7 Bets to Make on the Bears Before Week 1
All Chicago Bears fans are excited, optimistic, and jazzed for this upcoming season. Fueling the fire was the last five weeks of HBO's Hard Knocks series that featured the Bears during training camp. Expectations could not be higher. On one hand, it feels like we have been here before and are being set up for disappointment. On the other hand, it feels like this is totally different, newly charted territory that is going to lead to big things.
Will your pocketbook back up your enthusiasm? Are you optimistic enough to bet on the Bears? Here are the best available picks for your Bears. All odds are from Draft Kings.
Betting the Game
The Bears are a four-point favorite against the Titans at Soldier Field on September 8. It is the first game of the new era. Just on principle, you have to believe that the Bears are going to win this game by more than a field goal. But let's back it up.
The first couple of weeks of the season are tough to assess because you don't know the impact that the offseason had on a team until they play against other team's starters. According to NFL.com, last season the Titans were fifth worst in passing rating (96.4), giving up the 19th most yards for the season. PFF also doesn't have very nice things to say about the Titans defense, ranking them 29th in defensive grade and putting them in the worst defensive cluster along with the Commanders and Cardinals.
The Titans didn't sit still in the offseason to upgrade their pass defense. Safety Jamal Adams may still have something left in the tank, but safety Quandre Diggs made three Pro Bowls in a row before last year and is expected to start ahead of Adams. CB Chidobe Awuzie got paid a lot of money but has been injured the entire preseason. More importantly, CB L'Jarius Sneed is easily a top 10 CB if not top 5, and will probably challenge DJ Moore on Sunday. The Titans also signed first-round LB Kenneth Murray before spending a fifth-round pick on CB Jarvis Brownlee. and a second-round pick on DT T'Vondre Sweat.
Clearly, the Titans focused on the pass defense, but it doesn't feel like enough to stop QB Caleb Williams, WR Keenan Allen, WR DJ Moore, TE Cole Kmet, and RB D'Andre Swift.
On the offensive side, QB Will Levis had a decent rookie year, but the Titans passed for the 8th least yards in the league with the 10th worst passer rating. However, the Titans upgraded at receiver including ex-Jaguar Calvin Ridley and ex-Bengal Tyler Boyd. The Titans were middle of the pack from a rushing perspective, but Derrick Henry is gone, replaced by ex-Cowboy Tony Pollard.
Meanwhile, after the acquisition of Montez Sweat and a change of focus, the Bears' defense was one of the best in the second half of the season including takeaways and scoring.
Result: Take the Bet, Bears -4 at -108.