Buccaneers vs Bears pick against the spread and predictions
After a few weeks of less than stellar Thursday games, the NFL delivers a good one on Thursday night football. Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hit the Windy City to battle the Chicago Bears. Both teams have a 3-1 record and will fight for the divisional crown. When making the Buccaneers vs Bears pick against the spread for this game, it is not going to be easy.
Laying it on the line
The top sportsbooks did not waste any time putting up the NFL odds on this game. The Buccaneers started off as (-3) point favorites, but that did not last long. Over 70 percent of the early bets came flooding in on the road team. Now leading up to kickoff this point-spread is moving higher and higher and the Buccaneers are (-5.5) at most sportsbooks.
Buccaneers need a complete game
The Buccaneers did win last week against the Chargers, but once again failed to put up a complete game. At one point the defense allowed 24 straight points and they were sluggish in the first half. Tom Brady ended the game with an incredible stat line that included five scores, but he once again tossed a pick-six. On defense, cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting allowed two touchdowns and will most likely be a player targeted by the Bears.
Figuring out Foles
After leading the Bears to a valiant comeback against Atlanta, he fell flat against the Indianapolis Colts. His accuracy was off and he failed to keep his team in the game. Foles may get a pass because he was up against one of the best defenses in the NFL. He did bring a new feature in the back-shoulder pass which is something that Mitchell Trubisky cannot throw. Foles will have an easier time against the4 Bucs beatable pass defense, but he cannot afford to play as bad as he did last Sunday.
Thursday Football Trends
The Bears are 0-6 against the spread (ATS) when they play against a team with a winning record, but they are at home and that is important. The Bears are 7-2-1 ATS in the last 10 games at home against a team with a winning record. They also play very well as an underdog. The Bears are 11-4-1 ATS in the last 16 games as a home underdog.
The Buccaneers are profitable in the last six games overall with a 3-2-1 against the spread (ATS) record. However, they have struggled in certain areas. The Bucs are 3-7-1 ATS in the last 11 games as a favorite and 0-4-1 ATS in the last five games when they play a team with a winning record.
Trippin on Thursday
Many of the earlier trends against the Buccaneers include some ugly games before Brady joined the team. But one trend deserves an extra-long look. The Buccaneers are 1-5 ATS in the last six Thursday night games. Not preparing for a Thursday night game is a coaching issue. Playing on the road on a short week is not easy and that trend suggests that this coaching staff has problems with the preparation.
Buccaneers vs Bears pick against the spread
This is going to be a good one. The Bears will get better protection up front for Foles and give him time to pass. The Buccaneers may have the better team, but they have still not put it all together. Laying chalk on the road on a short week is not a very profitable angle to bet on. The home team has covered four of the last five games and the betting value is on the Bears in this game.
Bears +5.5 [BET NOW at MyBookie and double your deposit!]
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