Bears 2024 Win Total Projection (Caleb Williams has Oddsmakers Believing in Chicago's Upside)

The Bears are quickly moving up the ranks of the NFL upon selecting Caleb Williams No. 1 overall.

Chicago, who has been desperate for a quarterback, used the No. 1 pick to cash in on the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Williams to provide some legitimacy to an already budding offense.

The Bears, who won seven games last season around a strong defense and an offense that came on strong at the end of the year, will hope that Williams can adjust quickly to the NFL and provide the potency the team needs to push back into the postseason picture.

The Bears enter the season with a modest win total, with the expectation that the team is in the thick of it in a suddenly ultra competitive NFC North. Here’s how FanDuel Sportsbook sees it with the team’s win total listed below:

Bears Win Total Projection for 2024 Season

• 8.5 (Over -160/Under +130)

Caleb Williams Enters NFL with Highest Win Total of Any First Round Quarterback

According to FanDuel, the Bears have a 61.5% chance of going over .500 this season.

Chicago, who traded back last season from the first pick to acquire a future first rounder in the 2024 NFL Draft from the Carolina Panthers, picked first this year due to the Panthers' futility. At the top for the second straight year, the team cashed in on the prize that is Williams.

While the Bears were rebuilding, the team built a strong defense under head coach Matt Eberflus while also adding impressive skill position players like D.J. Moore and offseason addition Keenan Allen and top 10 pick Rome Odunze.

It’s all there for the Bears to quickly jump into the postseason picture as long as Williams plays to expectation, and the team will benefit from an easier schedule than its other competitors in the NFC North like the Lions and Packers after tying for third in the division last year.

The Bears will only play three teams outside of the division that made the postseason last year, the Texans and Rams at home as well as the 49ers on the road, but its worth noting that the team needs to play two NFC North teams that made the playoffs last year in Detroit and Green Bay.

While Chicago is in good shape schedule wise, the division is set to be grueling, but oddsmakers are buying into the Bears upside this season.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bears 2024 Win Total Projection (Caleb Williams has Oddsmakers Believing in Chicago's Upside).