Bengals vs. Bears Odds
CHICAGO, IL (The Spread) – A pair of 10-win teams open the season against each other on Sunday at 1PM ET as the Chicago Bears hosting the Cincinnati Bengals on CBS.
Chicago was 10-6 last season while going 7-8-1 against the spread and hitting the over 9 times. Cincinnati was 10-6 last season while going 9-6-1 against the spread and hitting the under 10 times.
Trends show that the Bears are 1-5 against the spread in their last 6 home games while Cincinnati is 4-1 against the spread in its last 5 road games and 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on grass.
According to oddsmakers from Bovada.lv, Chicago is the slight favorite at home, as the Bears have odds of -3 points against the Bengals. The over/under total for the game has been set at 41.5 points (View Matchup). The opening odds for this game had Chicago favored by 4 points. The spread was never greater than that, dropping quickly to 3 points and holding strong there. The over/under total opened at 45 points but has been falling quickly, now at 41.5.
Some are looking at Cincinnati as a Super Bowl contender this season, largely due to its physical defense that ranked seventh in the NFL in passing yards allowed last year. As a team, the Bengals gave up just 20 points per game a year ago and had 51 sacks. Offensively, quarterback Andy Dalton will look to take another step forward after throwing for 3,669 yards and 27 scores last year. A.J. Green has emerged as a top receiver in the league following a 97-catch, 1,350-yard season with 11 touchdowns. Cincinnati also addressed its running game in the draft, taking explosive back Giovanni Bernard in the second round.
Chicago also has reasons to be optimistic, as the Bears looks to have a solid balance of offense and defense. The Bears should see improvement in its 29th-ranked passing attack of the 2012-13 season as Brandon Marshall is back after catching 118 passes for 1,508 yards and 11 scores. Jay Cutler is also back and running back Matt Forte can have a big role in the passing game if he stays healthy. Defensively, Chicago allowed just 17.3 points and 315.6 yards per game last season, but the group lost longtime captain Brian Urlacher to retirement in the offseason.
In terms of Injuries, Cincinnati tackle Tanner Hawkinson is out with an ankle injury while defensive end Carlos Dunlap is questionable with a concussion. Chicago receiver Earl Bennett is probable to play despite having a concussion recently.
The Public Bets for this game are currently backing Cincinnati, as the Bengals are getting 67% of the wagers with odds of +3 points at Chicago.
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