DALLAS (7 - 5) at CHICAGO (6 - 6) - 12/9/2013, 8:40 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 31-51 ATS (-25.1 Units) in the last 4 weeks of the regular season since 1992.
CHICAGO is 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) in games where the line is +3 to -3 over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) in all games this season.
CHICAGO is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) in all lined games this season.
CHICAGO is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) against conference opponents this season.
CHICAGO is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) in December games over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 1-0 against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 1-0 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS vs. CHICAGO
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas's last 6 games when playing on the road against Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games
Chicago is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Chicago is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
Dallas at Chicago
Dallas: 56-36 UNDER in road games in the second half of the season
Chicago: 1-8 ATS against conference opponentsouble digit favorite
Dallas @ Chicago
The Cowboys are 18-10 ATS as a road underdog of 3 points or less, but just 1-7 ATS as a road dog off back to back straight up wins versus an opponent off a straight up loss. The Bears are 7-14 ATS at home, 16-26 ATS overall, 11-22 ATS versus NFC opponents, 1-8 ATS in the month of December, 5-10 ATS versus winning teams and 16-27 ATS versus NFC East opponents. On the other side Chicago is 6-1 ATS after facing Minnesota versus an opponent off a straight up win. Note the underdog in Dallas games is n a 37-13 ATS run.
NFL Week 14
Cowboys (7-5) @ Bears (6-6) — Dallas won last two games and five of last seven; with Week 11 bye and 10 days since last game, this is only their third game in last 28 days, so they should be rested, but this is another road team playing December game in possible bitter cold. Then again, Romo is from Wisconsin. You’d expect Dallas to be good with 10 days off after Thanksgiving game, but they’re 2-3 in last five post-Turkey games, 1-3 when on road. Cowboys are 2-3 this season in games with spread of 3 or less points, with two 1-point losses. Bears lost three of last four games, are 1-7-1 vs spread in last nine; they blew OT game in Minnesota last week, missing 46-yard FG in OT. Chicago is 4-2 at home, with underdogs 3-1-2 in those games- they’re 0-3-2 as home favorites this year, 3-6 in games with spread of 3 or less. Chicago won last two meetings 27-10/34-18, both in Dallas; this is Cowboys’ first visit to Windy City since ’07. NFC East non-divisional road teams are 7-8 vs spread; NFC North home teams are 3-7-2. Last five Dallas games and four of six Chicago home games went over the total.
Armadillosports.com
Monday Night Football Betting: Cowboys at Bears
By Covers.com
Dallas Cowboys at Chicago Bears (-1, 48)
The margin for error is slim for the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears, who meet Monday night with their playoff hopes hanging in the balance. The host Bears can't afford a third straight loss, as they trail Detroit by a game in the NFC North and lost both head-to-head meetings with the Lions. The Cowboys have won two straight and are tied with Philadelphia atop the NFC East.
The Cowboys bolstered their playoff chances with a 31-24 win over Oakland on Thanksgiving, but they haven't had much luck in December - a month when quarterback Tony Romo is 11-15 as a starter. "It all comes with the dinner," Dallas coach Jason Garrett told reporters of the criticism of his quarterback. "He's got a position that is one of the great jobs on the planet. What comes with that is some of the scrutiny, and he understands that." The Bears won 34-18 last year in Dallas, intercepting Romo five times and taking two of them back for touchdowns.
LINE: The line opened at +1.5 and after some back and forth, the number has settled at +1. The total opened at 49.5 and has been bet down to 48.
WEATHER: Temperatures will be in the high teens with a 12 mph wind blowing across the field.
COVERS POWER RANKINGS: Dallas (-3) - Chicago (0) + home field (-3) = pk
ABOUT THE COWBOYS (7-5, 8-4 ATS): Dallas' playoff chances seemed slim after a 49-17 pummeling by New Orleans in Week 10, but the Cowboys have eked out close wins the past two weeks. The ground game has come to life with DeMarco Murray scoring a career-high three touchdowns against the Raiders, and that's likely to be a focus against the Bears' league-worst run defense. The defense has to be better in December, as the Cowboys rank last in the league in total yards allowed (421.6) and 22nd in scoring defense (25.3).
