The Bears haven’t shown what their 2019 starters can do yet this preseason, but the oddsmakers in Las Vegas seem to be on board with Matt Nagy’s plans for the upcoming season.

The money is coming in on Chicago to win the Super Bowl, and the most popular sportsbooks shifted the odds for the Bears to win the conference.

They’re now tied for the best chances to reach the Super Bowl from the NFC at both MGM and Westgate, according to CBS Sports.

Vegas must be getting some serious money on the Bears. Here are odds to win NFC ...

MGM
Saints +400
Bears +400
Packers +500
Rams +600
Eagles +600
Cowboys +600
Vikings +800

Westgate
Saints +500
Bears +500
Rams +500
Eagles +500
Cowboys +800
Packers +900
Vikings +900

— R.J. White (@rjwhite1) August 17, 2019

Both books see the Bears and Saints as favorites at 5/1 odds, while Westgate views the Rams and Eagles as equally likely.

MGM is much higher on the Packers’ chances, and both have the Vikings in the top seven.

The path to a Super Bowl berth is never easy, and Chicago will have as difficult a path as any team with two other contenders in the division.

Every single team on the odds list appears on the Bears 2019 regular-season schedule.

Rarely is a Week 3 game described as a must-win, but in the case of the Chicago Bears' Monday night contest against the Washington Redskins, it may just be. 

Chicago's win last Sunday over the Broncos was a critical victory that evened their record at 1-1, and while a .500 start after two games suggests a playoff berth is still a very realistic possibility, the early-season returns from the rest of the NFC North have turned up the heat.

Week 3 was dominated by the division. The Packers, Vikings and Lions all won their games in impressive fashion. Detroit was especially terrific in their win over the Eagles, who were favored entering the week. 

Green Bay's victory over Denver moves them to a perfect 3-0 to start the year, while the Lions also remain undefeated at 2-0-1. The Vikings improved to 2-1 with their win over the Raiders and will be Chicago's next opponent in Week 4.

If the Bears lose Monday night, they'll fall to 1-2 and last place in the NFC North. That, coupled with a divisional game next Sunday, is a potential doomsday scenario if Chicago goes 0-2 over that span. They'll be 1-3 and left clawing for a wildcard over the final 12 games, especially if the Packers upend a banged-up Eagles squad Thursday night.

Obviously, a win over the Redskins changes that outlook. They'll return to Soldier Field with confidence and momentum against the Vikings; a sweep improves their record 3-1 and still very much neck-and-neck with the Packers.

As crazy as it may seem, Chicago needs a win Monday night in the worst way. If they come up short, the season could quickly come apart at the seams. 

Chicago Bears QB Mitch Trubisky has been bruised and battered by the media and even some fans after a sluggish start to the 2019 season. But the Bears are 1-1 and have a winnable game on deck Monday night against the Washington Redskins, so things could be worse.

The pressing question Bears fans should be asking themselves, however, is how much better can this team actually be? Is Chicago a legitimate Super Bowl contender? Do they have a Super Bowl quarterback under center?

According to former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi, the answer is no.

Lombardi penned an article for The Athletic that outlined several reasons why he isn't a believer in Trubisky or the Bears' chances to win a Super Bowl despite having what he described as a great defense.

Trubisky is not fluent in playing quarterback, he lacks overall instincts for the position, accuracy, and when the game speeds up, he slows way down. He is a great athlete with a strong arm playing the position, not a great quarterback with high-level instinctive skills. Pace fell in love with the the athlete, the arm, the movement, and he forgot about the traits that are essential to play the position. Instincts matter more than anything; being quick-minded is way more important than being quick-footed. If you watched Trubisky and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady work out, without knowing their history, you would pick Trubisky every time. But Brady knows how to play the position, Trubisky doesn’t.

This may be the most damning criticism of Trubisky so far, but it shouldn't be all that surprising. Lombardi has long been a Trubisky-doubter and was one of his biggest haters last season, too.

The problem this time around is Trubisky hasn't provided many reasons to suggest Lombardi is wrong.

Now, the suggestion that Trubisky doesn't know how to play quarterback is obvious hyperbole. He was a decorated high school recruit, had a very successful senior season at North Carolina and flashed top-tier potential in 2018, his first season in Matt Nagy's offense. But his pedestrian first two games this season have added fuel to Lombardi's bonfire and the only way to extinguish it is with a breakout performance in front of a national television audience Monday night.

Through two games this season, Trubisky's completed 58.3% of his passes for 348 yards, 0 TDs and one INT.