(Too) Bold Predictions: Roquan Smith makes it a hat trick

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There's just something about Roquan Smith vs. the Rams.

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Smith picked off Jared Goff in both 2018 and 2019, so it wouldn't be a bold prediction to say he makes it three years in a row with an interception of the Rams' quarterback. Let's spice it up a bit, then: Smith not only picks off Goff, but he takes that interception to the house for a touchdown. Goff doesn't throw to his running backs often, but tight end Tyler Higbee is an important safety net for him. Smith broke up a pass in coverage on a tight end last week in Carolina, and this time jumps the route for an interception - and touchdown. 

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I don't know how bold this actually is, but here goes: Whoever starts at left guard will not finish the game at left guard. Matt Nagy said last week he wouldn't rotate Rashaad Coward and Alex Bars there - which he did back in 2018 with James Daniels and Eric Kush - but if Coward starts and can't handle Aaron Donald, don't the Bears have to try something else? Bars may or may not be able to slow down the best defensive player on the planet, but if Donald is wrecking the game - and the assumption here is he will be - Nagy will have to make a change. 

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I'm just so convinced – deeply, in my bones – that the trick plays are coming. It's Monday Night, in LA, and the Bears are 5-1. They tried a flea-flicker last week, so they're clearly in the playbook. Scoring a flashy touchdown on national TV sure would go a long way towards forcing The Haters the give them some Proper Respect, which the Bears definitely don't care about but also definitely do. Enter Akiem Hicks, somewhere between the five and three yard lines. That or he falls on a Robert Quinn strip sack in the end zone. 

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Over the first six weeks I've felt my Bold Predictions become softer and softer. The Bears' defense is so good that it's become legitimately boring to predict two sacks for Khalil Mack, or a touchdown from Eddie Jackson. So I'm just going to type in this box that I think Nick Foles is going to throw for 300+ yards. There is not one single good reason to think it will happen, but isn't that really what's at the heart of a bold prediction? The Bears are back! 

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