Carolina Panthers at Chicago Bears (-7), Total 42 |
Carolina picked up its first win of the season last week with a 16-10 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars as 3.5-point home favorites. Ironically enough, the Panthers were out-gained in a contest for the first time during the 2011 season in the win.
Quarterback Cam Newton was slowed versus the Jaguars pass defense, throwing just 158 yards, after topping the 400-yard mark in consecutive weeks. It’s still been an amazing start and last year’s No. 1 pick is living up to expectations.
His favorite targets have been in the middle of the field, as Greg Olsen has 12 catches for 169 yards and a touchdown, while Jeremy Shockey has nine grabs for 137 yards. Both could find success this week in facing a Bears secondary that has allowed 277 yards per game and six touchdowns.
Let’s also not forget wide receiver Steve Smith, who ranks third in the league with 349 receiving yards, as he finished with a career-high 218 yards versus Chicago in the 2006 playoffs.
The NFL betting odds find that Panthers as underdogs for the third time in four weeks, with the team being 0-5 ATS as a road underdog of 3.5 to 7 points the last two-plus seasons.
Chicago is also 1-2 on the season and needs to find a running game to slow down the pass rush that has battered quarterback Jay Cutler. The Bears gained just 13 yards on 12 carries last week, which is unacceptable when having a running back of Matt Forte’s caliber.
The Bears will enter this contest ranked 31st in the NFL, averaging just 53.7 yards per game on the ground. Major injuries have caused changes on the line, as head coach Lovie Smith has been disappointed with the results thus far.
“I think we did what we needed to do on a day like that, when the run’s not working, start throwing the football,” commented Chicago head coach Lovie Smith.
Sunday’s contest will be the sixth regular-season meeting in this series, as the Bears lead, 3-2. Chicago ended up with a 23-6 road win in last year’s meeting as 2.5-point underdogs, holding Carolina to 147 total yards offensively.
When making your football betting picks this Sunday, take into account Chicago’s 3-8 ATS mark as a home favorite of 3.5 to 10 points.
