The Chicago Bears start their 2021 regular season this week. They take to the road to play the Los Angeles Rams. Before then, here are some predictions for the season.

The time has finally arrived. The Chicago Bears start their 2021 regular season this week. They start off on the road against the Los Angeles Rams. The game will be televised nationally on Sunday Night Football. We'll finally see how good of a job the Bears did of assembling the roster.

There is a lot going on with the Bears. This could be a team in transition. They have 31 free agents after the season. The roster will look completely different next season. The question is whether the McCaskeys feel confident in general manager Ryan Pace's ability to build the roster --- again. Additionally, is head coach Matt Nagy the right guy to guide Justin Fields when he finally takes over as QB1?

Before the season begins this Sunday, let's make some predictions. Here are my predictions for the 2021 Chicago Bears.

Season Record

This season the Chicago Bears play 17 games. That means there is a guarantee that they won't finish at .500 for the third consecutive season. They'll either have a winning record or a losing one. Sometimes, when a team finishes with an even record there is higher hope than the team deserves. The coaches feel they are just a couple of moves away from being a contender.

Some people feel that way about the Bears. They finished at 8-8 last season and made the playoffs. This wasn't really a very good team, however. The offense struggled (again) and showed in the playoff loss that it had no business being there.

On offense, the Bears made speed a priority. The wide receivers corps, with Darnell Mooney, Marquise Goodwin, Damiere Byrd, and Breshad Perriman, could be the fastest in the league.

Of course, that does no good if the quarterback can't get them the ball. The Bears signed Andy Dalton to be the starting quarterback. He'll hold that job temporarily, however. The team drafted Justin FIelds and he's the future face of the franchise. It's just a matter of time before he takes over.

Allen Robinson wants to have another stellar season. He recorded back-to-back 1,000+ receiving yard seasons. He wants a monster new deal so he's primed to go out and show he deserves it.

The offense should be improved, but is it enough? If the unit can get out of the cellar in rankings it raises hopes. Can it get to the middle of the pack, though? We'll see.

Prediction: The Bears finish 9-8 but miss the playoffs. The offense looks better with Fields leading it. When he takes over, the team rallies around him. Fields takes over in Week 4 and finishes the season completing 65 percent of his passes for 3,678 yards and 28 touchdown passes against 7 interceptions. He rushes 102 times for 591 yards and 6 touchdowns. 

Breakout players on offense

In order for the offense to perform better, some players need to step up. Two players ready to do that are Mooney and running back David Montgomery. Mooney had a very good rookie season last year. He impressed the coaches more as the season progressed. He passed Anthony Miller and became the Bears' second option at wide receiver.

Despite his good season, there were many plays that were not made for one reason or another. He utilized his speed to get wide-open downfield but the quarterbacks weren't able to get him the ball. With quarterbacks who have better accuracy downfield, Mooney should make more big plays.

Despite playing behind an offensive line that struggled with injuries and COVID throughout the season, Montgomery still managed to finish fifth in the league in rushing. He gained 1,070 yards on the ground. This offseason, he worked on getting faster. We'll see if it worked. If it does, it'll really help his game. He already has great balance and does a great job of breaking tackles. If he continues to do that and then speeds away from tacklers, he'll break off some big runs.

Prediction: Mooney makes 87 catches for 1,085 yards (12.5 yards per catch), 9 touchdowns; Montgomery rushes 289 times for 1,428 yards (4.94 yards per run), 11 touchdowns, and 67 catches for 557 yards (8.3 yards per catch) with 5 touchdowns. 

Breakout players on defense

There are two players on defense who are ready to have big seasons. They'll help the unit pressure opposing quarterbacks and force them to make mistakes. Additionally, they'll help create space for Khalil Mack to create havoc. The Chicago Bears' front seven needs to lead the way to help the cornerbacks unit. Chicago is thin at cornerback so any help the unit gets is great.

Bilal Nichols did a great job filling in for Eddie Goldman at nose tackle last season. Goldman opted out of the season with COVID concerns. Instead of going outside the team to sign someone, the Bears gave the job to Nichols. After a slow start, he did an admirable job. He finished the season with career-highs in quarterback hits (13), tackles (40), and sacks (5).

This season, with Goldman back, Nichols moves back to the end. He'll use what he learned last season to play his customary position better. With Goldman in the middle and Akiem Hicks as the other end, the defense should put a lot more pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

The best-kept secret in the NFL is Roquan Smith. Despite recording three consecutive 100+ tackle seasons, he hasn't gotten the attention nationally. That fact apparently infuriates him.

Smith finished last season ranking in the top-five in tackles for loss (first), sacks (third), and total tackles (fifth). Additionally, he was the only player to record 100+ tackles, 10+ tackles for loss, 2+ sacks, and 2+ interceptions.

Despite that, Smith has yet to make it to the Pro Bowl.

This season, however, he'll announce his presence. The Chicago Bears have a history of elite linebackers and Smith continues the tradition.

Prediction: Nichols records 53 tackles, 8 sacks, and 23 quarterback hits; Smith finishes the season with 169 tackles, 9 sacks, and 3 interceptions.