Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears Week 13 Betting Preview

Sunday afternoon features a matchup of struggling NFC North teams as the Detroit Lions (4-7) will take on the Chicago Bears (5-6) at Soldier Field in Chicago. Kickoff for this one is scheduled for 1:00 P.M. Eastern.
The Detroit Lions have struggled lately, as they have dropped four of their last five. On Thanksgiving, they lost to the Houston Texans 41-25. That loss led to the dismissal of head coach Matt Patricia. Interim head coach Darrell Bevell will lead the team the rest of the way. With nowhere but up to go, the Lions will try to bounce back against the Bears.
As poorly as the Lions have played, the Bears have been almost as bad themselves. After losing to the Packers 41-25 on Sunday night, Chicago has now lost five games in a row. Between quarterback changes and health concerns, the Bears went from being a contender to a pretender in just a month.
Despite their struggles, the Bears come into this one as the favorites playing at home. They are currently -164 to win while the Lions are +138. The spread features the Lions (+3) while the over/under for total points sits at 44.5.
By The Numbers
Both of these teams are in the bottom third of the NFL in points scored per game, but the Lions hold the slight edge. They rank 22nd overall averaging 22.9 points per game. The Bears fall to 29th averaging 19.6 points per game.
Defensively, it is the Bears who hold a significant advantage. They rank eighth in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing 22.7 points per game. The Lions come in 31st in the league, allowing an average of 29.8 points.
The Lions have been atrocious against the run, allowing 133.4 yards per game to opponents (28th overall). That is where Chicago’s David Montgomery will have a golden opportunity.
Lions Looking For Road Win Over Divisional Foe
In a season full of frustrations, the Lions are still trying to end the season respectably, and a road win over a divisional opponent would help that. For Bevell, it may be a bit of an audition, for the Lions or another team, so he will undoubtedly do his best to get his team prepared.
Leading the way for the Lions under center is veteran Matthew Stafford. The quarterback has thrown for 2,876 yards, 18 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. His leading receivers have been T.J. Hockenson (45 receptions, 530 yards, five touchdowns) and Marvin Jones (43 receptions, 503 yards, five touchdowns).
The Lions are still hopeful that both wide receiver Kenny Golladay and running back D’Andre Swift will be able to return at some point soon, but it is unclear if that will be this week.
Bears Hope To Finally End Skid
After starting the season 5-1, there was a lot of optimism that the Bears could be a playoff team. Since then, they have lost five straight games and would love nothing more than a win to end their losing streak.
After switching back to Mitch Trubisky for Sunday night’s game, head coach Matt Nagy indicated that Trubisky would remain under center for this week. Against the Packers Sunday, Trubisky threw for 242 yards and three touchdowns, but he also had three turnovers (two interceptions and a fumble).
On the ground, the Bears welcomed back Montgomery Sunday night. After being out with a concussion, he returned to rush 11 times for 103 yards. Montgomery also had five receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown.
Taking The Bears To Win And Cover
Honestly, this one is a tough one to call as both teams have been mediocre at best as of late. In fact, in the Bears game, their prized defense also looked lethargic as they seemingly stopped playing hard towards the end of the game.
As bad as the team played on Sunday, though, the offense showed signs of life that haven’t been around for a while. The offensive line created holes for the running game, and, aside from some silly decisions that led to turnovers, Trubisky showed flashes of being a competent quarterback.
With Detroit injured, I think the Bears’ defense and the ground game may win this one for them. I wouldn’t fault you if you took the Lions and the points, but for my money, I am taking the Bears to not only win but to cover the three-point spread.