Bears sleepers the Broncos can't afford to ignore in Week 2

Are the Denver Broncos in a 'must-win' situation already? After dropping the season-opener in Oakland, the simple answer, if we're to believe the odds, is 'yes'.

Teams who open the season 0-2 have dismal odds when it comes to digging out of that hole and turning the ship around in time for a playoff run. It's happened before but the fates wouldn't be on Denver's side.

The good news? In home-openers played after Week 1, the Broncos are undefeated dating back to when Empower Field at Mile High (then called Invesco Field) opened back in 2001. The flip-side to that coin, though, is that the Broncos went into last week's contest having won their previous seven opening games.

The law of averages worked against Denver last week, but perhaps it'll favor them against the Chicago Bears. After winning the NFC North and cruising to a playoff berth last year, people are familiar with the stud players the Bears boast.

Mostly on the defensive side of the ball, the average fan is well aware of guys like Khalil Mack, Roquan Smith and Leonard Floyd, and everyone knows who QB Mitchell Trubisky is. Trubisky struggled in Chicago's season-opener but he's coming off a very impressive season and it's too early to say whether the egg he laid last week vs. Green Bay is going to be the exception in year three, or the rule.

In talking to a couple of Chicago insiders, I wanted to know who the Bears' sleepers are heading into Denver. Which players that no one is talking about should we — and by extension, the Broncos — be paying more attention to?

In the video above, I lay out the under-the-radar names my Chicago counterparts mentioned. They might not be household names yet, but Vic Fangio and the Broncos had better not be sleeping on them as they roll into Mile High on Sunday.

Click the play button above and then comment below with how the Broncos can stop these sleepers.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.

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