Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers Betting Preview
Both the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers had uncharacteristic showings last week, each with very different outcomes. The Bears were able to get a 19-10 upset of the 49ers in week one, while Green Bay struggled on both sides of the ball in a 23-7 loss at Minnesota.
This has been a pretty lopsided rivalry as of late, with Green Bay winning six straight and 20 of the last 23. The Bears haven’t won in Lambeau Field since 2015, which is a big reason the Packers are -10 point favorites for this Sunday Night matchup.
No Respect for the Bears Win
Not many people feel the Bears’ week one win was legit, considering there was over four inches of rain that fell on Soldier Field, and the 49ers offense could only muster 10 points. Chicago played in the same conditions, though, and made some halftime adjustments to score 19 straight points to pick up the win.
It’s hard to take much from week one because of the conditions, but Bears QB Justin Fields played well considering – throwing a 51-yard TD to Dante Pettis and an 18-yard score to former Packer Equanimeous St. Brown. Green Bay’s secondary gave up nine catches, 184 yards, and two TDs to the Vikings’ Justin Jefferson last week.
You can’t discount that Chicago’s Matt Eberflus is now 4-0 as a head coach in the NFL following a perfect preseason. Plus, what extra game planning tips can St. Brown or Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy bring to this contest, as they were both with the Packers last season?
Packers Can Bounce Back
He didn’t pull out the R-E-L-A-X, but Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has been here before when everybody says the sky is falling in Green Bay. Just last year, in fact, the Packers fell 38-3 to New Orleans (in a game that was moved to Jacksonville due to the weather) and bounced back to win seven straight.
Make no mistake, Rodgers was bad in week one going 22/34 for just 195 yards with 0 TD and an INT. He’s also a year older and doesn’t have Davante Adams as his go-to receiver, so maybe this is the year the Packers don’t rebound and go on a run.
Chicago has a very young secondary, though, and Rodgers likes playing with a chip on his shoulder.
Bears at Packers Pick and Prediction
Scrap what you saw in week one from both teams, with Chicago playing in basically a small lake and Green Bay getting off to their usual slow start. The thing about the Bears’ win last week, though, is that they should be even better with a dry track, especially Fields, who can keep plays alive with his legs.
Eberflus seems to have changed the culture in Chicago, and we don’t know for sure if Rodgers will have his traditional bounce back as he has a young receiving core and has several offensive lineman banged up. Chicago is +360 on the ML, but at the very least, the +10 points looks like too many.
Pick: Chicago +10