ABOUT THE BEARS (6-6, 2-9-1 ATS): Chicago's hopes of an NFC North title took a hit when Robbie Gould missed a potential game-winning field goal in a 23-20 overtime loss at Minnesota last week. Quarterback Jay Cutler has been ruled out for Sunday, meaning Josh McCown will make his fourth straight start and his fifth in six games. The defense has struggled, especially against the run, and linebacker Lance Briggs will miss his sixth straight game with a shoulder injury.
TRENDS:
* Underdog is 4-1 ATS in their last five meetings.
* Cowboys are 1-7 ATS in their last eight Monday night games.
* Over is 4-1 in Cowboys last five games overall.
* Under is 4-1 in Bears last five versus a team with a wining record.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Romo has passed for 300 yards in all three games against Chicago.
2. Chicago RB Matt Forte needs 29 rushing yards to reach 1,000 for the fourth time in his career.
3. McCown has passed for 1,461 yards with nine touchdowns and one interception and boasts a 103.6 rating.
MNF - Cowboys at Bears
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
The Bears and Cowboys are both within reach of gaining first place in their respective divisions with just four games left in the regular season. Dallas visits Chicago on Monday night as each squad is fighting for an opportunity just to get in the playoffs, as the division championship route may be the only viable option.
Jay Cutler remains out for the Bears as the quarterback missed his third straight game with an ankle injury last Sunday. Chicago squandered a 20-10 lead in the fourth quarter of an overtime defeat at Minnesota, 23-20. Robbie Gould missed a 47-yard field goal in overtime to win it for Chicago, as the Bears lost in spite of wide receiver Alshon Jeffery hauling in 249 yards and two touchdowns. The Bears dropped their third game in four tries, but Chicago can tie Detroit for first place in the NFC North with a victory on Monday.
The Cowboys won their second straight contest after rallying past the Raiders on Thanksgiving, 31-24. Dallas failed to cover as 10-point home favorites, as DeMarco Murray found the end zone three times for the Cowboys in the victory. Since losing that shootout to Denver back in Week 5, the Cowboys have won five of their last seven contests to creep within one-half game of Philadelphia in the NFC East race.
Last season, the Bears went into Cowboys Stadium on a Monday night in October and knocked off Dallas, 34-18 as three-point underdogs. The Bears' defense returned two Tony Romo interceptions for touchdowns, as the Cowboys' quarterback was picked off five times in the defeat. Brandon Marshall burned Dallas for 138 yards and a touchdown, as the Cowboys picked up eight more first downs than the Bears in the loss (26-18).
Dallas makes its first visit to Soldier Field since 2010, when the Cowboys drilled the Bears, 34-10 to cash outright as three-point 'dogs. The Cowboys' defense harassed Rex Grossman all night with three interceptions, while Dallas outscored Chicago, 31-7 in the second half to narrowly finish 'over' the closing total of 41.
Cutler will miss his fifth full game of the season, while basically being out for most of the loss at Washington back in Week 7. Josh McCown has filled in admirably for Cutler, tossing nine touchdowns and throwing only one interception. However, the Bears are 2-3 SU and 1-4 ATS with McCown under center, while he is making just his second home start of the season.
The Bears have been a disaster to back this season, as Marc Trestman's club owns a dreadful 2-9 ATS record. In fact, Chicago has covered only one of its last nine games and that came in a win as 10-point underdogs at Green Bay in Week 9 when Aaron Rodgers suffered a collarbone injury in the first quarter. At Soldier Field this season, the Bears have put together an 0-5-1 ATS record, while losing outright to the Saints and Lions.
Normally, Dallas has been a poor team to wager on since its lines were inflated due to perception. However, the Cowboys are cashing tickets with an 8-4 ATS record, including an impressive 4-2 ATS mark away from Arlington. Jason Garrett's team has failed to win three straight games this season, but Dallas owns a 6-2 record inside the NFC, which will certainly help them for tiebreaker purposes.
The 'under' has been the play on Monday night football recently, hitting in three straight and seven of the past eight weeks. The favorites are currently on a 3-0 SU/ATS run, including consecutive blowout wins by San Francisco (at Washington) and Seattle (against New Orleans). The Cowboys are making their first appearance on Monday night this season, while going 1-2 SU and 0-3 ATS since 2010 under the Monday spotlight.
