Chicago Bears at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Betting Preview
Sunday afternoon features an NFC battle as the Chicago Bears (3-3) take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1). Tampa Bay will host this one at Raymond James Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 4:25 pm ET.
The Bears are trying to bounce back after a 24-14 loss against the Green Bay Packers in Week 6. In the loss, Justin Fields threw for 174 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 43 yards. The rushing leader was Khalil Herbert, who had 19 carries for 97 yards and a score.
The defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers won their third game in a row last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, 28-22. Tom Brady threw for 297 yards and two scores, while Leonard Fournette rushed for 81 yards and another two scores.
The Buccaneers are the overwhelming favorites playing at home. They are -650 to win while the Bears’ moneyline sits at +480. The spread features Chicago +11.5, and the over/under for total points is 47.
More Odds
The Bears currently have the third-best odds of winning the NFC North at +1500. The Buccaneers are the favorites to win the NFC South at -600.
In terms of the Super Bowl, Tampa Bay is the favorite at +550. The Bears are +17000 to win Super Bowl LVI.
By The Numbers
In their last seven games against Tampa Bay, the Bears are 5-2, both straight up and against the spread. Despite that success, they are just 3-8 in their last 11 road games against the Buccaneers.
In their last four games, the Buccaneers are 13-1, and they have won six home games in a row. For Tampa Bay, the over has hit four times in their last six games.
Bears Trying To Take Down Defending Champs
At 3-3, the Bears have been competitive but certainly do not fit in amongst the elite of the NFL. Fighting to stay competitive with a rookie quarterback, the Bears will try to upset the defending champions on the road.
Speaking of that rookie quarterback, Justin Fields continues to try to improve each week. On the season, Fields has thrown for 632 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. He has also rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown.
With David Montgomery still injured, it will be Khalil Herbert getting the majority of the carries in the backfield against. He will certainly have his hands full, though, as he faces the top-ranked rushing defense in the league as they are allowing just 54.8 yards per game.
Defensively, the Bears rank eighth in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing just 20.7 points per game (23 on the road).
Bucs Try To Stay Undefeated At Raymond James
With the exception of one game against the Rams, the Buccaneers have been perfect this year. They have been perfect when playing at Raymond James Stadium and will look to continue that home winning streak Sunday.
Leading the way for the Buccaneers is veteran and future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Tom Brady. This season, he has thrown for 2,064 yards, 17 touchdowns, and just three interceptions.
Brady has certainly spread the wealth on offense, but his top receivers include Mike Evans (31 receptions, 420 yards, four touchdowns), Antonio Brown (29 receptions, 418 yards, four touchdowns), and Chris Godwin (34 receptions, 409 yards, two touchdowns).
On the defensive side, the Buccaneers rank 17th in scoring defense as they are allowing 24 points per game.
Take Tampa Bay To Win, But Can They Cover?
With the defense’s ability to shut down an opposing running game, the Buccaneers are going to force Justin Fields to beat them with his arm. While Fields is certainly extremely talented, he hasn’t necessarily proven that he can do that against elite teams.
With that in mind, the Buccaneers seem like a really easy play to win straight up, but they probably aren’t the worst bet to cover the spread either.
In three home games this season, they are winning by an average of just over 17 points. Expect that to continue on Sunday.
Take Tampa Bay to both win and cover.
