Loss to Raiders Sends Bears’ 2020 Super Bowl Odds to +2500

• Bears now have their longest 2020 Super Bowl odds to date
• Entering the season, Chicago had the sixth-best odds (+1600)
• A narrow loss to Oakland dropped Chicago to 3-2 this season

If you believe the adage that defense wins championships, the Chicago Bears would be among your top picks to win next year’s Super Bowl.

But after a 24-21 loss to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday in London, the Bears’ once-promising Super Bowl 54 odds have dropped to a new low this season.

*Odds taken 10/07/19

The Bears are now tied for 10th in championship odds. Entering the season, they had the sixth-best Super Bowl odds (+1600) and were the favorite to win the NFC North. Times have certainly changed.

Turmoil Without Trubisky

Chicago starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky left early in Chicago’s game two weekends ago with a shoulder injury. The good news is that it was his non-throwing shoulder. The bad news is that he doesn’t have a concrete timetable to return.

"I hope he's back, but I don't know that," Matt Nagy on a possible return for Mitch Trubisky after the bye week.

— jon greenberg (@jon_greenberg) October 7, 2019

In Trubisky’s absence, backup Chase Daniel has been efficient (73.3 completion percentage) but overly safe (7.1 yards/attempt).

He also doesn’t bring the added threat of running the ball, which was something Trubisky used to his advantage (Trubisky has 6.1 yards/rush in his career, versus just 2.0 yards/rush for Daniel).

No Freebies in the NFC North

The days of the Detroit Lions being the doormat of the division appear to be over. With Aaron Rodgers and a revamped defense, the Green Bay Packers will always be in the hunt. And the Minnesota Vikings bounced back this week to show that they’re still not a group to be reckoned with.

Beat down Big Blue. #Skol pic.twitter.com/zNhWpGy7lU

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 6, 2019

What does that mean? The Bears don’t have any cakewalks in their division anymore (and to be fair, they were the cakewalk team from 2014-17, with a combined 19-45 record).

All four NFC North teams have winning records right now (no other division can boast that), combining for a .658 win percentage. Forget about the Super Bowl for the time being — the Bears have plenty of work to do to get out of their division.

Nothing Has Come Easy

When looking for a Super Bowl pick, dominance is a trait you’d like to see. A team that wins in convincing fashion. So far, that has not been the Bears.

All five of Chicago’s games have been decided by two scores or less (that is, 16 or fewer points). The Bears’ wins have come by two, 16 and 10 points; their losses have come by seven and three points. Obviously close scores are a positive sign in losses, but they aren’t a ringing endorsement in wins.

Close games in general create more volatility when it comes to predicting future outcomes.

Gutted.#CHIvsOAK | #Bears100 pic.twitter.com/ImsheKNHzl

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 6, 2019

The defense has been great, ranking in the top five in both yards and points allowed. Chicago’s offence needs to show more, and that starts with a healthy Trubisky returning to action as soon as possible.

.@TarikCohen: “We’re still hungry. We know what we can be capable of." pic.twitter.com/IfyXkh5VjW

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 6, 2019

There’s still plenty of season left, so it’s no surprise that the Bears remain confident in themselves. Pretty soon, though, they’ll have to start turning that confidence into results if they want their title hopes to improve.