From a totals perspective, Dallas has finished 'over' the total in three straight games, while compiling an 8-4 mark to the 'over' this season. In six road contests, the Cowboys have hit the 'over' four times, including each of the last three games against the Giants, Saints, and Lions. The Bears are 4-2 to the 'over' at Soldier Field, with the two 'unders' coming in games with totals above 50 against New Orleans and Detroit.
After Dallas opened up as a short one-point favorite, this game is listed at a pick-em at most spots. The total is set at 48 across the board, as the contest kicks off at 8:30 PM from Soldier Field and can be seen nationally on ESPN.
Boys, Bears clash on MNF
By Sportsbook.ag
Dallas Cowboys (7-5) at Chicago Bears (6-6)
Sportsbook.ag Line & Total: Dallas -1.5, Total: 48
Opening Line & Total: Cowboys -2 & 49.5
The Cowboys set their sights on the NFC East crown while the Bears try to keep their playoff hopes alive when the teams collide on Monday night.
Dallas defeated the Raiders 31-24 on Thanksgiving Day despite being down two touchdowns late in the second quarter. Chicago was saddled with a 23-20 road loss against the Vikings in overtime, making the team 2-4 SU (1-5 ATS) in its past six games.
The Bears have yet to cover a spread at home this year (0-5-1 ATS), while the Cowboys are 2-4 SU on the road, but a solid 4-2 ATS. These teams last met in Dallas last season where Chicago won 34-18 as a 3-point underdog, picking off Tony Romo five times in the victory. That made this series an even 5-5 split (SU and ATS) in the past 10 meetings.
Both clubs have negative betting trends working against them.
The Cowboys are 10-23 ATS (30%) in road games after outrushing their opponent by 75+ yards in their previous game since 1992. But over the past two seasons, Chicago is 2-11 ATS (15%) in games where the line is +3 to -3.
The big injury story in this game is Bears starting QB Jay Cutler (ankle) who is out, while the Cowboys will get a huge boost with top LB Sean Lee (hamstring) set to return after missing the past two games. The Cowboys appeared to be in trouble against the Raiders on Thanksgiving Day before QB Tony Romo (3,140 passing yards, 7.1 YPA, 24 TD, 7 INT) began to throw all over the Oakland defense. Romo went 23-of-32 for 225 yards and a touchdown, and constantly had the Cowboys in the red zone in the second half.
RB DeMarco Murray (697 rush yards, 4.9 YPC, 7 TD) was able to cash in on those opportunities as he rushed for 63 yards and three touchdowns. Backup RB Lance Dunbar (150 rush yards, 5.0 YPC) also rushed 12 times for 82 yards before being injured (knee) and lost for the season. This was a welcomed change from the pass-happy attack Dallas has shown all year, where the team ranks 15th in the NFL in passing yards (243 YPG) and 27th in rushing offense (85 YPG). The Cowboys offense has still be able to find ways to score though, with 27.4 PPG this season (3rd in NFL).
They will need to step their defense up, however, as they are allowing a league-worst 422 total YPG, broken down between 295 passing YPG (2nd-worst in NFL) and 127 rushing YPG (27th in NFL). Dallas also ranks 28th in the league in red zone efficiency (62% TD rate) and 27th in third-down defense (41% efficiency). The return of LB Sean Lee should immediately help the struggling defense get on track.
Chicago lost a heart-breaker in Minnesota last week that could’ve really gone a long way in helping the club make the playoffs.
The Bears should be fine with Josh McCown playing excellent football for Chicago. He has thrown for 1,461 yards (7.9 YPA) this season with nine touchdowns and just one interception.
He also has two exceptional receivers in WRs Brandon Marshall (990 rec. yards, 9 TD) and Alshon Jeffery (1,109 rec. yards, 5 TD), who is coming off a mammoth 249-yard performance with 2 TD in Minnesota. The Bears are passing for 272 YPG (6th in NFL) while allowing just 232 passing YPG (14th in NFL).
Their big problem, however, comes stopping the run. They have allowed an NFL-worst 154 rushing YPG on 5.0 YPC, but the red-zone defense has been pretty good (50%, T-10th in NFL). Despite this efficiency, Chicago is still allowing 27.7 PPG (5th-most in league).
RB Matt Forte will need to have an effective game for the Bears to come away with this one. He has been one of the best running backs in football this season with 971 rushing yards (4.5 YPC) and seven touchdowns. He has also added 58 receptions for 445 yards and a touchdown in the passing game.