bears Starting Quarterback Week 1 Odds

The odds for this match are provided by DraftKings Sportsbook.

Chicago Bears Starting Quarterback Predictions and Picks

As talented as Fields and Foles have proven to be, veteran Andy Dalton was brought in to give the team a veteran presence under center and should win the starting job in September.

Pick:

Andy Dalton (-167)

Favorites to Win

Andy Dalton

With a career passer rating of 87.5 and completion percentage of 62.17, the former Bengals QB has a total record of 74−66−2 including his 4-5 record as a Cowboys starter last season after their star Dak Prescott went down for the season with an ankle injury.

Now the Bears are betting $10 million (up to $13 million in incentives) that Dalton can still post a winning record for Chicago now that they have moved on from their shaky former starter Mitchell Trubisky.

Could be that Dalton is just there in Chicago as a placeholder until rookie Justin Fields is ready to take over, but regardless chances are that he will start under center for the Bears to give them a veteran leader with which to begin their season.

Nick Foles

Now in his ninth NFL season with a career record of 28-27 as a starter, Foles is hoping he can find some playing time in Chicago as the premier backup under center, a role that has given him the chance to earn Super Bowl MVP honors with the Eagles back in 2017.

Foles was traded to the Bears in early 2020 in exchange for a compensatory fourth-round pick in the 2020 draft, competing with then starter Trubisky for the job, which he lost and therefore became the team’s backup.

With Trubisky’s shaky play all last season, Foles got some playing time as the Bears starting QB, posting a 2-5 record in 2020 with a completion percentage of 64.7 after throwing for 1,852 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions, numbers that almost guarantee a repeat role as the team’s backup hurler.

No Chance to Win

Justin Fields

As excited as the Bears are about snagging Fields in this year’s NFL Draft, chances are a rookie will not start at QB for Chicago, the team hoping that Dalton can fill that role until Fields has a chance to learn the system, the plays, and get comfortable with his key playmakers.

At OSU, Fields had a 20-2 record as the starting quarterback, named the Big Ten’s Offensive Player of the Year last season and unanimous first-team all-conference, undefeated in the regular season, with his only loss of the year to Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Fields have a strong arm and a high football IQ, plus he has shown his toughness by playing through an injury to his midsection, ending his final season with the Buckeyes having completed over 70 percent of his passes for 22 touchdowns and 6 picks in a college season shortened by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.